- Trump's estranged niece swiped the former president after it was reported he fell asleep in court.
- Mary Trump joked that she feared "narcolepsy ran in the family."
- Opening remarks for Trump's hush money trial are set to begin Monday.
Donald Trump's estranged niece, Mary Trump, swiped the former president after it was reported he fell asleep in court, saying she's concerned narcolepsy runs in the family.
According to a The New York Times report Monday, the Republican presidential candidate "appeared to nod off a few times. His mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest" during the first day of his New York hush money trial.
Speaking on her uncle's apparent drowsiness on SiriusXM on Wednesday, Mary Trump joked, "I'm a little worried that narcolepsy runs in the family."
Narcolepsy is a condition where the brain struggles to control sleep-wake cycles, leading sufferers to feel drowsy throughout much of the day.
Mary Trump said she believes "we can't underestimate the extent of the depth of the narcissistic injury he's suffering" as a result of the hush money trial, which enters its second week on Monday.
President Joe Biden's campaign moved quickly to exploit the reports of Trump dozing off, dubbing the former president "Sleepy Don." Trump had as long insulted Biden as "Sleepy Joe."
He was also taunted on social media with hashtags including #DonSnorleone.
"It's a moment that, unconsciously, he's probably been dreading for the last five and a half decades," Mary Trump said of the trial in New York.
"Part of him was probably always terrified that it was going to come, but also, he probably never believed it would because he always gets away with everything. And here we are. And trust me, he understands how serious this is," she said.
Mary Trump has been a longtime and fervent critic of her renowned relative. In a Business Insider interview in 2021, she said, "He is a fascist. But he probably doesn't know what fascist means."
The jury for Trump's hush money trial was selected this week, with opening remarks expected on Monday. The former president faces allegations he falsified 34 business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election.
On Saturday, Trump took to social media to express his anger against the judge and the circumstances of the trial.
"THIS SCAM 'RUSHED' TRIAL TAKING PLACE IN A 95% DEMOCRAT AREA IS A PLANNED AND COORDINATED WITCH HUNT," he wrote in block caps in one of several Truth Social posts Saturday morning. "IT IS BEING PRESIDED OVER BY POSSIBLY THE MOST CONFLICTED JUDGE IN JUDICIAL HISTORY, WHO MUST BE REMOVED FROM THIS HOAX IMMEDIATELY."