Trump Faces New Scrutiny After Cognitive Blunder at Pennsylvania Town Hall
(NBC News)
Former President Donald Trump, 78, came under fresh scrutiny during a recent town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after repeatedly referring to the event’s moderator, Sage Steele, by the wrong name and making an awkward claim about having “no cognitive problems.” The incident, which unfolded as Trump tried to dismiss concerns about his mental fitness in his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, raised eyebrows among both supporters and critics.
Throughout the event, Trump mistakenly called Steele “Paige” several times before launching into a defense of his own mental sharpness. “Let’s have a little fun, Paige,” he said, failing to acknowledge his error. Despite the mix-up, Steele continued moderating the event. Trump then attempted to reassure the audience of his cognitive abilities, stating, “I’ve got no cognitive,” but left the sentence unfinished.
He further emphasized, “I’m not 80, and I’m not that close to 80,” before targeting President Joe Biden, inaccurately referring to Biden’s age as “81 or 82” and accusing him of being “obviously cognitively repaired,” mixing up the words “repaired” and “impaired.” Throughout the town hall, Trump repeatedly insisted that he had “no cognitive” issues in response to concerns raised by Vice President Kamala Harris about his fitness to serve as president.
“I have no cognitive. She may have a cognitive problem. But, but. There’s no cognitive problem,” Trump said, muddling his message further. He also reiterated his familiar claim of having “aced” two cognitive tests, though he has yet to make his medical records public, according to MTN.
“I’ve done cognitive tests twice, and I aced both of them,” Trump boasted to the audience, stating that doctors were impressed by his performance. He argued that age alone should not be a measure of a leader’s fitness for office, pointing to 93-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who he described as “sharp as can be.”
Trump’s town hall appearance comes amid growing pressure on his campaign to address his health and mental fitness for office, especially after several event cancellations. His staff attributed the cancellations, which included an NRA event and major interviews with outlets like CNBC and 60 Minutes, to “exhaustion.”
The Harris campaign was quick to respond to Trump’s town hall performance, calling it an example of his “incoherent rambling.” Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, commented, “Today Pennsylvanians got a firsthand look at why Donald Trump’s handlers are canceling events and interviews.” She added, “In a single town hall, he incoherently rambled that he has ‘no cognitive’ and appeared to forget his own age, told The Independent.
The American people deserve a president who will fight tirelessly for them – not one too ‘exhausted’ to focus on anything but himself.” Amid these concerns, clinical psychologist Dr. Ben Michaelis, who has conducted cognitive assessments for the New York Supreme Court, previously told The Independent that Trump appears to be “not in a particularly strong cognitive state.”
Additionally, over 230 doctors have signed an open letter urging Trump to release his medical records, pointing to his age and erratic behavior as reasons for transparency. The letter emphasized, “While many older adults are highly functional, age can also bring cognitive changes that affect our ability to perform in complex settings. We are seeing that from Trump, who increasingly uses public appearances to ramble and lash out at perceived grievances.” As the 2024 election approaches, these incidents continue to fuel debates about Trump’s readiness to return to the presidency.
