President Donald Trump, 79, rambled through a marathon press conference on Tuesday, meandering through a “picture book” of his perceived accomplishments while getting distracted by printouts, tossing documents on the ground, and pivoting mid-sentence from childhood baseball memories to explaining what mental institutions are.
The whole thing lasted over an hour before Trump even took a question from reporters.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Trump held the press conference to mark one year back in office, but what was supposed to be a celebration of his accomplishments turned into something else entirely.
The president repeatedly reminded reporters that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado “essentially gifted him” her Nobel Peace Prize, bragged that he’s “done more” for NATO than anyone, became distracted by mugshots of migrants arrested by ICE, and at one point threw his book of “accomplishments” on the ground.
He also bragged that the father of Renee Nicole Good—who was shot dead by an ICE agent this month—was a “fan” of his. And he admitted he considered renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of Trump,” leaving open the possibility he might still do it someday.
THE DETAILS: Perhaps the most alarming moment came when Trump randomly reminisced about his mother telling him he could be a professional baseball player—then immediately pivoted to explaining mental institutions.
“I was quite the baseball player, you wouldn’t believe it,” he said. “I said, ‘Thanks, mom. Why are those bars on the windows?’ Big building, big, powerful building that loomed over the park, actually. She said, ‘Well, people that are very sick are in that building.'”
The ramble continued: “I don’t know if it’s still there, because they got rid of most of them. You know, they, the Democrats in New York, they took them down, and the people live on the streets.”
OF COURSE: Calls for the 25th Amendment—which would remove a president deemed mentally incapable of executing the duties of the office—are once again growing louder.
Progressive influencer Harry Sisson wrote, “This Trump press conference is a complete disaster. He’s rambling incoherently and flipping through a picture book of ‘accomplishments’ in front of the press. He’s clearly unwell.”
YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella echoed the sentiment: “This Trump briefing is f–king insane. 25th Amendment now.”
Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, have also called for the amendment to be invoked.
BUT BUT BUT: Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Trump’s own Cabinet—filled with sycophants—or Congress, which Republicans control, to act against the president. Neither is happening anytime soon.
WHY IT MATTERS: The most powerful person on the planet spent over an hour publicly demonstrating what critics have long warned about: he’s not well. Comedian Rory Bremner put it plainly: “Trump is declining in front of our eyes. Rambling. Making stuff up, exaggerating, rehearsing his grievances, making shooting of Renee Good all about him (‘her dad loves me’)… extraordinary.”
And yet, the people with the constitutional power to do something about it have made clear they won’t. So here we are.