Recent surveys reveal increasing American apprehension regarding Donald Trump's mental acuity. A Reuters-Ipsos poll showed 61% of respondents agreed Trump has 'become erratic with age,' including 30% of Republican voters. A CNN poll indicated the percentage of those believing Trump has the 'stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president' dropped from 53% in late 2023 to 46%. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll suggested majorities believed Trump doesn't possess the physical health (51%) or mental sharpness (56%) to carry out his duties effectively.
In response, Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin has sponsored a bill to establish a commission to assess the President's fitness for office under the 25th Amendment. The legislation is co-sponsored by 50 additional Democratic House members. Raskin wrote to Trump's doctor, stating experts have warned Trump exhibits signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline. According to Raskin, Trump's recent public statements and outbursts have been increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening.
Open the F***in' Strait, you crazy b******s.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy King suggested Trump's recent social media posts may signal cognitive concerns. King also noted Trump's use of capitalization in his signature 'President DONALD J. TRUMP' reinforces his identity and amplifies intensity. Psychologist Dr. John Gartner warned Trump is showing an alarming 'rate of deterioration' and has signs of frontotemporal dementia since 2019. Gartner said Trump's deterioration is accelerating so quickly that he is 'not the same man he was four weeks ago.' MS NOW medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta wrote that Trump is exhibiting all the signs of dementia. French neuropsychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik suggested Trump presents a profile of a 'psychopath' driven by impulses, not a mental illness.
Former White House insiders have corroborated these assessments with firsthand observations. Former White House counsel Ty Cobb said Trump's cognitive decline has 'accelerated' and he shows signs of Dementia. Cobb argued that Trump's destruction of the White House East Wing to build a new ballroom is an 'ego-driven insane exercise.'
I have to be careful to avoid a trip or fall.
The White House has offered contradictory responses to these mounting concerns. White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella said in a memo last year that Trump is in 'excellent health.' Regarding bruising on Trump's hand, the White House says it is due to aspirin use and frequent handshaking. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to Cobb's comments by saying Cobb should seek psychiatric help for 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.'
Recent public incidents have further fueled questions about Trump's condition. Trump gave a graphic Iran war update to an audience filled with children at the Easter Egg Roll. He reposted an image where he appeared as Jesus and told reporters he thought it portrayed him as a 'doctor making people feel better.' Commentator David Pakman claimed Trump suffered a 'complete and total collapse' on live TV during a CNBC interview.
I walk nice and slowly when getting out of planes to avoid falling.
NBC host Katy Tur questioned Trump's 'mental acuity' live on air, citing polls and behavior like apparent sleeping during meetings. Reports indicate Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.
These developments occur within the context of broader age and fitness concerns affecting both major presidential candidates. A potential 2024 rematch between Biden, 80, and Trump, 76, would pit the two oldest presidents ever elected to first terms against each other again. Concerns about age and mental fitness have become major points of criticism for each candidate. According to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, more Americans are concerned about the mental fitness of the two leading presidential candidates than not.
NO MORE MR NICE GUY.
Public opinion on Biden's mental fitness reveals significant demographic variations. The same poll found 62 percent of Americans say the question of Joe Biden's mental fitness is a real concern about his ability to be president. However, 36 percent of Americans dismiss questions about Biden's mental sharpness, saying concerns are merely a campaign strategy used by his opponents. Younger voters are the most likely age group to question Biden, with two-thirds of Generation Z and millennials expressing concern. Biden's own contemporaries in the Silent and Greatest Generations (born before 1946) are the most likely to give him the benefit of the doubt, with just 45 percent questioning his fitness. Nearly two out of three Democrats say concerns about Biden are simply campaign rhetoric.
Independent voters show distinct perspectives when assessing both candidates. By a more than two-to-one margin, independents are more likely to say Biden's mental fitness is a real concern than a political strategy. Independents' view of Trump is more evenly split, with 48 percent saying his mental fitness is a real concern and 42 percent saying it is a political strategy.
He is not competent to be president.
Several medical unknowns complicate the public discussion. What specific medical evidence or evaluations support the claims of Trump's cognitive decline or dementia remains unclear. The exact cause of the bruising on Trump's hand, and whether there are any underlying health issues not disclosed, has not been independently verified. How Trump's recent social media posts and public statements compare to his past behavior in terms of coherence and frequency requires systematic analysis.
The political implications of these developments remain uncertain. How Representative Jamie Raskin's bill to establish a commission under the 25th Amendment will progress, and what political support it has beyond Democrats, is unclear. What impact the conflicting poll results on Trump's mental fitness will have on voter perceptions and the 2024 election campaign remains to be seen.
He is unfit to serve.