Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's Journal
LetMyPeopleVote's Journal
December 11, 2025
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-6g-networks-skin/
Trump makes wild claim about 6G networks: 'Gives you a deeper view into somebody's skin'
My kids tease me about my knowledge of technology but I knew what 5G and 6G stand for. trump is really clueless
Trump makes wild claim about 6G networks: 'Gives you a deeper view into somebody’s skin' www.rawstory.com/trump-6g-net...
— Sal Vadacchino 🇨🇦 (@sal-vadacchino.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T07:46:23.682Z
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-6g-networks-skin/
President Donald Trump made the bizarre suggestion that 6G cellular networks allow seeing "a little bit deeper view into somebody's skin."
During a Wednesday meeting with business leaders, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told Trump that 6G networks were on the horizon.
"I was a leader on 5G, getting that down," Trump volunteered. "And now they're up to six. Let's do it again. What does that do? Give you a little bit deeper view into somebody's skin? See how perfect it is. I like the cameras from the old days. So they just had a nice feature.
During a Wednesday meeting with business leaders, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told Trump that 6G networks were on the horizon.
"I was a leader on 5G, getting that down," Trump volunteered. "And now they're up to six. Let's do it again. What does that do? Give you a little bit deeper view into somebody's skin? See how perfect it is. I like the cameras from the old days. So they just had a nice feature.
December 11, 2025
https://www.rawstory.com/amanda-seyfried
Defiant Hollywood star delivers profane clapback amid MAGA outrage to Charlie Kirk remark
Kirk was an asshole and there is no need to apologize for telling the truth about this asshole
A Hollywood star refused Wednesday to apologize for calling the late Charlie Kirk "hateful" in a defiant and profane new interview.
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2025-12-11T11:20:18Z
https://www.rawstory.com/amanda-seyfried
A Hollywood star refused Wednesday to apologize for calling the late Charlie Kirk "hateful" in a defiant and profane new interview.
Following the Sept. 10 shooting at a Utah university campus, the star of "The Housemaid" drew criticism after characterizing the slain conservative activist as "hateful" in an Instagram comment, according to Variety. A week later, the actress posted on Instagram to distance herself from the backlash, expressing her opposition to violence in a statement that simultaneously took issue with the Turning Point USA founder's political positions.....
She flatly refused to apologize for the characterization.
"I'm not f---ing apologizing for that. I mean, for f---'s sake, I commented on one thing. I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I'm free to have an opinion, of course," she said. "Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized—which is what people do, of course."
Seyfried, the report noted, has politics at the top of her mind. She took a shot at President Donald Trump, too.
"It's always hard to see people who are tricky and harmful have success—like our gorgeous president, the best possible example of that," she said, sarcastically. "It's so weird to sit in a civilized restaurant. People are serving us food. You can't unpack it too much, or else you'll go f---ing insane. Like, how is the world still spinning?"
Following the Sept. 10 shooting at a Utah university campus, the star of "The Housemaid" drew criticism after characterizing the slain conservative activist as "hateful" in an Instagram comment, according to Variety. A week later, the actress posted on Instagram to distance herself from the backlash, expressing her opposition to violence in a statement that simultaneously took issue with the Turning Point USA founder's political positions.....
She flatly refused to apologize for the characterization.
"I'm not f---ing apologizing for that. I mean, for f---'s sake, I commented on one thing. I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I'm free to have an opinion, of course," she said. "Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and recontextualized—which is what people do, of course."
Seyfried, the report noted, has politics at the top of her mind. She took a shot at President Donald Trump, too.
"It's always hard to see people who are tricky and harmful have success—like our gorgeous president, the best possible example of that," she said, sarcastically. "It's so weird to sit in a civilized restaurant. People are serving us food. You can't unpack it too much, or else you'll go f---ing insane. Like, how is the world still spinning?"
December 11, 2025
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-score-big-wins-in-florida-and-georgia-as-the-gops-election-woes-continue
MaddowBlog-Democrats score big wins in Florida and Georgia, as the GOP's election woes continue
The more Donald Trump and his party pretend they don’t have an electoral problem, the more Republicans lose winnable elections.
Republicans keep saying they don’t have a political problem. They also keep losing elections.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-10T13:59:55.954Z
Miami’s mayoral race was big, but Dems flipping a state House seat in Georgia was just as notable. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-score-big-wins-in-florida-and-georgia-as-the-gops-election-woes-continue
While this was technically a nonpartisan contest, Democrats backed Eileen Higgins, a former county commissioner, while Republicans supported Emilio González, a former city manager. Trump eagerly endorsed the latter, and the day before the election, the president wrote on his social media platform, “Miami’s Mayor Race is Tuesday. It is a big and important race!!! Vote for Republican Gonzalez. He is FANTASTIC! … MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
It didn’t work. The Miami Herald reported:
The race wasn’t especially close: Despite Trump’s intervention on González’s behalf, Higgins appears to have won by roughly 18 points.....
And in case that weren’t quite enough to get GOP officials’ attention, on the same day, Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a state House seat in Georgia, scoring an unexpected upset in a district Trump won last year by 12 points.
The results come on the heels of last week’s congressional special election in Tennessee, where Democrats overperformed in a district Trump won by 22 points.
They also come a month after Democrats dominated in the 2025 elections, following a year in which Democrats have consistently overperformed in ways that should make Republicans quite nervous ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
It didn’t work. The Miami Herald reported:
Democrat Eileen Higgins has defeated Trump-backed opponent Emilio González in Tuesday night’s runoff for Miami mayor, with the former Miami-Dade commissioner edging out the former city manager with nearly 60% of the vote, according to preliminary election night results.
A raucous crowd danced to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ as Higgins stood alongside family and supporters onstage at the Miami Woman’s Club, a symbolic location as Higgins becomes Miami’s first female mayor.
The race wasn’t especially close: Despite Trump’s intervention on González’s behalf, Higgins appears to have won by roughly 18 points.....
And in case that weren’t quite enough to get GOP officials’ attention, on the same day, Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a state House seat in Georgia, scoring an unexpected upset in a district Trump won last year by 12 points.
The results come on the heels of last week’s congressional special election in Tennessee, where Democrats overperformed in a district Trump won by 22 points.
They also come a month after Democrats dominated in the 2025 elections, following a year in which Democrats have consistently overperformed in ways that should make Republicans quite nervous ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
December 11, 2025
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/11/trump-abrego-release-deportation
Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garca's 'immediate release'
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the government could not indefinitely detain Abrego, a 30-year-old immigrant from El Salvador who is fighting his deportation.
Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego GarcÃa’s ‘immediate release’ via @washingtonpost.com
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@juliorvarela.com) 2025-12-11T15:53:20.529Z
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/11/trump-abrego-release-deportation
A federal judge in Maryland ordered the “immediate release” of Kilmar Abrego García from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, saying Justice Department attorneys “misled” the court at a hearing last month.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said she ordered his release in part to ensure that he had a fair immigration process after the Justice Department and an ICE witness last month said immigration officers had no option but to deport him to the African nation of Liberia because the Central American country of Costa Rica was no longer willing to offer Abrego refuge.
The judge cited reporting by The Washington Post and ABC that found that Costa Rica had “never wavered” in its commitment to accept Abrego. She was also the judge who first ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Abrego to the United States after immigration officers illegally deported him to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador.
“Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” Xinis wrote. “For this reason, the Court will grant Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody.”
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said she ordered his release in part to ensure that he had a fair immigration process after the Justice Department and an ICE witness last month said immigration officers had no option but to deport him to the African nation of Liberia because the Central American country of Costa Rica was no longer willing to offer Abrego refuge.
The judge cited reporting by The Washington Post and ABC that found that Costa Rica had “never wavered” in its commitment to accept Abrego. She was also the judge who first ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Abrego to the United States after immigration officers illegally deported him to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador.
“Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” Xinis wrote. “For this reason, the Court will grant Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody.”
December 11, 2025
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-halligan-us-attorney-comey-james
Trump seeks Senate confirmation for prosecutor whose cases were thrown out
Without fanfare, the White House is moving to confirm Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney for Eastern District of Virginia despite judicial rebuke
Trump seeks Senate confirmation for prosecutor whose cases were thrown out
— Cheeky Tart (@svenable.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T15:43:27.490Z
www.ms.now/news/trump-h...
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-halligan-us-attorney-comey-james
The White House is quietly moving to get the U.S. Senate to confirm Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, MS NOW has learned.
Without any White House announcement or fanfare, Halligan submitted her confirmation questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. MS NOW obtained a copy of Halligan’s questionnaire.
In a statement to MS NOW, the White House confirmed the submission of Halligan’s questionnaire. “She’s the president’s nominee,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It is our hope that she is confirmed and submitting her questionnaire is a part of that process.”
The push for confirmation comes after a federal judge dismissed indictments that Halligan secured against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that she was improperly appointed by President Donald Trump and lacked the legal authority to prosecute anyone.
Trump first installed Halligan, an insurance lawyer and former White House aide with no prosecutorial experience, as the acting top prosecutor in the office on September 22. The appointment came after neither the previous interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert nor any of the career prosecutors in the office would agree to pursue an indictment of James or Comey. In writing and verbal presentations, career prosecutors had warned that, despite Trump pressing for both to be criminally charged, the factual evidence was insufficient to bring charges against them. Trump and his allies urged James be charged with mortgage fraud, and in with lying to Congress in 2020.
Without any White House announcement or fanfare, Halligan submitted her confirmation questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. MS NOW obtained a copy of Halligan’s questionnaire.
In a statement to MS NOW, the White House confirmed the submission of Halligan’s questionnaire. “She’s the president’s nominee,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It is our hope that she is confirmed and submitting her questionnaire is a part of that process.”
The push for confirmation comes after a federal judge dismissed indictments that Halligan secured against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that she was improperly appointed by President Donald Trump and lacked the legal authority to prosecute anyone.
Trump first installed Halligan, an insurance lawyer and former White House aide with no prosecutorial experience, as the acting top prosecutor in the office on September 22. The appointment came after neither the previous interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert nor any of the career prosecutors in the office would agree to pursue an indictment of James or Comey. In writing and verbal presentations, career prosecutors had warned that, despite Trump pressing for both to be criminally charged, the factual evidence was insufficient to bring charges against them. Trump and his allies urged James be charged with mortgage fraud, and in with lying to Congress in 2020.
December 11, 2025
Trump seeks Senate confirmation for prosecutor whose cases were thrown out
Source: MS NOW
The White House is quietly moving to get the U.S. Senate to confirm Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, MS NOW has learned.
Without any White House announcement or fanfare, Halligan submitted her confirmation questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. MS NOW obtained a copy of Halligan’s questionnaire.
In a statement to MS NOW, the White House confirmed the submission of Halligan’s questionnaire. “She’s the president’s nominee,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It is our hope that she is confirmed and submitting her questionnaire is a part of that process.”
The push for confirmation comes after a federal judge dismissed indictments that Halligan secured against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that she was improperly appointed by President Donald Trump and lacked the legal authority to prosecute anyone.
Trump first installed Halligan, an insurance lawyer and former White House aide with no prosecutorial experience, as the acting top prosecutor in the office on September 22. The appointment came after neither the previous interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert nor any of the career prosecutors in the office would agree to pursue an indictment of James or Comey. In writing and verbal presentations, career prosecutors had warned that, despite Trump pressing for both to be criminally charged, the factual evidence was insufficient to bring charges against them. Trump and his allies urged James be charged with mortgage fraud, and in with lying to Congress in 2020.
Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/trump-halligan-us-attorney-comey-james
Trump seeks Senate confirmation for prosecutor whose cases were thrown out
— Cheeky Tart (@svenable.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T15:43:27.490Z
www.ms.now/news/trump-h...
December 11, 2025
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-gold-card-goes-on-sale-offering-visas-for-1-million-sparking-controversy
MaddowBlog-'Trump Gold Card' goes on sale, offering visas for $1 million, sparking controversy
With legal fights on the way, those writing seven-figure checks shouldn’t assume their cards are coming soon.
What’s wrong with the White House selling “Trump Gold Cards†to foreigners seeking legal status and a pathway to citizenship?
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-12-11T14:04:42.434Z
Other than the likelihood of corruption, the political mess, and questions about legality, you know, the usual stuff. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-gold-card-goes-on-sale-offering-visas-for-1-million-sparking-controversy
About a month into his second term, Donald Trump unveiled plans for a visa program — at the time, it was billed as the president’s “gold cards” — which he said would be similar to green cards “but at a higher level of sophistication.” He added that the point was to allow “very high-level people” to enjoy a new route to American citizenship by giving the government $5 million.
Almost a year later, these cards are now officially available — at a discount. The Associated Press reported:
The broader societal contrast is tough to miss: In an era in which masked federal officials are terrorizing immigrant communities and launching aggressive raids on those they believe might be undocumented, Trump is simultaneously offering a pathway to citizenship to foreign millionaires and billionaires.....
But hanging overhead is a different kind of question: Is this legal?
A Washington Post report published in July noted, “Trump and his aides have repeatedly exaggerated the likelihood that such a program can be implemented under current law, and they have made no effort to introduce legislation to make it happen. Immigration attorneys and other legal experts say a president has no power to unilaterally create a new visa category, which would require an act of Congress.”
On Wednesday afternoon, as the cards ostensibly went on sale, the president published an item to his social media platform that described the developments as “SO EXCITING!” But with legal fights on the way, anyone writing seven-figure checks should not assume that their card is coming anytime soon.
Almost a year later, these cards are now officially available — at a discount. The Associated Press reported:
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his long-promised ‘gold card’ was officially going on sale, offering legal status and an eventual pathway to U.S. citizenship for individuals paying $1 million and corporations ponying up twice that per foreign-born employee.
A website accepting applications went live as Trump revealed the start of the program while surrounded by business leaders in the White House’s Roosevelt Room.
The broader societal contrast is tough to miss: In an era in which masked federal officials are terrorizing immigrant communities and launching aggressive raids on those they believe might be undocumented, Trump is simultaneously offering a pathway to citizenship to foreign millionaires and billionaires.....
But hanging overhead is a different kind of question: Is this legal?
A Washington Post report published in July noted, “Trump and his aides have repeatedly exaggerated the likelihood that such a program can be implemented under current law, and they have made no effort to introduce legislation to make it happen. Immigration attorneys and other legal experts say a president has no power to unilaterally create a new visa category, which would require an act of Congress.”
On Wednesday afternoon, as the cards ostensibly went on sale, the president published an item to his social media platform that described the developments as “SO EXCITING!” But with legal fights on the way, anyone writing seven-figure checks should not assume that their card is coming anytime soon.
December 11, 2025
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-explodes-with-rage-after-gold
The Borowitz Report-Trump Enraged After Gold Paint Peels off FIFA Peace Prize
Trump Enraged After Gold Paint Peels off FIFA Peace Prize
— bad juju (@holidayroad2024.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T12:39:03.532Z
open.substack.com/pub/borowitz...
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-explodes-with-rage-after-gold
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Donald J. Trump exploded with rage on Thursday after gold paint peeled off his FIFA Peace Prize, White House sources revealed.
The regrettable incident occurred in the Oval Office as Trump was celebrating his recent pardon of the former Honduras President and convicted drug kingpin Juan Orlando Hernández.
As Trump lifted the trophy to show it off to Hernández, flakes of gold paint cascaded to the ground, causing Trump to roar, “Peace Prize? More like piece of shit!”
Attempting to appease Trump, FIFA released a statement stressing that they had used “only the highest quality gold paint, like that used on the Oval Office, the new White House ballroom, and your hair.”
The regrettable incident occurred in the Oval Office as Trump was celebrating his recent pardon of the former Honduras President and convicted drug kingpin Juan Orlando Hernández.
As Trump lifted the trophy to show it off to Hernández, flakes of gold paint cascaded to the ground, causing Trump to roar, “Peace Prize? More like piece of shit!”
Attempting to appease Trump, FIFA released a statement stressing that they had used “only the highest quality gold paint, like that used on the Oval Office, the new White House ballroom, and your hair.”
December 11, 2025
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-decline-2674389017/
Trump's 'vocabulary has reduced dramatically' as his mind fades away: DC insider
trump's senility is showing up in trump's reduced vocabulary.
Trump's 'vocabulary has reduced dramatically' as his mind fades away: DC insider
— Mx. Scott Kelley ErnestðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆðŸ³ï¸â€âš§ï¸ðŸ‰ CEPIxHEIR #mtpol (@mxscottkernest.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T00:14:44.082Z
www.rawstory.com/trump-declin...
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-decline-2674389017/
President Donald Trump's cognitive decline was on full display this week, longtime Beltway reporter John Heilemann told MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline: White House" — and it's obvious when you compare his demeanor to a few years ago.
"You know, look, they asked him the other day on the airplane, on Air Force One, why he took an MRI, and he said he didn't know," said Heilemann. "If getting the camera-person-TV thing right is acing it, not knowing why you took an MRI is flunking it. I'm not sure what to make of any of those things, but it's totally clear and has been for some time."
"This is not the first time I've said this, but if you look over the course of the last 10 years, we've had Donald Trump in our lives, you can measure the decline in his mental acuity," said Heilemann. "You can measure it by looking at the interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016, looking at them in 2020. Look at them now. His vocabulary has reduced dramatically. The complexity of the words that he uses. He rarely uses multisyllabic words anymore. He says the same words over and over and over again. This is — you know, these are people who do linguistic analysis and go and look at those things. If you go back and look at Trump's interviews from 2016, he was never a genius, but he could conduct or have a real conversation with the Wall Street Journal editorial board about trade policy that didn't seem the way he sounds."
"I think that the weird combination of his hubris, his arrogance, his insecurity and need to boast about things that he's always been called, you know, people have always put him down for his intelligence, so he has to boast about it," Heilemann continued. "Now, combined with the various diminishments that are taking place with him. And again, I'm not diagnosing the guy, I'm just saying his complexity of thought has been dramatically reduced in the last decade. In a way, it is for, frankly, a lot of people who get to be his age."
"You know, look, they asked him the other day on the airplane, on Air Force One, why he took an MRI, and he said he didn't know," said Heilemann. "If getting the camera-person-TV thing right is acing it, not knowing why you took an MRI is flunking it. I'm not sure what to make of any of those things, but it's totally clear and has been for some time."
"This is not the first time I've said this, but if you look over the course of the last 10 years, we've had Donald Trump in our lives, you can measure the decline in his mental acuity," said Heilemann. "You can measure it by looking at the interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016, looking at them in 2020. Look at them now. His vocabulary has reduced dramatically. The complexity of the words that he uses. He rarely uses multisyllabic words anymore. He says the same words over and over and over again. This is — you know, these are people who do linguistic analysis and go and look at those things. If you go back and look at Trump's interviews from 2016, he was never a genius, but he could conduct or have a real conversation with the Wall Street Journal editorial board about trade policy that didn't seem the way he sounds."
"I think that the weird combination of his hubris, his arrogance, his insecurity and need to boast about things that he's always been called, you know, people have always put him down for his intelligence, so he has to boast about it," Heilemann continued. "Now, combined with the various diminishments that are taking place with him. And again, I'm not diagnosing the guy, I'm just saying his complexity of thought has been dramatically reduced in the last decade. In a way, it is for, frankly, a lot of people who get to be his age."
December 11, 2025
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-decline-2674389017/
Trump's 'vocabulary has reduced dramatically' as his mind fades away: DC insider
trump's senility is showing up in trump's reduced vocabulary.
Trump's 'vocabulary has reduced dramatically' as his mind fades away: DC insider
— Mx. Scott Kelley ErnestðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆðŸ³ï¸â€âš§ï¸ðŸ‰ CEPIxHEIR #mtpol (@mxscottkernest.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T00:14:44.082Z
www.rawstory.com/trump-declin...
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-decline-2674389017/
President Donald Trump's cognitive decline was on full display this week, longtime Beltway reporter John Heilemann told MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline: White House" — and it's obvious when you compare his demeanor to a few years ago.
"You know, look, they asked him the other day on the airplane, on Air Force One, why he took an MRI, and he said he didn't know," said Heilemann. "If getting the camera-person-TV thing right is acing it, not knowing why you took an MRI is flunking it. I'm not sure what to make of any of those things, but it's totally clear and has been for some time."
"This is not the first time I've said this, but if you look over the course of the last 10 years, we've had Donald Trump in our lives, you can measure the decline in his mental acuity," said Heilemann. "You can measure it by looking at the interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016, looking at them in 2020. Look at them now. His vocabulary has reduced dramatically. The complexity of the words that he uses. He rarely uses multisyllabic words anymore. He says the same words over and over and over again. This is — you know, these are people who do linguistic analysis and go and look at those things. If you go back and look at Trump's interviews from 2016, he was never a genius, but he could conduct or have a real conversation with the Wall Street Journal editorial board about trade policy that didn't seem the way he sounds."
"I think that the weird combination of his hubris, his arrogance, his insecurity and need to boast about things that he's always been called, you know, people have always put him down for his intelligence, so he has to boast about it," Heilemann continued. "Now, combined with the various diminishments that are taking place with him. And again, I'm not diagnosing the guy, I'm just saying his complexity of thought has been dramatically reduced in the last decade. In a way, it is for, frankly, a lot of people who get to be his age."
"You know, look, they asked him the other day on the airplane, on Air Force One, why he took an MRI, and he said he didn't know," said Heilemann. "If getting the camera-person-TV thing right is acing it, not knowing why you took an MRI is flunking it. I'm not sure what to make of any of those things, but it's totally clear and has been for some time."
"This is not the first time I've said this, but if you look over the course of the last 10 years, we've had Donald Trump in our lives, you can measure the decline in his mental acuity," said Heilemann. "You can measure it by looking at the interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016, looking at them in 2020. Look at them now. His vocabulary has reduced dramatically. The complexity of the words that he uses. He rarely uses multisyllabic words anymore. He says the same words over and over and over again. This is — you know, these are people who do linguistic analysis and go and look at those things. If you go back and look at Trump's interviews from 2016, he was never a genius, but he could conduct or have a real conversation with the Wall Street Journal editorial board about trade policy that didn't seem the way he sounds."
"I think that the weird combination of his hubris, his arrogance, his insecurity and need to boast about things that he's always been called, you know, people have always put him down for his intelligence, so he has to boast about it," Heilemann continued. "Now, combined with the various diminishments that are taking place with him. And again, I'm not diagnosing the guy, I'm just saying his complexity of thought has been dramatically reduced in the last decade. In a way, it is for, frankly, a lot of people who get to be his age."
Profile Information
Member since: Mon Apr 5, 2004, 03:58 PMNumber of posts: 173,809