Trump, 78, insists he’s ‘not that close to 80’ in latest effort to deny mental acuity concerns
Donald Trump, aged 78, bizarrely claimed he has “no cognitive” and insisted he is “not that close to 80” in his latest effort to play down concerns about his age and mental faculties.
The 78-year-old Republican candidate told a town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday that his opponent Kamala Harris – who turned 60 yesterday – “may have a cognitive problem.”
“I have no cognitive,” Trump told moderator Sage Steele, who he incorrectly referred to as “Paige” earlier in the town hall.
“She may have a cognitive problem,” he added, referring to Harris.
“But, there’s no cognitive problem. It was nice that they actually said that, they said you know, if anyone has any questions, we were grilling this guy for two hours or two and a half hours and he’s got no cognitive.”
The former president, who will turn 80 in one year and eight months, added: “I’m not 80 and I’m not that close to 80.”
He then repeated claims he “aced” two cognitive tests.
“By the way, a man who’s very successful is Rupert Murdoch and he’s 93 or 94 he was at a meeting that I had the following day and he’s sharp as you can be,” he said. “I’ve done cognitive tests. I’ve done them twice and I aced both of them and the doctor in one case said, ‘I’ve never seen anybody ace them.’ They’ve never seen anybody ace them.”
Trump’s denial of any concerns about his mental competence came moment after he confused Steele’s name at the event.
“Let’s have a little fun, Paige,” he said. The host ignored the error.
Later on during the campaign event, in the midst of a discussion about fracking, Trump bizarrely mimicked a duck.
He said: “You’re restricted by so many different things that they put on so we’re going to let them frack, frack, frack, like a duck. Frack, frack, frack.”
The Harris campaign was quick to call out the Republican presidential nominee for his “incoherently rambling” at the town hall.
“Today Pennsylvanians got a firsthand look at why Donald Trump’s handlers are canceling events and interviews,” campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.
