'Zapper lady' has blunt 5-word response to theory she has a button on her belly to wake up Trump

A woman who went viral after being accused of secretly having a button on her belly to wake Donald Trump has now addressed the bizarre theory herself.

Political commentator and former White House staffer Jayme Leagh Franklin was standing behind the US president during an Oval Office event on childhood vaccines, when cameras captured Trump with his eyes closed and his head tilted while another person was speaking.

What grabbed the attention of many on social media, though, was when Franklin had one hand resting across her stomach; appearing to move it, Trump opened his eyes and shifted upright moments later. Online users quickly decided the timing was too good to ignore, with one viral post on X (formerly Twitter) claiming she had a hidden button designed to 'zap' the president awake whenever he drifted off.

Writer Tim Brannigan, who shared the clip and wrote: “Claims she has a button fitted on her belly, and when she gets the nod that he’s asleep she moves her hand and presses a button that wakes him. They’re calling her The Zapper. No idea if it’s true but it *appears* to line up.”

However, Franklin has now revealed the much simpler reason for keeping her hand there. Quoting the aforementioned claim a repost, she wrote (accompanied by laughing & crying emojis): “I’m just pregnant you weirdos”

Still, others joined in on the joke, with one X user commenting under Brannigan’s post: “Bro’s getting rebooted like a malfunctioning laptop”

Although, Franklin’s pregnancy was hardly a secret by the time the theory took off.

As noted by LADbible, during the same Oval Office event, she told Trump: “I’m a mom. I have a three-and-a-half-year-old and another one on the way.”

As well as being a former Trump administration official, Franklin founded conservative media and lifestyle company The Conservateur.

She previously worked as a coalitions coordinator for Trump’s 2020 campaign before serving as director of correspondence during his first administration, and has also worked at Fox News and in the US Senate.

Franklin had been invited to the Oval Office to speak specifically about parental choice when it comes to childhood vaccines. With Trump was signing a new executive order on reducing childhood vaccines, this is just the latest in unfounded health concerns raised by both him and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — including that Tylenol (effectively the US equivalent of paracetamol) can be a cause of autism.

On the matter, Franklin said: “I’m not anti-vaccine at all. I’m pro-vaccine. But we want to be able to have the freedom to space it out and choose which one works for our child.

“We don’t believe that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution for every child.”

The White House itself has also pushed back against suggestions Trump had been sleeping during the event, as the 80-year-old continues to face online scrutiny whenever footage emerges of him appearing to close his eyes during public appearances.

That has also fuelled jokes about 'Sleepy Don', a twist on the 'Sleepy Joe' nickname Trump repeatedly used for his predecessor Joe Biden.