A former strategist for the Republican Party says Donald Trump’s latest rally miserably failed to persuade the public that the aging president’s still got it.
“A few hours after we discussed on [podcast Hacks on Tap] why Trump has cut back rallies so much, it was pretty evident at his event today in PA just why,” Mike Murphy, who previously worked as a political consultant for John McCain, Jeb Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, posted on X Wednesday.
“Meandering, more confusion and mental weakness than usual,” he went on. “Even a bit shall we say, low-energy. Weaker optics too. He’s clearing [sic] fading.”
The White House had billed Trump’s Tuesday address in Pennsylvania as an event where the president would reassure voters the U.S. economy is in good hands amid persistently high inflation, mounting economic uncertainty, poor job growth, high unemployment, and a widespread cost-of-living crisis.
Instead, the 79-year-old president’s performance has now been widely panned by critics as a brutal reminder of an accelerating decline in his cognitive and physical health.
In the course of his 100-minute speech, Trump suffered from slowed speech, trouble finding his words, repetition and veering off on wild tangents—all signs that mental health experts have lately pointed to as evidence he is clearly feeling his age.
Speculation about the state of his cognitive and physical health is clearly getting to Trump. After his rally on Tuesday night, he posted a rambling 500-word screed to Truth Social in which he complained about media reports on his health and even suggested such reporting might constitute high crimes against the country.
“After all the work I have done with Medical Exams, Cognitive Exams, and everything else, I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES’,” he wrote.
His critics have been swift in their response. “Donald Trump is in poor physical health,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom almost immediately shot back on X.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on this story.
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