The question of Donald Trump’s fitness for office is no longer temperamental or philosophical—he made clear long ago that the answer to both is no—but something more fundamental, David A. Graham writes.
At a rally last night in Pennsylvania—a must-win state for both Trump and Kamala Harris—“Trump got bored with the event … and just played music for almost 40 minutes, scowling, smirking, and swaying onstage,” Graham writes. “To watch the event is to see signs of someone having a breakdown. Like Joe Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump in June … Trump’s rally last night would force any reasonable person to conclude that he is not up to the grueling task of leading the world’s greatest nation, handling economic crises, or dealing with foreign adversaries.”
“A presidential race is exhausting for even a young and vigorous person, which Trump, 78, is not. He has campaigned far less this time around than he did in his prior two runs. In the past few weeks, as the election has neared, he has ramped up his time on the trail, and the wear is showing,” Graham writes. “His rallies have been so scattershot and rambling that even major outlets that long shied away from questions about Trump’s fitness have had no choice but to address them.”
“Reporters have noticed Trump’s supporters leaving rallies early in recent weeks, yet many people hung around as Trump bobbed on the stage and said nothing last night. In a way, the moment seemed to distill a 2024 Trump rally down to its essence. No one is there to hear policy ideas. Trump has transgressed so far, for so long, that he can barely shock anymore,” Graham writes.
“As horrifying as it all was, no one expects to see a reaction like the concerted push for change that followed Biden’s debate collapse,” Graham continues at the link in our bio. “It’s too late in the campaign to switch candidates, and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Democrats forced Biden out, even though they like him, because they want to win. But Republican officeholders are terrified of Trump, because rank-and-file Republican voters worship him in an entirely different way.”
— Emma Williams, audience and engagement editor, The Atlantic
Searchlights on
There’s no other interpretation. Watch the video.
It’s a Town Hall event. They’re asking him questions and out of nowhere he says let’s listen to music. Then it’s 39 minutes of him standing there listening to music in front of a confused crowd.
His team is trying to reach him via the teleprompter to tell him he’s supposed to be interacting with this crowd but he’s just chillin while a few hundred people watch him.
Where will you be when the edibles kick in?
Curium247 on
Media getting warmer.
HeHateMe337 on
He is canceling interviews now because he can’t hide the fried brain. It’s over.
Melodic-Fudge703 on
Waiting to hear how this is bad for Harris.
pheakelmatters on
It’s so emblematic of Trump’s whole approach to everything he does. Try to perform a show that was already fixed for him, get bored halfway through, make everyone stand and look at him do nothing for 40 minutes and act like everyone should be privileged that he did that.
cybermort on
acurate headline
CudjoeKey on
Thank you for the honest headline! This comes after dozens of disgusting sanewashing attempts by the MSM.
cogitoergopwn on
Look at all those sycophant clowns on stage clapping their dignity away.
Slow_Investment_2211 on
Hmmmm. The conspiracy theorists in me wonders if Trump knows he’s going to lose this race…thus he’s going to go on trial and be found guilty. Maybe he’s setting up the defense that he’s too mentally incompetent to stand trial…🤔
chrisr3240 on
Reminder this went on for 39 minutes. 39 fucking minutes!!
mrgeekguy on
This is sad. The oldest presidential candidate ever is trying to cover up his dementia with snappy tunes.
Naiehybfisn374 on
Only honest headline I’ve seen
jay_alfred_prufrock on
Over at conservative sub there isn’t even a mention of him just randomly stopping the town hall and turning it into a singalong for 40 minutes.
dannymurz on
He’s an 80 yr old who’s been campaigning non stop for two years…. Why is anyone surprised he’s crashing and burning?
chubs66 on
Guess which sub has 0 mentions of this event? They’re just pretending like their leader hasn’t lost his damn mind. Like Biden’s cognitive abilities made his unelectable, but it’s totally fine to show up to a town hall and just stand in front of an audience and sway to the music for 40 minutes?!
And if you look at the Q & A part, it isn’t any better. You ask him about inflation and somehow you’re listening to a rambling response involving North Korea v China relationships 30 seconds later. His answers are nothing but words glued together by free association at this point.
cgar23 on
More like “Trump Breaks *It* Down On Stage,” amiright?
(seriously though, wtf)
WaterLittle2495 on
He’s too old, and is too narcissistic to know when enough is enough.
BBgotReddit on
So, if he decides to drop out, which Democrat do we blame for this one?
MinimumApricot365 on
The teleprompter is literally just begging him to take questions.
kabphillie on
Joe Biden is hiding in his basement… oh wait.
Joe Biden isn’t all there mentally anymore… oh wait.
Joe Biden isn’t equipped to handle running this country… oh wait.
carr1e on
I knew it was a matter of time, but Leonard Cohen’s estate sent a cease and desist letter to Trump for his use of Hallelujah. The version played was by Rufus Wainwright. I can’t wait to hear his response, too. The campaign also crapped all over Sinead and Prince at the same time by playing Nothing Compares 2 U.
JonBoy82 on
It’s like when the animatronic at Chuckie Cheese is in a failed boot loop – safe mode….
WomenTrucksAndJesus on
It’s OK folks, Musk will implant a Neurolink brain chip so Trump can be remote controlled like his Optimus “robots”.
immodest_escort on
There has been no coverage of him not paying the bus company he hired to transport his cult members to a farm near Coachella and then stranding them in the dark miles from their cars so this won’t get covered either.
AlderMediaPro on
“Play opera music. That will appeal to my base of uneducated white racists.” -The guy who played the theme song from a movie about a sinking ship at a previous klan rally.
polly_jackfruit on
It seems small for Trump, but if this was any other campaign this would have been the end of it. I am so sick of the media letting him slide from everything!
SpartanVFL on
Cancelling interviews now too. If this was Biden the media would be going wild and demanding he step down
danarexasaurus on
This was extra weird. Everything he does it pretty weird but I have second hand embarrassment over this one
PhillipKDickens on
Trump in Breakin 3 : The Electric uncontrolled Bowel Movement
NOCHILLDYL94 on
Step back and take all bias and feelings out of this and think for a minute: A former POTUS cued dance music while at least two people suffered medical emergencies.
And as people cried for AC, he kept dancing to music onstage while a governor nervously appeased him and people just decided to leave. And he kept dancing.
This should be front page news all the way to Election Day. If Biden did this, we’d never ever ever hear the end of it. The former president clearly isn’t well and his campaign can’t hide it. If he wins, we will have a president Vance before the midterms and that’s not hyperbole.
If this doesn’t motivate people to get off the couch, nothing will. This was terrifying.
penny_watermelon on
The videos coming out of this town hall are a sight to behold!
“But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” said a little child.
Who will be that child for MAGA?
zztop610 on
Isn’t she the one who killed her puppy?
Tabais123 on
Man went full Spockets!
keb1965 on
Noem had to feel incredibly awkward. You can see it.
nutmegtell on
Not a whisper about it on the conservative sub. Guess they are still trying to figure out how to spin this as his new DJ Era or some blather
Yetiius on
His brain is mush.
lemonhops on
What did he say about Hillary and stamina nearly a decade ago?
Acceptable-Size-2324 on
There’s no way he isn’t propped up Amphetamin, Meth or anything similar for his Rallyes and it’s starting to show. It helps with low energy but doesn’t help with dementia. What you are seeing is an old demented dude on uppers who’s rambling his incoherent phrases over and over. It would be just sad if it wasn’t for him being one of the most threatening beings to the entire global west.
DoggedStooge on
And yet, this election will still be close. God help us all.
showmeyourmoves28 on
I stopped watching it was so uncomfortable. The clip is less than five mins long. Imagine watching that for FORTY?! What’s really going on in the heads of MAGA after a performance like this? 😂
skinink on
“I’m a little despot, rich and loud; this is my dancing, this is my crowd.”
bummed_athlete on
Nobody is saying anything about Kristi Noem. Emaciated, her face frozen, a puppy killing cyborg.
tracyinge on
I wonder why Kristi Noem didn’t just shoot the useless old dog?
At least she could have walked over to him and asked him if he was alright? But no, we can’t have that in front of the world, letting us know that he’s in the middle of a mini-stroke would not be good for the campaign!
45 Comments
The question of Donald Trump’s fitness for office is no longer temperamental or philosophical—he made clear long ago that the answer to both is no—but something more fundamental, David A. Graham writes.
At a rally last night in Pennsylvania—a must-win state for both Trump and Kamala Harris—“Trump got bored with the event … and just played music for almost 40 minutes, scowling, smirking, and swaying onstage,” Graham writes. “To watch the event is to see signs of someone having a breakdown. Like Joe Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump in June … Trump’s rally last night would force any reasonable person to conclude that he is not up to the grueling task of leading the world’s greatest nation, handling economic crises, or dealing with foreign adversaries.”
“A presidential race is exhausting for even a young and vigorous person, which Trump, 78, is not. He has campaigned far less this time around than he did in his prior two runs. In the past few weeks, as the election has neared, he has ramped up his time on the trail, and the wear is showing,” Graham writes. “His rallies have been so scattershot and rambling that even major outlets that long shied away from questions about Trump’s fitness have had no choice but to address them.”
“Reporters have noticed Trump’s supporters leaving rallies early in recent weeks, yet many people hung around as Trump bobbed on the stage and said nothing last night. In a way, the moment seemed to distill a 2024 Trump rally down to its essence. No one is there to hear policy ideas. Trump has transgressed so far, for so long, that he can barely shock anymore,” Graham writes.
“As horrifying as it all was, no one expects to see a reaction like the concerted push for change that followed Biden’s debate collapse,” Graham continues at the link in our bio. “It’s too late in the campaign to switch candidates, and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Democrats forced Biden out, even though they like him, because they want to win. But Republican officeholders are terrified of Trump, because rank-and-file Republican voters worship him in an entirely different way.”
Read more here: [https://theatln.tc/Ibb7oHOh](https://theatln.tc/Ibb7oHOh)
— Emma Williams, audience and engagement editor, The Atlantic
There’s no other interpretation. Watch the video.
It’s a Town Hall event. They’re asking him questions and out of nowhere he says let’s listen to music. Then it’s 39 minutes of him standing there listening to music in front of a confused crowd.
His team is trying to reach him via the teleprompter to tell him he’s supposed to be interacting with this crowd but he’s just chillin while a few hundred people watch him.
Where will you be when the edibles kick in?
Media getting warmer.
He is canceling interviews now because he can’t hide the fried brain. It’s over.
Waiting to hear how this is bad for Harris.
It’s so emblematic of Trump’s whole approach to everything he does. Try to perform a show that was already fixed for him, get bored halfway through, make everyone stand and look at him do nothing for 40 minutes and act like everyone should be privileged that he did that.
acurate headline
Thank you for the honest headline! This comes after dozens of disgusting sanewashing attempts by the MSM.
Look at all those sycophant clowns on stage clapping their dignity away.
Hmmmm. The conspiracy theorists in me wonders if Trump knows he’s going to lose this race…thus he’s going to go on trial and be found guilty. Maybe he’s setting up the defense that he’s too mentally incompetent to stand trial…🤔
Reminder this went on for 39 minutes. 39 fucking minutes!!
This is sad. The oldest presidential candidate ever is trying to cover up his dementia with snappy tunes.
Only honest headline I’ve seen
Over at conservative sub there isn’t even a mention of him just randomly stopping the town hall and turning it into a singalong for 40 minutes.
He’s an 80 yr old who’s been campaigning non stop for two years…. Why is anyone surprised he’s crashing and burning?
Guess which sub has 0 mentions of this event? They’re just pretending like their leader hasn’t lost his damn mind. Like Biden’s cognitive abilities made his unelectable, but it’s totally fine to show up to a town hall and just stand in front of an audience and sway to the music for 40 minutes?!
And if you look at the Q & A part, it isn’t any better. You ask him about inflation and somehow you’re listening to a rambling response involving North Korea v China relationships 30 seconds later. His answers are nothing but words glued together by free association at this point.
More like “Trump Breaks *It* Down On Stage,” amiright?
(seriously though, wtf)
He’s too old, and is too narcissistic to know when enough is enough.
So, if he decides to drop out, which Democrat do we blame for this one?
The teleprompter is literally just begging him to take questions.
Joe Biden is hiding in his basement… oh wait.
Joe Biden isn’t all there mentally anymore… oh wait.
Joe Biden isn’t equipped to handle running this country… oh wait.
I knew it was a matter of time, but Leonard Cohen’s estate sent a cease and desist letter to Trump for his use of Hallelujah. The version played was by Rufus Wainwright. I can’t wait to hear his response, too. The campaign also crapped all over Sinead and Prince at the same time by playing Nothing Compares 2 U.
It’s like when the animatronic at Chuckie Cheese is in a failed boot loop – safe mode….
It’s OK folks, Musk will implant a Neurolink brain chip so Trump can be remote controlled like his Optimus “robots”.
There has been no coverage of him not paying the bus company he hired to transport his cult members to a farm near Coachella and then stranding them in the dark miles from their cars so this won’t get covered either.
“Play opera music. That will appeal to my base of uneducated white racists.” -The guy who played the theme song from a movie about a sinking ship at a previous klan rally.
It seems small for Trump, but if this was any other campaign this would have been the end of it. I am so sick of the media letting him slide from everything!
Cancelling interviews now too. If this was Biden the media would be going wild and demanding he step down
This was extra weird. Everything he does it pretty weird but I have second hand embarrassment over this one
Trump in Breakin 3 : The Electric uncontrolled Bowel Movement
Step back and take all bias and feelings out of this and think for a minute: A former POTUS cued dance music while at least two people suffered medical emergencies.
And as people cried for AC, he kept dancing to music onstage while a governor nervously appeased him and people just decided to leave. And he kept dancing.
This should be front page news all the way to Election Day. If Biden did this, we’d never ever ever hear the end of it. The former president clearly isn’t well and his campaign can’t hide it. If he wins, we will have a president Vance before the midterms and that’s not hyperbole.
If this doesn’t motivate people to get off the couch, nothing will. This was terrifying.
The videos coming out of this town hall are a sight to behold!
Link to the video: [https://x.com/AccountableGOP/status/1845984314040758341](https://x.com/AccountableGOP/status/1845984314040758341)
“But the Emperor has nothing at all on!” said a little child.
Who will be that child for MAGA?
Isn’t she the one who killed her puppy?
Man went full Spockets!
Noem had to feel incredibly awkward. You can see it.
Not a whisper about it on the conservative sub. Guess they are still trying to figure out how to spin this as his new DJ Era or some blather
His brain is mush.
What did he say about Hillary and stamina nearly a decade ago?
There’s no way he isn’t propped up Amphetamin, Meth or anything similar for his Rallyes and it’s starting to show. It helps with low energy but doesn’t help with dementia. What you are seeing is an old demented dude on uppers who’s rambling his incoherent phrases over and over. It would be just sad if it wasn’t for him being one of the most threatening beings to the entire global west.
And yet, this election will still be close. God help us all.
I stopped watching it was so uncomfortable. The clip is less than five mins long. Imagine watching that for FORTY?! What’s really going on in the heads of MAGA after a performance like this? 😂
“I’m a little despot, rich and loud; this is my dancing, this is my crowd.”
Nobody is saying anything about Kristi Noem. Emaciated, her face frozen, a puppy killing cyborg.
I wonder why Kristi Noem didn’t just shoot the useless old dog?
At least she could have walked over to him and asked him if he was alright? But no, we can’t have that in front of the world, letting us know that he’s in the middle of a mini-stroke would not be good for the campaign!