Trump aide slams MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell for talking about president's 'sign of mental illness'
WASHINGTON, DC: White House Communications Director Steven Cheung has ripped MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell for questioning President Donald Trump's mental health.
O’Donnell questioned Trump’s cognitive functions, speculating the president's recent remarks in which he said he doesn’t know whether it’s his job to uphold the Constitution "could be a sign of mental illness, or it could be a sign of early-stage dementia in a 78-year-old man", according to the Daily Beast.
Steven Cheung rips MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell for questioning Trump's mental health
The MSNBC host said on 'The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell', "In Donald Trump’s case, stupidity is the most innocent explanation for his 'I don’t know'. But during mental health month, we have a right to consider other possibilities."
He added, "Every high school student in America is supposed to know the answer to that question, which is one word: 'Yes'. But Donald Trump’s answer was ‘I don’t know’—which could be a sign of mental illness or could be a sign of early-stage dementia."
Following his statement on Trump, Cheung shot back at the host in a statement to the Daily Beast. He accused O'Donnell of "clearly suffering from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain."
The White House communications director said, "President Trump aced his cognitive test, meanwhile Joe Biden’s handlers refused to allow him to take one out of fear of what was apparent to the entire world—his mind was severely in decline and lacked the intelligence to lead the country."
"People like Lawrence are complicit in the coverup to hide Biden’s condition, and he knows he’ll have to live the rest of his life reconciling the fact he helped deceive the American people," Cheung added.
Meanwhile, O’Donnell also highlighted Trump’s growing habit of responding "I don’t know" to questions he finds uncomfortable during Wednesday, May 7, edition of 'The Last Word'.
Further in the episode, O’Donnell referred to 'The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump', a commentary on Trump's mental health by 37 psychiatrists published during his first term, claiming the president's cognitive faculties could "only go in one direction" when he gets old, per Daily Beast.
Trump boasts about getting 'highest mark' on cognitive exam
In April, President Trump claimed that he got the "highest mark" on a cognitive test that gave him a clean bill of health during his annual physical exam.
The POTUS made the remarks on April 14, as he went on to claim that his predecessor, Joe Biden, was a "very low IQ" president, according to AL.com.
Trump was speaking about illegal immigration during a White House visit by El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele when he mentioned the results of his cognitive test.
"We have millions of people that should not be in this country, that are dangerous ... they’ve been allowed to come into our country from other countries that were very smart," the POTUS said.
He added, "When they heard that this very low IQ president [Biden], and by the way, I took my cognitive exam as part of my physical exam, and I got the highest mark."
"And one of the doctors said, 'Sir, I’ve never seen anyone get that kind of a... that was the highest mark...," Trump mentioned.
He also claimed that "not too many" presidents have taken cognitive tests, as he named Biden and former President Barack Obama.
Trump said, "I said, 'Let me be the only one to take one', but I’ve actually taken them three times already," as he earlier praised his prior performances on cognitive exams, per the outlet.
He said, "I like taking them because they’re not too tough for me to take."
