The Alarming Detail In Trump's Tariff Presser That Has People Questioning His Health

While folks definitely didn't need any more reasons to be concerned about Donald Trump's health, his latest presser provided another one anyway. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's widespread tariffs are illegal. The controversial president was quick to respond to the decision in a press conference, in which he insisted that "we have alternatives," noting that he will simply use one of those methods to impose tariffs anyway, per The New York Times. He was also sure to call out the members of the Supreme Court who went against his wishes, saying that the decision is "deeply disappointing" and that he is "ashamed of certain members of the Court." He called those members "very unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution." Nothing about this response was particularly surprising. Yet, what was surprising about this response was how he delivered it: through noticeably slurred speech.

Trump says he'll use "alternatives" to replace the tariffs the Court struck down pic.twitter.com/2VmspnIkHi

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 20, 2026

Once again, Trump's unusual speech patterns are pouring gasoline on cognitive decline rumors. His apparent word-slurring became a major takeaway for folks watching the presser. It wasn't long before questions and comments about his way of speaking were all over X. As one X-user pointed out, "Good lord he slurring a ton today." And lots of people noticed.

"That slurping and slurring is so bad. Worst I have ever heard," one X-user wrote regarding Donald Trump's press conference. "Crazy volume of slurring," another wrote, to which someone replied: "He reads like an 8 year old. So embarrassing." "Why is the President slurring his speech so badly at this press conference?" someone asked. "He's not a well man. His brain is 100% out-to-lunch," wrote another. To this commenter's point, exaggerated slurred speech does raise concerns. But, what does it actually mean?

"Trump is slurring and slurping his way through this presser, he can't control the saliva level in his mouth because his dementia is advancing," one X-user tweeted. It's true: slurred speech can be a sign of dementia. Of course, it hasn't been confirmed that Trump has dementia, and it almost surely never will be. According to Trump, he basically has less dementia than anyone has ever had. He reportedly took a dementia test called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment at least twice in 2025. "I got the highest mark," he claimed. "One of the doctors said, 'Sir, I've never seen anybody get that kind of — that was the highest mark,'" per BuzzFeed. He also noted, "I like taking them, 'cause they're not too tough for me to take." 

It's worth noting that this test involves things like remembering what a duck is called and reading a simple sentence. And, even so, we may never know how he really scores on it — he seems to expect the public to just take his word for it.