There is no evidence supporting those claims, and Rubio provided no information indicating who the person was.

The story drew additional attention because Rubio has previously been questioned about another controversy involving sleep aboard official government aircraft and at presidential meetings.

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu asked Rubio whether he had ever witnessed President Donald Trump falling asleep during a meeting.

Rubio said he had not.

He instead described Trump as maintaining an unusually demanding schedule and said the president frequently communicates with administration officials early in the morning.

Lieu later challenged Rubio’s statement, saying he had video footage that he believed showed Trump with his eyes closed during a Cabinet meeting while Rubio was speaking.

Rubio maintained that he had never personally seen Trump fall asleep.

The Air Force One episode, however, appears to have been considerably less political. Rubio’s account centered on an ordinary situation that became unexpectedly alarming because officials could not determine whether someone was simply sleeping or potentially suffering a medical emergency.

The incident ultimately ended without injury, but it provided a rare glimpse into the unusual situations that can occur aboard the presidential aircraft.

For Rubio and his colleagues, what began as an awkward question—whether to wake a sleeping passenger—became a prolonged moment of uncertainty.

In the end, the person was fine, leaving the officials with an unusual story rather than the emergency they had feared.