In his victory address after his South Carolina Republican primary win, Donald Trump specifically thanked family members. But he overlooked one individual.
But Jimmy Kimmel was sure to draw attention to the embarrassing error during the February 26 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live . Melania, Barron, Don Jr. and Kimberley, Ivanka and Jared, Tiffany and Michael were all honored by Trump, who described them as “so so supportive ,” HuffPost reported.
Kimmel, on the show, played the clip and then asked, “Okay, Melania wasn’t there, but… did you forget anybody who was [there]? I’ll give you a hint: His name rhymes with ‘generic.’ Oh yeah, Eric and his wife Lara, who were there, he forgot them.”
According to Kimmel, “about six minutes later, somebody” gave the Republican front-runner a note, after which he separately thanked the couple, which Kimmel mocked with an impression saying, “Oh no, I forgot to mention Eric and Lara.”
Here is TRUMP After the BS in SC needed to look down at a piece a paper to remember his Families Name… And still forgot Eric Trump… Yeah his BRAIN works fine… #TrumpDerangementSyndrome #TrumpIsNotWell pic.twitter.com/wl9otfp074
— Richard Holzhauer Jr (@holzhauer_jr) February 27, 2024
Trump got a lot of flak for this forgetfulness from viewers on social media, who all slammed him for forgetting his child. Many users also suggested that this adds to the growing worry that Trump’s mental decline makes him unfit to run for president again. “In fairness to Eric Trump, sometimes he even forgets that he exists. But seriously folks, trump forgetting about Eric and Barron is yet another indicator of his rapid cognitive decline. And it’s not the first time he forgot Barron is his son by a long shot,” a user mocked Trump in a tweet .
Joe Biden may make a few gaffes but nothing like this. Trump also forgot Eric. Trump’s dementia is getting worse while his GOP and MAGA cult continue to support him. pic.twitter.com/tv081ePb46
— DanDiego (@DanDiego) February 25, 2024
Another user slammed Trump on X , saying, “Donald Trump loves his son, Eric Trump, and Lara so much that he forgot to mention them when thanking his family after winning the South Carolina primary.” Another took a dig at his fitness, saying on X , “So Donald Trump has to read off note cards to remember his own families names & still he forgot Eric. How can you expect to make global decisions when you can’t even function enough to give a short speech? Donald’s Adderall-addled brain is done!”
“#Trump only has 5 children. How, does he forget one of his own children when thanking his family? Honestly, Trump is simply not OK. Eric’s wife is the woman he is proposing for Deputy RNC chair. He forgot her and her husband …his son,” another user said on X of the Republican frontrunner.
The 2024 presidential race continues to be dominated by voters’ concern about the leading candidates’ mental fitness and age. Biden, who is now the oldest president in history at 81, would turn 86 after serving a second term. Trump, who is expected to be the Republican contender for president this year, will be 78 in June.
In a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey, 78% of participants—including 71% of Democrats—believed that Biden is too senior to serve in government. Trump is less vulnerable to voter mistrust of his age; according to 53% of respondents, he is too elderly to work for the government. However, a total of 59% of respondents believe that both candidates are too elderly to be in office.