A former White House correspondent wrote he was “was, quite literally, stunned,” by Donald Trump's Wednesday evening national address, suggesting it may represent a turning point in recognizing the president's serious cognitive and physical decline.
In a Salon column, Brian Karem noted that Trump's 17-minute address marked a departure from his typical rally format. Rather than speaking before enthusiastic supporters, the president delivered his remarks at the White House's Diplomatic Reception Room with cameras positioned at closer range—an arrangement that proved unflattering.
Karem observed that the intimate setting lacked the energy Trump typically generates. "This time, no one wanted to see what he produced. Gone are the rallies. Gone is the fear and the cheer. Now, the cameras are too close. There's no crowd of adoring fans. On Wednesday, the president obviously wanted to be anywhere other than the White House's Diplomatic Reception Room."
The correspondent noted that Trump spent considerable time blaming former President Joe Biden for his administration's inability to fulfill campaign promises. Karem detected parallels to the exhaustion Biden displayed before withdrawing from his 2024 reelection bid.
"His yammering all seemed extremely forced — a constipated act of a politically desperate has-been. He tried to convince the American people of his strength and relevance through the sheer force of his voice and his staccato delivery. But Donald Trump isn't the man he was even a year ago."
Karem characterized the 79-year-old president as "mentally unstable and physically feeble, clinging to his lectern as if it were a walker," and suggested he remains in office primarily to pursue revenge against various adversaries.
"He wants revenge on Biden because Biden beat him. He wants revenge on the Democrats because they rejected him. He wants revenge on reporters who ask him questions he doesn't want to answer and those who write things he doesn't like. He wants revenge on those who've challenged him, prosecuted him, questioned him or simply didn't agree with him. Nelson Mandela declared that the mentality of revenge destroys nations, while the mentality of forgiveness builds them," he wrote before warning, "Donald Trump is dedicated to not only destroying the nation, but also to reducing it to rubble."
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