A panel of political commentators expressed growing concerns over former President Donald Trump’s cognitive state, noting a shift from his once laughable eccentricity to signs of serious mental decline. During an MSNBC discussion with Nicolle Wallace, commentators described Trump as someone who may have always been a bit “crazy,” but now appears to be showing troubling signs of incoherence.
Donny Deutsch, a former MSNBC host, shared his observations, explaining that many Trump supporters, particularly those in the MAGA movement, seem to dismiss his erratic behavior. “I don’t think they care he’s crazy,” Deutsch said. “I have a friend, [who thinks Trump’s] so toxic and… then he says, ‘He’s really crazy, ha ha,’ and then laughs. I don’t know how people can extrapolate out. This is the guy making decisions for the world, and he’s not well.”
Wallace agreed but pointed out that Trump’s current state may go beyond the typical “crazy” behavior he exhibited in the past. “I think there’s something different between a strapping lunatic and somebody feeble who’s spilling his applesauce,” Wallace explained, suggesting that Trump’s mental decline is now more noticeable.
Deutsch questioned whether Trump’s behavior could be labeled as “evilness,” but Wallace described it as “incoherence.” She highlighted Trump’s recent bizarre claim about a crowd at a debate that never existed. “If Joe Biden had ever talked about a crowd at a debate, we would have stopped traffic,” Wallace remarked, emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.
Reflecting on his decades-long familiarity with Trump, Deutsch noted that the former president’s current behavior is a far cry from the man he once knew. “He was always full of baloney, he was always braggadocio. He was sharp, but now he’s not,” said Deutsch, emphasizing that Trump has lost his sharpness over the years.
Wallace compared Trump to historical figures, stating, “Benito Mussolini was ‘crazy,’ but he was vicious. I mean, this is feeble.” She suggested Trump may be “scared” because of the numerous mistakes he’s made.
Bulwark editor Charlie Sykes also weighed in, drawing a distinction between being a “raving lunatic” and someone in cognitive decline, referring to Trump as “dribbling the applesauce.” He added, “The latter is weakness, and it’s exhausting.” Sykes criticized the media for normalizing Trump’s “jibbering nonsense,” arguing that Trump has convinced much of the country that this behavior is just “Trump being Trump.”
Sykes concluded with a stark warning: “Why should we report that Trump is saying crazy crap? Because this crazy man wants to be the leader of the free world and have access to nuclear weapons.”