Donald Trump ‘A Little Sedated’ In State Of The Union, Nancy Pelosi Says, Adds ‘He Looked That Way Last Year’
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday gave her first press briefing since she was seen tearing up a copy of Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech at the conclusion of the address on Tuesday night. And in the briefing, she said that as she extended her hand to him at the beginning of the speech, an overture which he snubbed, Trump appeared “a little sedated.”
Pelosi then added that Trump “looked that way last year, too.”
The Pelosi comment was a rare mention of Trump’s apparent mental or neurological state by another political or public figure. Some mental health professionals have attempted to highlight what they say is a necessary alarm about Trump since the start of his term in office. Following Tuesday’s State of the Union address, one psychiatrist, John M. Talmadge of Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas, took to his own Twitter feed to offer his neurological sketch of Trump’s performance.
Talmadge also criticized the “mainstream media,” saying that media outlets have “ignored” what he called Trump’s “dangerous brain dysfunction, inability to think straight or deal with complex issues.” The psychiatrist called on Democrats to confront “the dementia, disability, mental illness,” exhibited by Trump.
Pelosi says that Trump looked "a little sedated" during the State of the Union pic.twitter.com/RC7TJ0WAMe
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 6, 2020
Some in the media have pointed out what they claim to be examples of a mental and neurological decline by Trump. Vox reporter Aaron Rupar, in August, compiled a video contrasting Trump’s speaking style during the early stages of his campaign in 2015, with his recent manner of speaking, which saw him “speaking very deliberately” and “having a hard time” getting his words out.
Trump has also, on numerous occasions, exhibited a notable habit of sniffing in sharply during his public speeches, most recently during his January 8 address following an Iranian rocket attack on U.S. troops in Iraq. A video of the speech revealed Trump sniffing audibly 58 times in the nine-minute speech.
Last week, comedian Bill Maher also described Trump as a “neurological mess,” and broadcast what he said was a campaign advertisement that should be used by Democrats, highlighting Trump’s alleged condition. That satirical campaign ad can be seen in the video below.
Following Pelosi’s remark on Thursday in which she noted that Trump appeared “sedated” on Tuesday, Talmadge again posted to his Twitter account, applauding Pelosi for noting what he said was Trump’s diminished neurological condition.
“That did not arise out of thin air,” Talmadge wrote of Pelosi’s remark, adding that “folks” are “FINALLY” acknowledging what he described as Trump’s “obvious mental impairment and disability.”
