'Appeared tired': WaPo skewers Trump's 'especially scattered and hard to follow' speech

Donald Trump was especially scattered, appeared tired, and messed up his words frequently at his rally speech on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post's report.

The media is frequently criticized, including by Trump's own niece Mary Trump, for failing to point out Trump's rambling style and failure to remember facts. But on Tuesday evening, WaPo did just that.

In an article entitled, "Trump mixes up words, swerves among subjects in off-topic speech," the news site reported, "The Republican nominee appeared tired and complained about his heightened campaign schedule."

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"Republican nominee Donald Trump spoke for 33 minutes before his first mention of the ostensible focus of his remarks," the report states. "Signs reading SCHOOL CHOICE, EDUCATION FREEDOM NOW and LET PARENTS DECIDE decorated a small auditorium, and a panel of speakers preceding the former president focused on using public funds to let families choose between public and private, especially religious, schools. Trump read from a binder containing a prepared speech on the subject, and he switched abruptly between the text and a jumble of other topics."

WaPo's Sabrina Rodriguez and Isaac Arnsdorf further noted that Trump "mixed up Iran with North Korea and strained to pronounce United Arab Emirates."

"He marveled at Hurricane Helene coming so late in the storm season, which typically runs through November. He falsely claimed government agencies can’t name the U.S. population, and he compared the conflict between Israel and Iran to 'two kids fighting in the schoolyard,'" the reporters then added Tuesday. "Trump, 78, often speaks in a digressive, extemporaneous style that thrills his fans at large-scale rallies. But Tuesday’s event, in front of almost entirely reporters, was especially scattered and hard to follow."

The report also drew attention to the parallel with President Joe Biden, who dropped out of his presidential campaign following concerns about his age and mental capacity.

"Polls show voters’ concerns about Trump’s age and fitness have increased since President Joe Biden, 81, withdrew and was replaced as the Democratic nominee by Vice President Kamala Harris," according to the WaPo report. "Trump spoke slowly and appeared tired. It was his second stop of the day, and he has picked up the pace of campaigning in recent weeks."

Read the full piece here.