Former U.S. President Barack Obama has raised concerns about Donald Trump’s mental competency.
Speaking at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, Obama warned that the country cannot afford an “older, loonier Donald Trump.”
“There are questions about his competence. I mean, he’s out there giving two-hour speeches. It’s like Fidel Castro – just keeps on talking. It’s just word salads,” Obama said.
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The former president noted that he voted early by mail on Monday from his hometown of Chicago.
Obama was joined at the Wisconsin rally, a key battleground state, by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. Walz echoed Obama’s criticism, arguing that the 78-year-old Trump lacks the “stamina” to serve a second term as president.
“It takes stamina to run for president. It takes stamina to be president. Donald Trump does not have stamina,” Walz said.
In the final weeks of the 2024 campaign, the Harris campaign has focused on Trump’s erratic remarks and behavior, as well as a string of recently canceled interviews, to argue that Trump is unfit and unstable to serve as president again. The Trump campaign responded on Tuesday by criticizing Harris’ reduced schedule, which has included afternoon television interviews.
Obama also mocked Trump for a campaign town hall last week, where Trump stood on stage for 39 minutes while some of his favorite songs played over the venue’s sound system.
“He decided, no, I’m not going to answer questions anymore. Let’s just play music for half an hour,” Obama said. “So, he’s standing there, and he’s swaying to ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘YMCA.’”
Obama added, “Can you imagine if Tim did that, or Kamala did that, or I did that? Now, our playlist would be better, but you would say to yourself, this is odd behavior. He calls himself the ‘father of IVF.’ I have no idea what that means. You don’t either.”
The former president continued, “You’d be worried if grandpa were acting like this.”
“But this is coming from someone who wants unchecked power. So, Wisconsin, we do not need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails. America is ready to turn the page.”
Obama recently announced his return to the campaign trail to support Kamala Harris ahead of the November 5 election.
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