MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough claimed President Trump is in “cognitive decline,” citing the president’s recent behavior as evidence.
Scarborough, one of the hosts of Morning Joe, noted on the show Thursday morning that Trump’s recent demeanor at the frequent coronavirus task force briefings is proof that he is declining mentally.
“Donald Trump, of course, is not going to blame himself because of how badly he is doing in these afternoon briefings,” the host noted before turning to Trump’s behavior itself. “Because he stumbles over words. Sometimes he seems to fall asleep in the middle of meetings.”
“People have been talking about his cognitive decline for some time and how it might impact us in a crisis,” he continued. “Now, of course, worries that a cognitive decline are starting to catch up with him. We’re starting to pay. But, my gosh, Americans are noticing, and the poll numbers are just collapsing.”
He also reiterated recent reports that the president yelled at his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, after he was shown swing-state data that projected he’d lose to former Vice President Joe Biden in some must-win states. The president denied the reports on social media Wednesday night calling them “nonsense” and saying that he has “no intention” of shouting at Parscale because “he is doing a great job.”
Just told that Fake News @CNN is falsely reporting that I was recently shouting at my campaign manager over made up nonsense. Actually, he is doing a great job, I never shouted at him (been with me for years, including the 2016 win), & have no intention to do so. Just FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2020
Scarborough, a former GOP lawmaker, has traded jabs with the president recently as the show’s coverage has highlighted what its hosts believe are the president’s failings during the coronavirus pandemc.
“Watched the first 5 minutes of poorly rated Morning Psycho on MSDNC just to see if he is as ‘nuts’ as people are saying,” Trump tweeted before 6:30 a.m last week. “He’s worse. Such hatred and contempt! I used to do his show all the time before the 2016 election, then cut him off.”
Scarborough addressed the president’s tweet moments later after returning from a commercial break, saying, “We hope you’re having a better day than the president of the United States this morning. … As you all know, and as our viewers know, I recommended to the president several years ago to please stop watching our show. That he’d be better for it. The country would be better for it. He’d be able to work more clearly.”
