MSNBC host Joe Scarborough has dismissed suggestions that President Donald Trump is suffering from dementia, but he believes the commander-in-chief is becoming more erratic with age. Speaking on Monday's episode of Morning Joe, Scarborough said: 'Any suggestion that Donald Trump has dementia or is losing his mind or whatever, it’s ridiculous.'
Scarborough, who previously made similar remarks about Joe Biden, noted that Trump, who turns 80 this month, is showing signs of diminished capacities typical for his age. However, he argued that Trump's long-standing erraticism is now being 'exaggerated,' leading him to 'scream' what he once only whispered. Scarborough pointed to Trump's recent threats against Iran, including vowing to 'blow them off the face of the Earth,' and his social media posts comparing himself to Jesus Christ.
The host also criticised Trump's foreign policy, accusing him of abandoning allies such as Poland, Ukraine, and Germany while aiding Vladimir Putin. 'What you actually have is a president doing everything that Vladimir Putin would want him to do,' Scarborough said, referencing the withdrawal of 4,000 US troops from Poland and the cancellation of a deployment to Germany.
Co-host Jonathan Lemire, author of a new Atlantic article, argued that Trump's physical decline is less obvious than Biden's but that he shows greater 'disinhibition' with age, becoming less filtered in his public statements. Lemire suggested Trump reflexively indulges strongmen like Putin and Xi Jinping. Despite reports of Trump falling asleep at an Oval Office event and having swollen ankles during a China visit, the president posted memes claiming he 'ages in reverse.' Trump is due for a checkup at Walter Reed on May 26.
