President Donald Trump found himself at the center of a fresh controversy after stumbling over his words during a press conference on March 28, leading one commentator to say he was suffering a “mental lapse that is objectively rougher than anything Joe Biden ever exhibited.”
According to The Irish Star, the moment, which occurred as he swore in Alina Habba, 41, as interim US attorney in New Jersey, raised eyebrows as he took a long pause mid-sentence before delivering a confusing remark.
Trump seems unable to come up with the word "criminal" and instead calls them "people of crime" pic.twitter.com/aW11x5XRrc
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2025
Joe Biden speechwriter calls Trump’s speech stumble worse than Biden’s gaffes
“We hope this court system that’s become so active all of a sudden in trying to protect some very very bad, uh, people of crime,” Donald Trump said after the pause.
He continued, “They have to stop. They have to let us do the job that we were elected to do the job. They shouldn’t be interfering in that. It’s a very sad thing going on, nobody can even believe it.”
Dan Luchey, a former White House speechwriter for former Presideen, seized the moment to make a damning comparison, suggesting Trump’s verbal misstep was “rougher” than any of Biden’s past speech difficulties.
Basically every day now, Donald Trump has a mental lapse that is objectively rougher than anything Joe Biden ever exhibited. https://t.co/LnXz5t78Xv
— Dan Cluchey (@dancluchey) March 28, 2025
“Basically every day now, Donald Trump has a mental lapse that is objectively rougher than anything Joe Biden ever exhibited,” Luchey wrote.
Concerns over age-related cognitive decline became a top issue during the 2024 presidential election, ultimately leading to then-President Biden’s dropping out.
At 81, Biden was the oldest president in US history. He had previously framed his 2020 election victory as a transitional period to “pass the torch” to the next generation.
However, his age and cognitive struggles became a significant point of criticism, ultimately contributing to his political downfall.
Donald Trump’s speech stumble sparks Internet reactions
Some social media users speculated that Trump caught himself before saying “people of color,” while others dismissed Luchey’s statement, arguing that Trump’s stumble was minor compared to what they described as Biden’s frequent verbal gaffes.