Trump ‘zapper’ mystery: Why the woman behind him kept touching her stomach
Jayme Leagh Franklin, a former White House official and founder of The Conservateur, went viral after videos showed her repeatedly touching her stomach as Trump appeared to close his eyes.
A woman seen standing behind US President Donald Trump during an Oval Office event has responded to a bizarre social media joke claiming that she was using a hidden device to “zap” him whenever he appeared to doze off.
Jayme Leagh Franklin, a former White House official and founder of conservative media and lifestyle platform The Conservateur, went viral after videos from the event showed her repeatedly placing her hand on her stomach while Trump appeared to briefly close his eyes.
The moment sparked jokes and speculation online, with some users suggesting that Franklin was secretly pressing a button to keep the US President awake. Franklin has now offered a much simpler explanation: she is pregnant.
Social media users soon began linking the two actions. Videos and screenshots circulated online, with some joking that Franklin had a concealed button near her stomach that sent a signal or “zap” to Trump whenever he appeared to fall asleep.
The theory gained enough traction for some users to nickname Franklin “The Zapper”.
🤖 Viral clip sparks “robot” comparisons as Jayme Leagh Franklin appears behind Trump during a vaccine order signing.
Her subtle nodding and jerky movements fueled “cyborg” and “MAGA fembot” jokes online while others say video editing made normal movements look strange. pic.twitter.com/A3fRYxbxWq
The responses turned what had begun as speculation about Trump’s apparent drowsiness into a viral joke about Franklin and her presence behind the President.
Who is Jayme Leagh Franklin?
Franklin is no stranger to Republican politics or the Trump White House. She worked as a coalitions coordinator for Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign before serving as director of correspondence during his first administration, according to The Independent.
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In 2019, Franklin founded The Conservateur, a conservative media and lifestyle platform aimed primarily at young Christian women.
Her appearance at Monday’s event prompted questions online about why she was among those standing behind Trump during the executive order signing.
Franklin told The Independent that she was “honored” to join Trump for the event, which she described as focused on giving parents greater freedom to consult their paediatricians and make decisions concerning their children.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Independent that Franklin was there representing parents whose concerns about the US childhood vaccination schedule had been “ignored or mocked”.
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Trump’s apparent drowsiness has drawn attention before
The viral clip comes amid recurring online discussion over Trump’s apparent drowsiness during public appearances.
In July, Trump was photographed with his eyes closed during the funeral of late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The White House dismissed claims that he had fallen asleep, saying he was “reflecting on the loss of his dear friend”, according to People magazine.
Trump has previously dismissed photographs that appeared to show him sleeping, arguing that the images may simply have captured him while blinking.
This time, however, the viral speculation centred on the woman standing behind him. As theories about a concealed button or “zapper” gained traction online, Franklin offered a far simpler explanation for repeatedly touching her stomach: she is pregnant.
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