One former Trump White House staffer says that if The Wall Street Journal wants a story about cognitive decline in the White House, they should talk to people who worked under Donald Trump.
The Wall Street Journal published a story Tuesday evening about President Biden’s supposed mental decline that drew a lot of criticism, particularly from Democrats. Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, called out the newspaper on X (formerly Twitter), saying she was “happy to discuss Trump’s mental acuity & fitness for office.”
While right-wing media outlets like the WSJ aren’t likely to take Troye up on her offer, she has a point. Questions about Biden’s age and mental state have been pushed by Republicans for months, even after he made an energetic speech at the State of the Union in March. But Trump has demonstrated issues of his own.
When Trump was president, there were numerous stories about his mental state, calling attention to supposed psychological defects and lack of intelligence. It stands to reason that there are more details from his presidency that are known to those who worked for him, but still not known to the general public. What people have seen from Trump post-presidency are still more examples of possible cognitive decline from the Republican presidential nominee and convicted felon, ranging from wild rants in press conferences to bragging about putting his pants on. In March, Democrats put together a brutal montage of some of his many gaffes.
In February, Biden’s doctor said that there were “no new concerns” after the president’s annual physical, saying that he was “fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.” Meanwhile, Trump continues to brag about passing a cognitive test, but changes the details every time he relates the story.
In November, voters will have to decide whether any of this matters over something more pressing: the fate of American democracy.
