Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Kamala Harris overnight, questioning the vice president’s mental acuity and calling on her to take a cognitive test.
His Truth Social post received a swift retort from Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams, who on Monday morning noted that Trump issued the 1:12 a.m. challenge even “as he refuses to release his medical records, sit with 60 Minutes, or debate her again— instead retreating solely to rambling rallies where he’s increasingly making no sense.”
“Is he okay?” Sams added.
“I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. “Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.”
He then reiterated his claim that CBS had misleadingly edited its “60 Minutes” interview with Harris. Trump backed out of his interview with the program, breaking decades of tradition for presidential candidates.
“Also, she is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions. We just went through almost four years of that, we shouldn’t have to do it again!” he wrote.
The White House released a report on Saturday detailing Harris’ medical history, something her Republican opponent has not done despite his age and swirling questions about his cognitive abilities.
His late-night outburst occurred after Harris goaded him during a campaign rally on Sunday, criticizing his lack of transparency about his health. “It makes you wonder, why does his staff want him to hide away?” she said.
Trump’s recent speeches have been marked by periods of long, incoherent rambling, off-topic rants, slurred speech, and mix-ups of names, places and other words.
He has declined to debate Harris again after she was widely viewed to have beat him in their Sept. 10 contest, even by some Trump allies. Nonetheless, he has repeatedly questioned her intelligence and labelled her “dumb.”
The scrutiny over Trump’s mental capacity clearly has been weighing on his mind. At a rally Sunday, he ranted at length to insist that he is not cognitively impaired.