Donald Trump appeared to slur his words while speaking about drugs and the death penalty at a rally.
The former president appeared in Laconia, New Hampshire, ahead of the state's primary. He spoke about the death penalty in a context that did not immediately make sense, while discussing drug use in the U.S. Newsweek contacted a representative for Trump by email on Tuesday to comment on this story.
Republicans often criticize Joe Biden for his age, with detractors pointing out the 81-year-old's verbal gaffes and physical missteps, such as stumbling on the steps of Air Force One, as evidence for his incapability. Democrats have also pointed out 77-year-old Trump's errors, such as recently appearing to confuse his GOP 2024 presidential nomination rival Nikki Haley with former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump said at the New Hampshire rally: "We have become a drug-infested, crime-ridden nation, which is incapable of solving even the 'solllest'... smallest problem. The simplest of problems we can no longer solve. We can't do anything. We are an institute in a powerful death penalty. We will put this on.
"We have to bring in the death penalty if we want to stop the infestation of drugs coming into our country," Trump added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan federal court for the second defamation trial against him, in New York City on January 22, 2024. The GOP frontrunner appeared to slur his words while speaking at a rally in New Hampshire. Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Trump, who has boasted about having "aced" cognitive tests on more than one occasion, has frequently defended his mental acuity in recent months and has said that he is being "sarcastic" when he repeatedly confuses Barack Obama with Biden.
Following his latest gaffe, posting on X, formerly Twitter, critics questioned the GOP frontrunner's "cognitive decline."
The campaign group Republicans against Trump wrote: "Donald Trump's rapid cognitive decline should be a major news story."
Donald Trump’s rapid cognitive decline should be a major news story.#TrumpMentalHealth pic.twitter.com/qC9qlGoYLY — Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 23, 2024
James Surowiecki, a journalist, posted on X: "It's like Trump is doing beat poetry now."
"We are an institute in a powerful death penalty. We will put this on."
It's like Trump is doing beat poetry now. https://t.co/3ZkUrmdpKq — James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) January 23, 2024
Josh Power, a Ron DeSantis supporter, wrote: "Weird music is playing like some kooky cult seance, Trump is slurring his words."
Legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Shanlon Wu wrote: "No amount of excuses by Trump's enablers or claims of passing some supposed cognitive test can hide his slurring & loss of coherent syntax."
I get that he is trying to call for the death penalty for drug dealers but why is he unable just to say that? No amount of excuses by Trump's enablers or claims of passing some supposed cognitive test can hide his slurring & loss of coherent syntax. https://t.co/k2oXZSi54k — Shanlon Wu (@shanlonwu) January 23, 2024
It follows Trump similarly stumbling in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday while the Republican was criticizing Biden over immigration. Trump said: "You don't have to be a total genius, remain in Mexico, until you've..." before becoming unintelligible.
The five-second clip was shared on X by the Biden-Harris HQ account, run by the president's reelection campaign, which wrote: "Trump slurs his words while ranting: In Mexico until [unintelligible]."
Meanwhile, Haley questioned Trump's mental state during a campaign rally in New Hampshire on Saturday. She said that he got confused by mistaking her for Pelosi multiple times during a speech on the previous day, when he said Haley was "in charge of security" at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021—a reference to an often-repeated falsehood that Pelosi was in charge of security on the time of the riot.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, the former president addressed Haley's criticisms. Trump then incorrectly said that Congressman Ronny Jackson was now serving as White House doctor, despite Jackson having left the role in 2018 and resigning as Trump's adviser in 2019.
"In fact, when I heard the word 'cognitive,' you know, I've taken two of them [tests] now," Trump added. "I took one with Doc Ronny who is now, you know, a fantastic White House doctor."
Trump then appeared to realize his mistake, adding that Jackson was now in Congress, before briefly listing highlights from his former doctor's career.
"And a fantastic, uh, congressman from Texas," Trump said. "Admiral. The White House doctor, Jackson, Ronny Jackson. And he's, uh, now a great congressman from Texas.
"I took one [test] then and I took one recently," he added. "I think the result was announced and it was, I aced it twice. I aced it."