Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social declaring that “ANYBODY running for the Office of President of the United States should agree to take a full & complete Mental Competency Test simultaneously (or before!) with the announcement that he or she is running, & likewise, but to a somewhat lesser extent, agree to a test which would prove that you are physically capable of doing the job. Being an outstanding President requires great mental acuity & physical stamina. If you don’t have these qualities or traits, it is likely you won’t succeed. MAGA!”
Oh, man, so much to unpack.
Irony Abounds for Donald Trump
First of all, whether intentional or not, Trump is hilarious.
I don’t know if I’m laughing with him or at him but I am often laughing when this guy tweets or speaks – which is more than I can say for your average comedian.
Although, in this instance, I’m fairly positive that I am laughing at Trump.
He’s just so stupid. So, so stupid.
But he’s also clever, isn’t he?
He’s impliedly taking a shot at his most likely opponent’s most prominent deficiency: Joe Biden and his advanced age.
Now, I recognize that being impressed that Trump, a former president of the United States, can recognize and attack a political opponent’s weakness means I’ve set a very low bar for Trump.
But Trump’s ability to recognize deficiencies in his opponents is the crux of Trump’s political talent.
He does it as well as anyone and there are a lot of people doing it.
Donald Trump has got a primal instinct for it – it’s how his lizard brain was wired – and he demonstrated that here in impliedly going after Biden’s age and condition.
The problem here of course is that in drawing attention to the mental and physical fitness of an opponent, Trump draws attention to his own mental and physical fitness – each of which appear lacking.
I mean, look at Trump’s Truth Social post itself calling for all presidential candidates to take a mental test. It’s barely coherent. It’s not the written product of a sensible or articulate person. It’s not the written product of someone who appears capable of serving as president of the United States.
The irony is fantastic.
Granted, sometimes smart people are not articulate or well-written. I don’t think Donald Trump is one of those people.
Trump also insists on a physical component to the presidential testing requirements, explaining that physical stamina is required to do the job.
Yeah, that’ll never happen.
Perhaps the best president ever was physically disabled; FDR couldn’t even walk. JFK was a physical mess, too, often crippled with chronic back pain. And while Trump isn’t recovering from polio or a war wound, he’s not exactly a physical specimen.
Donald Trump has what I believe most physicians would call “a little bit of a weight problem.” Which is fine and shouldn’t be disqualifying from the presidency – only that Trump is also pushing 80.
And overweight 80-year-olds are generally considered to be at risk for a variety of health ailments. So, once again, there’s irony in an overweight octogenarian calling for physical exams.
Trump recently addressed his own health head-on, after winning a golf tournament. After winning the tournament, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the win “serves as a physical exam, only MUCH tougher. You need strength and stamina to WIN, & I have strength & stamina – most others don’t. You also need strength & stamina to GOVERN!”
Hilarious.
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Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
