Donald Trump’s tendency to veer off-script is once again surfacing his nickname ‘Dementia Don’ after the president’s meandering remarks at a press conference announcing this year’s Kennedy Centre Honours recipients.
On Wednesday, the 79-year-old president named the 2025 honorees: country star George Strait, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, rock band Kiss, and actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford.
While praising the recipients, the POTUS also unveiled a plan to “fix up a place called Washington, D.C.,” which he claimed had “fallen into despair” but would soon be made “so beautiful again.” He is also be replacing “old, tired and exhausted” grass in the city’s parks.
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“We’ll redo the grass with the finest grasses. I know a lot about grass. I own a lot of golf courses,” Trump said. “If you don’t have good grass, you aren’t in business very long.”
The president then abruptly shifted topics, saying, “Lindsey Graham. Good poll numbers, Lindsey, congratulations,” prompting the camera to cut to the Republican senator, who gave an awkward laugh.
Social media reaction was swift and unforgiving
One X user wrote, “This is what a word salad actually looks like. Dementia Don at it again.” Another joked “you are an grass expert now?”
Critics also noted his slurred speech, stumbles over words, and difficulty reading from the podium. “This is the 2nd day in a row he sounds drunk as f**K and I know he doesn’t drink, so what the hell is happening?” one person wrote. cited by Radar Online.
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Last week, Trump raised eyebrows by speaking to reporters while taking a walk on the White House roof, which he said was to inspect the site for a planned grand ballroom. Days later, he warned ‘1929’ would happen again without his tariffs, alluding to the fact that President Hoover’s tariffs actually contributed to the Great Depression.