Speculation about Donald Trump’s mental state escalated when he appeared to forget the name of the doctor with whom he conducted cognitive tests during his Presidency. During a Detroit speech, Mr. Trump repeatedly referred to the previous White House physician as “Ronny Johnson” even though his name is Ronny Jackson.
Critics subsequently posted clips of the former President wrongly naming individuals throughout his campaign, including the infamous occasion when he appeared to confuse Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and complained that Haley refused his offer of 10,000 National Guard troops on January 6.
Ramin Setoodeh, author of the book “Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass,” interviewed Mr. Trump at length. During a recent media appearance, he said the former President has “severe memory issues.” Stoodah first sat down with Donald Trump in 2021 and has since interviewed him six times. He recalled an occasion months after he spoke with Trump for an hour in 2021, but six months later, the former President did not remember.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, called Mr. Setoodeh “a nobody and insignificant, so of course he never made an impression.”
Concerns about Trump’s cognitive abilities mirror those expressed about Joe Biden, who recently came under the spotlight again after appearing confused during a photo shoot with foreign leaders in France. At an event to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, several leaders, including the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and France’s Emmanuel Macron, gathered to watch an aerial parachute display. During the display, Biden seemed dazed and wandered away. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni followed the President and guided him back.
Apparent memory and cognitive problems have plagued both leading Presidential contenders for years, and many voters are concerned. In a poll earlier this year, 76% of voters said they were worried about Joe Biden, and 61% said the same about Trump.
