In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier, former President Donald Trump addressed the controversy surrounding his recent gaffes, particularly those involving his GOP primary rival, Nikki Haley, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump defended himself against accusations of cognitive decline, claiming that he recently took a cognitive test and aced it.
The confusion arose during a Friday night rally where Trump repeatedly mixed up Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi. He asserted that Haley, in her role overseeing security, had allegedly deleted and destroyed information and evidence. Baier raised this issue in the context of Haley’s criticisms of Trump’s mental acuity.
Responding to Baier’s question about Haley questioning his mental fitness, Trump asserted that he recently passed a cognitive test with flying colors. He then offered an explanation for his gaffes, such as confusing Obama for Biden, attributing it to his deliberate use of humor and satire. Trump claimed that when he purposely interchanges Obama and Biden, it is a way of expressing his belief that Obama played a role in what he perceives as the country’s decline.
Trump dismissed Haley’s criticisms, stating that he doesn’t believe she could pass the same cognitive test he took. In a playful manner, he referred to her as “Ron Desanctimonious,” seemingly combining Ron DeSantis with the term sanctimonious.
The interview reflects Trump’s strategy to counter accusations of cognitive decline by highlighting his recent cognitive test results. Additionally, his use of humor and wordplay serves to deflect criticism and maintain a confrontational tone with political rivals like Nikki Haley.
“Well, I did a cognitive test recently, and I aced it,” Trump replied. He then explained his previous gaffes, like when he appeared to confuse Obama for Biden, that it was all part of a bit:
When I refer like, for instance, oftentimes I’ll say purposely about Obama and I interchange it with Biden because I believe Obama has a lot to do with what’s happening in destroying our country. And I’ll interchange and they’ll say, oh, he said, or I’ll imitate Biden walking into a wall or not being able to find his way, and the fake news will go out and they’ll say, oh, he actually had a hard time when I’m doing an imitation and everybody understands it.
No, I don’t think she could pass the test that I passed. I passed my childhood test, and she does. And, uh, she’s just trying to get a little nasty because she came in third place. She wanted to come in second, and she wasn’t even that close, actually, to second. You know, I have to give that to Ron Desanctimonious.
