Images of an 11-year-old boy snoozing through President Donald Trump's 82-minute State of the Union address have gone viral.
Joshua Trump was invited by the president to attend Tuesday night’s speech after his family spoke out about the bullying he faced for sharing a last name with the president.
The sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, faced bullying so severe that his parents took him out of school to homeschool him, his mother told WPVI-TV.
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His situation caught the attention of the first family and led to his invitation to the State of the Union address. He was seated Tuesday next to Grace Eline, a 10-year-old cancer survivor who was also invited by the president, and near first lady Melania Trump.
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It was there that he fell asleep.
The Washington Post noted that it was not clear when Joshua closed his eyes. During the president's speech, the Post reported, "some camera angles swept over the crowd at select moments when everyone was standing and clapping – except for the blank space where Joshua should have been."
An alert photographer, however, caught sight of Joshua snoozing and snapped a photo that spread widely on social media.
According to a White House news release, Joshua likes science, art and history. He wants to have a career in which he can work with animals.
“His hero and best friend is his Uncle Cody, who serves in the United States Air Force,” White House officials said. “He is thankful to the First Lady and the Trump family for their support.”
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