Dems Challenge RFK Jr. on Trump’s Mental State Amid AI Jesus Controversy
During a series of congressional hearings focused on the administration's budget, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health Secretary, found himself in the crosshairs of House Democrats questioning President Trump’s mental health.
On Friday, lawmakers pressed Kennedy about Trump's recent alarming comments, including a threat that “a whole civilization will die” in Iran, alongside an AI-generated image portraying him as a Christ-like figure.
When asked if he would consider invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, Kennedy dismissed the notion and declined to recommend a cognitive evaluation for the president.
“He’s very, very sane,” Kennedy asserted, labeling Trump as the “most stable” president.
In a show of bipartisan concern, over 80 House Democrats and several senators are calling on Trump’s Cabinet to declare him unfit for office under the 25th Amendment. The leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee has urged the White House physician to conduct a mental health assessment and report findings to Congress.
“Millions of Americans are questioning this president’s mental fitness,” Democratic Rep. Mark Takano stated, brandishing enlarged images of Trump’s posts from Truth Social.
“Will you insist that President Trump undergo an assessment of his mental fitness?” Takano pressed Kennedy.
“Absolutely not,” Kennedy replied firmly.
Takano emphasized Kennedy's constitutional duty to act against a president deemed unable to fulfill his responsibilities. “You took an oath to the Constitution, not to President Trump,” he reminded him.
Kennedy defended Trump’s threatening message regarding Iran as a “nuanced message,” suggesting it conveyed both “brute force” to the regime and “love and compassion for the Iranian people.”
“You can look at it and say ‘it’s insane that he’d make this kind of threat.’ But he’s a deal-maker. He’s a bargainer,” Kennedy explained.
In a recent letter to White House Physician Captain Sean Barbabella, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin urged for an immediate cognitive exam, citing signs of “dementia and cognitive decline” in Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior.
“His apparently deteriorating condition has caused tremendous alarm across the nation about the president’s cognitive function,” Raskin wrote, highlighting concerns about Trump's overall wellbeing.
This round of questioning followed days of scrutiny from both sides of the aisle regarding Trump’s mental state, including from some right-wing supporters who have long backed him.
Trump often boasts about his performance on cognitive health tests designed to identify early signs of cognitive impairment. “I’m the only president that ever took a cognitive test. I took it three times,” he remarked during a Cabinet meeting last month.
“It starts off with an easy question. And by the time you get to the middle, it gets tougher,” he elaborated. “By the end, very few people can answer those questions.”
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment includes tasks like identifying animal pictures and drawing a clock.
Barbabella previously stated in a memo that Trump is in “excellent health.”
A proposed bill by 50 House Democrats aims to establish a 17-member commission to assess whether a president requires a medical examination to determine if they are “mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.”
“We are at a dangerous precipice,” Raskin declared while introducing the bill, emphasizing the need for Congress to act under the 25th Amendment to safeguard national security.
Democratic Rep. John Larson, who has filed an impeachment resolution against Trump, expressed concern over the president's increasing instability. He has submitted 13 articles of impeachment against Trump, citing “criminal lawlessness” and “presidential tyranny” related to military actions abroad and domestic law enforcement practices targeting specific groups based on race or political opposition.
