No wonder Donald Trump’s handlers rarely let him out in public anymore

On Saturday night Donald Trump tried to give a speech at a political event in Arizona. We say tried because the performance he ended up putting on could only be referred to as a “speech” under the most charitable definition of the word.

Trump loves few things more than giving speeches to his adoring fans. In fact it was arguably the only part of the presidency that he seemed to truly enjoy. If he had his way, he’d still be out there giving rally speeches every few days. So why isn’t he? There’s nothing stopping him; after all, New York hasn’t criminally indicted him yet.

Trump’s own performance on Saturday night, or lack thereof, is the increasingly obvious explanation. His visible physical condition, which has been going downhill since he caught COVID, appeared to be worse than ever. And his cognitive abilities… let’s just say that at one point Trump ended up rambling about LeBron James becoming a transgender woman.

Donald Trump is no doubt constantly demanding that his handlers allow him to give rally speeches. And yet when his handlers do occasionally let him on stage, it becomes clear why they allow it so rarely: putting him out there merely makes the general public aware that he’s way too far gone to be relevant.

Trump’s idiot base may love him no matter how much of a senile blob he’s turned into. But it’s never been about them. It’s about voters in the middle, and let’s just say that Trump is lucky so few TV outlets air his speeches these days. Moreover, it tells you something about how far gone Trump is that he’s unwilling or unable to overrule his own handlers, as they surely feed him excuses each day about why he can’t hold regular rallies. Trump isn’t even in charge of his own dumpster fire anymore.