A former House Republican warned Friday that President Donald Trump's cognitive decline reveals "the most dangerous reality" as the president expresses concerns about his own mortality while his "powerful advisers pursue their own agendas" — and that the United States could end up with a "Weekend at Bernie's president."
Former Republican lawmaker and Air National Guard member Adam Kinzinger questioned when this apparent cognitive decline could worsen and what those around him plan to do in a Substack essay.
"The question here is, is this an act, is he really losing his mind, is it both?" Kinzinger said in a Substack video.
"You don't know anymore what's an act, what's real, but I mean, it feels like he's even descended since the beginning of his term," Kinzinger said. "Three years left of this and that's the question so when he does, let's say he does hit a point where he's completely out of it, would there be anybody that had the courage to do the 25th Amendment, so you may ultimately end up with a 'Weekend at Bernie's' president... I just think it's something we need to look at, consider, and think about, having an insane president — I think we have an insane president — but having an insane president that actually can't think because he's lost it."
Kinzinger details the president's most recent comments about heaven.
"How do we know he’s worried? Recently, he’s started talking about his own mortality," Kinzinger writes. "'I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,' he said. 'I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.' On another occasion: 'I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I really don’t. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound.' He’s also begun warning that one day he’ll fall down — the same kind of stumble he once mocked Biden for."
The president might say he's fine, but he actually isn't, said Kinzinger.
" Trump shows visible signs of age-related circulatory issues known as venous insufficiency, which causes swelling in the ankles and bruising on the hands. For a man who’s long claimed to be immune to aging, the visible evidence must be unsettling," Kinzinger wrote.
Trump might be signaling he's aware of what's happening, while he falls deeper into QAnon and conspiratorial territory, including his recent Truth Social post with a fake "med bed."
"These references to heaven and falling suggest an awareness of his own fragility," Kinzinger writes. "The physical decline may not be as worrying as the mental one. His father, Fred Trump Sr., displayed clear signs of dementia years before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease — and heredity is a known risk factor. Preventing or slowing such decline requires habits Trump has always resisted: a healthy diet, exercise, and humility."
It also raises questions about the people around him — and how vicious they could be, he adds.
"What does it mean to have a president in visible decline? It means we must watch carefully and hope those around him are competent. In the case of the Israeli–Hamas peace effort, skilled negotiators from the U.S. and abroad did the heavy lifting while Trump played a ceremonial role. A similar pattern is unfolding domestically, where powerful advisers pursue their own agendas." Kinzinger wrote. "Stephen Miller drives the crackdown on immigrants and the push to use the National Guard. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading the assault on public health. Russell Vought is overseeing the mass firing of thousands of federal workers."
It's unclear what those around him will ultimately do.
"The truth is, what Donald Trump says matters less than what those behind him do. And that may be the most dangerous reality of all," Kinzinger argues.
