Donald Trump's physical appearance at this week's G7 summit disconcerted a panelist on MS NOW — who was lightly scolded by the host for pointing out the president's apparent decline.
Joel Payne, the chief communications officer for MoveOn, appeared Friday morning on "Money, Power, Politics," where he commented on the 80-year-old president's appearance at the global leadership event as his administration negotiated an end to the war in Iran.
"Can I add one thing?" Payne said. "It's very clear to me Trump is out, he's done with this. He's turned the page on this. He's done with this war."
"That's exactly why the markets have soared," interjected host Stephanie Ruhle, "because they're, like, he's done, he's finished, because investors aren't thinking about what the impacts are."
Ruhle apologized for interrupting and invited Payne to continue.
"He's done with any responsibility for what happens after the fact," Payne continued. "He signed this treaty. He's done his pomp and circumstance, as your [report] just expertly laid out, and he's done. Also, he looks awful, and I'm not saying that just as an aesthetic. I'm saying that looking back to the previous president we had with Joe Biden and the loss of confidence in American leadership, in part because of that, Donald Trump has not actually looked like the bold, dynamic leader publicly."
Ruhle interjected again, suggesting his statements were unfair to the president.
"You can take any president, any president, from beginning to end," she said. "They're not looking so strong."
Payne begged to differ.
"Steph, he looked pretty rough this week," he said.
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