Trump, 78, insists he’s ‘not that close to 80’ in latest effort to deny mental acuity concerns

The former president will turn 80 in one year and eight months

Donald Trump, aged 78, bizarrely claimed he has “no cognitive” and insisted he is “not that close to 80” in his latest effort to play down concerns about his age and mental faculties.

The 78-year-old Republican candidate told a town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday that his opponent Kamala Harris – who turned 60 yesterday – “may have a cognitive problem.”

“I have no cognitive,” Trump told moderator Sage Steele, who he incorrectly referred to as “Paige” earlier in the town hall.

“She may have a cognitive problem,” he added, referring to Harris.

“But, there’s no cognitive problem. It was nice that they actually said that, they said you know, if anyone has any questions, we were grilling this guy for two hours or two and a half hours and he’s got no cognitive.”

The former president, who will turn 80 in one year and eight months, added: “I’m not 80 and I’m not that close to 80.”

He then repeated claims he “aced” two cognitive tests.

“By the way, a man who’s very successful is Rupert Murdoch and he’s 93 or 94 he was at a meeting that I had the following day and he’s sharp as you can be,” he said. “I’ve done cognitive tests. I’ve done them twice and I aced both of them and the doctor in one case said, ‘I’ve never seen anybody ace them.’ They’ve never seen anybody ace them.”

Trump’s denial of any concerns about his mental competence came moment after he confused Steele’s name at the event.

Trump told the crowd he ‘has no cognitive’ (REUTERS)

“Let’s have a little fun, Paige,” he said. The host ignored the error.

Later on during the campaign event, in the midst of a discussion about fracking, Trump bizarrely mimicked a duck.

He said: “You’re restricted by so many different things that they put on so we’re going to let them frack, frack, frack, like a duck. Frack, frack, frack.”

The Harris campaign was quick to call out the Republican presidential nominee for his “incoherently rambling” at the town hall.

“Today Pennsylvanians got a firsthand look at why Donald Trump’s handlers are canceling events and interviews,” campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.

“In a single town hall, he incoherently rambled that he has ‘no cognitive’ and appeared to forget his own age. American people deserve a president who will fight tirelessly for them – not one too ‘exhausted’ to focus on anything but himself.”

Trump’s cognitive state has fallen under increased scrutiny during his presidential campaign – and the criticism appears to be getting under his skin, with him often bringing the subject up at events.

Trump referred to host Sage Steele as ‘Paige’ during the town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Getty Images)

Several leading experts told The Independent their concerns about the Republican presidential nominee are similar to those they had about President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the 2024 race.

Pointing to his “rambling” speeches and “erratic” debate performance, experts warned that Trump appears to “have lost touch with reality.”

Dr. Ben Michaelis, a clinical psychologist who has previously carried out cognitive assessments for the New York Supreme Court, previously told The Independent that Trump is “really not in a strong cognitive place.”

A professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Richard A. Friedman, also said he was “alarmed” by what he witnessed during Trump’s debate performance on September 10. In an op-ed for The Atlantic, he said Trump “displayed some striking, if familiar, patterns that are commonly seen among people in cognitive decline.”

At 78, Trump is now the oldest presidential candidate in American history. If elected, he would be 82 years old when he leaves the White House.