Trump’s Baffling Hour-Long Speech Sparks Backlash

On Monday morning, President Donald Trump held an extended, off-script speech that left many viewers bewildered and questioning his grasp of the topics at hand. The president discussed the ongoing trade negotiations with China, the soaring costs of pharmaceuticals, and other subjects in a rambling, hour-long diatribe that sparked widespread ridicule and criticism.

One of the most glaring inaccuracies came when Trump claimed credit for making Obamacare work, stating, “I made it work. I could have let it die, but I chose to make it work.” This claim was swiftly debunked by a professor who posted a screen capture of the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) casting the deciding vote to block the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in August 2017. Sports television producer Joe DiGiacomo harshly criticized Trump, using a clown emoji and calling him a “pathetic human being” for taking credit for McCain’s actions. The media monitoring group Patriot Takes also fact-checked the claim, asserting that Trump had actually tried to kill Obamacare, and it was McCain who saved it.

Trump’s discussion on ‘Big Pharma’ and high drug prices in the United States also raised eyebrows. He mentioned a friend who told him that the U.S. pays more for drugs than other countries and that he intends to address the issue. However, Faiz Shakir, an advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), quickly pointed out the hypocrisy. ‘Some of you may have thought that Trump wanted lower drug prices for Americans. Wrong. He wants higher drug prices for Europeans and others — and higher profits for drug companies,’ Shakir wrote on X.

Trump’s reference to this mysterious ‘friend’ sparked a flurry of speculations. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, jokingly asked if the friend’s name rhymed with ‘Treelon Dusk.’ Patriot Takes wondered if Trump was referring to Elon Musk and his use of the diabetes medication Ozempic. The Gay Guy Candle Co., known for trolling conservatives on X, quipped, ‘Is the friend on our screen?’ Daily Beast columnist Julia Davis even suggested that the friend could be ‘John Barron,’ a name Trump has used as an alias in the past. More Perfect Union’s senior director Josh Miller-Lewis asserted that Trump’s executive order on drug prices was designed to raise prices in other countries and boost pharmaceutical profits, not to lower them for Americans.

Trump’s comments on drug prices were equally confusing, with him claiming, ‘We’re getting them down 60, 70, 80, 90%. But actually, more than that, if you think about it in a way mathematically.’ This statement was met with skepticism, with Tahra Hoops, director of economic analysis at the Progressive Chamber, noting, ‘I don’t think we have thought about anything mathematically this entire admin.’ Content creator Mike S. Kim sarcastically quipped, ‘Real stable genius?’ Historian Daniel B. Kurz even expressed relief that Trump’s cognitive abilities were reportedly declining, stating, ‘Trump has rapidly advancing dementia, and I’m really thankful for that. Could you imagine if he had the kind of acumen he possessed back in the 1980s? So yeah, I’ll enjoy the day now.’

It’s clear that Trump’s latest speech did little to inspire confidence in his leadership or his understanding of the complex issues facing the nation. Instead, it served as a reminder of why many view him as unfit for the presidency, with his rambling, factually inaccurate statements doing more harm than good.