Trump pushes back on claims of mental missteps

Former President Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, pushed back on claims of mental missteps during his Saturday rally in New Hampshire, after his main rival in the state, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, raised concerns about his mental fitness.

Trump deflected the criticism that arose after he appeared to mix up Haley and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday while talking about Jan. 6, 2021, stating his reliance on sarcasm during speeches and emphasizing that he aced a cognitive test that he claimed he took “a few months ago.” 

“A lot of times I’ll say that President Obama is doing a lousy job, meaning that Obama is running the show,” Trump said during his rally. “They’ll say, Donald Trump doesn’t know who our president is. No, no. A few months ago I took a cognitive test my doctor gave me, I said give me a cognitive test just we can, you know, and I aced it. I also took one when I was in the White House.” 

The 45th president has often raised concerns over President Biden’s age, claiming he is “cognitively impaired” and “in no condition to lead” the country.

During his rally on Friday, Trump appeared to have mixed up Haley and Pelosi while talking about the insurrection on the Capitol, to which the former U.N. Ambassador responded by saying that she was concerned to have somebody whose “mental fitness” is questioned while serving in the Oval Office. 

“The concern I have is, I’m not saying anything derogatory, but when you’re dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this,” Haley said. 

During the Saturday rally, Trump continued the defense of his mental acuity, stating that he will let people know when he “goes bad.” 

“I’ll let you know when I go bad,” Trump said. “I really [don’t] think I will be able to tell you because someday we go bad.” 

He also refuted Haley’s claims, saying he does not mind being his age, possibly referencing when the former South Carolina governor called for “mandatory competency” tests for politicians over 75.  

“They always say, like Haley, she talks about, ‘yeah, we don’t need 80-year-old,” Trump said. “Well, I don’t mind being 80, but I am 77, that’s a big difference.”  

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who has endorsed the former president and is rumored to be in circulation for a potential vice president pick, pushed back on Haley’s claims, stating that “the reality is Nikki Haley is relying on Democrats, just like Nancy Pelosi, to try to have a desperate showing.”

In November, Forbes noted that Trump mixed up Biden and Obama at least seven times in recent months.