Trump Says He Has ‘No Cognitive Problems’. Then, He Gets The Presenter’s Name Wrong at Town Hall

Former President Donald Trump, 78, found himself the subject of fresh scrutiny during a town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after he mistakenly called the event's moderator, Sage Steele, by the wrong name and then bizarrely insisted that he has 'no cognitive problems.' The incident occurred just as Trump attempted to deflect growing concerns about his mental acuity during his campaign for the 2024 presidential election.

During the event, Trump referred to Steele as 'Paige' multiple times before launching into a discussion about his own mental sharpness. “Let’s have a little fun, Paige,” he said. Ignoring the mistake, Steele continued to moderate the event, while Trump attempted to assure the audience of his cognitive abilities. "I’ve got no cognitive," Trump said, leaving his statement unfinished. He added, “I’m not 80, and I’m not that close to 80," before attacking President Joe Biden for being '81 or 82.' He added that Biden was “obviously cognitively repaired,' apparently mixing up 'repaired' with 'impaired.'

He repeatedly stated he had 'no cognitive' while addressing claims from Kamala Harris that he was not mentally fit to serve as president. "I have no cognitive. She may have a cognitive problem. But, 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." Trump also repeated his familiar claims about acing cognitive tests, even though he has not made his medical records public.

“I’ve done cognitive tests twice, and I aced both of them,” Trump boasted, telling the audience that doctors were amazed by his performance. He further emphasized that age alone should not determine a leader's fitness, pointing to 93-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch, whom he described as 'sharp as can be.' Trump’s town hall performance comes at a time when his campaign has faced mounting pressure to address his health and fitness for office.

The Harris campaign was quick to point out the Republican presidential nominee’s “incoherently rambling” during the town hall. Campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said, “Today Pennsylvanians got a firsthand look at why Donald Trump’s handlers are canceling events and interviews.” She continued, “In a single town hall, he incoherently rambled that he has ‘no cognitive’ and appeared to forget his own age. American people deserve a president who will fight tirelessly for them – not one too ‘exhausted’ to focus on anything but himself.”

In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump had canceled several appearances, including an NRA event and interviews with major news outlets like CNBC and 60 Minutes. His staff cited 'exhaustion' as the reason for these cancellations, according to MTN. Dr. Ben Michaelis, a clinical psychologist who has conducted cognitive assessments for the New York Supreme Court, previously told The Independent that Trump is "not in a particularly strong cognitive state."

In addition to this, more than 230 doctors have signed an open letter calling for Trump to release his medical records, citing his age and behavior as reasons for transparency. “Donald Trump is nearly 80 years old,” the letter stated. “While many older adults are highly functional, age can also bring cognitive changes that affect our ability to perform in complex settings. We are seeing that from Trump, who increasingly uses public appearances to ramble and lash out at perceived grievances.”