Journalist Ramin Setoodeh, who has a new book coming out on former President Donald Trump, claimed in an interview this Monday on the MSNBC program “Morning Joe” that the ex-White House occupant appears to have suffered from “severe memory issues” around Setoodeh’s interactions with him.
Setoodeh was discussing his own personal discussions with Trump, who remains on his way to Republicans’ presidential nomination for the year’s election at convention proceedings slated for July. Neither Trump’s recent felony criminal conviction in New York City nor his three additional criminal cases at both the federal and state levels have significantly shaken the continuing Republican support for Trump’s attempt at returning to power. During a visit just recently to Washington, D.C., he was welcomed by Republicans from the House and Senate.
“I really got to know Donald Trump post-presidency, and I got to see what he was like, and over the weekend, he was talking about how Joe Biden needs to take a cognitive test, Joe Biden isn’t all there,” Setoodeh recapped on air. “Donald Trump had severe memory issues. As the journalist who spent the most time with him, I have to say — he couldn’t remember things. He couldn’t even remember me. We spent an hour together in 2021 in May, and then a few months later, I went back to Trump Tower to talk to him about his time in the White House.”
At that time, Setoodeh claims, Trump indicated he did not recall those earlier interactions. Setoodeh is a co-editor-in-chief at Variety, an entertainment industry-focused outlet.
Trump has also faced questions about his basic capacity in connection to a steady stream of reports from the courtroom during his recent New York trial that indicated he appeared to be sleeping in court as the proceedings moved forward.
