Donald Trump confused himself on Monday when he forgot when he was meant to be speaking during his big Middle East speech to the Israeli Parliament.
The awkward slip came during the 79-year-old’s marquee address to the Knesset, after Hamas freed the last 20 surviving hostages and Israel started to release some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The flub is the latest example of Trump—who has faced questions about his health—apparently confused during public moments.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opening speech, in which he praised the U.S. president’s efforts during the ceasefire agreement, Trump stepped to the podium to speak.
But he had to be stopped by Amir Ohana, the Knesset’s speaker, who gently put his hand on Trump’s left arm, to remind him that the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, was up next, leaving Trump looking slightly befuddled as he could be heard exclaiming, “Oh.”
As if to reassure the notoriously erratic president, the aide told Trump, “You’re the last speaker.”
Trump then shouted at the applauding audience of politicians, “Come on up, Opposition,” before he shook hands with Lapid and walked back to his seat.
The Israeli premier had teed up the moment with an effusive tribute, calling Trump “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.”
He vowed, “You are committed to this peace, I am committed to this peace … we will achieve this peace.”
Netanyahu also cast the day as the culmination of a U.S.-brokered truce that freed the 20 remaining living hostages and triggered significant prisoner releases, and said he would nominate Trump for the Israel Prize, the country’s highest cultural honor.
Lapid also opened his speech with effusive praise. “Mr. President, you have saved the lives of our hostages…but you saved so much more.” He then argued the Nobel committee should take notice.
Once it was finally Trump’s turn to take the mic, he declared the “end of an age of terror” and the “dawn of a new Middle East.”
Lawmakers gave him prolonged ovations, and officials credited his envoys for the breakthrough.
Trump’s mix-up is the latest caught on big stages stretching back several years, many of which have been chronicled by the Daily Beast, given rise to talk of possible dementia, and seen him referred to on social media as “Donny Dementia.”
They include having thanked “Sioux Falls” while speaking in Sioux City, Iowa, while on the campaign trail in 2023.
In January, Trump confused Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, then spun the error as intentional. He has since regularly been confused or even forgotten people, places, and events.
Two psychologists—John Gartner and Harry Segal—last month told a podcast they host that the 79-year-old’s recurring confusion, word slips, and meandering speech patterns are consistent with what they described as early cognitive decline,
On the Beast’s own podcast, Gartner argued that signs of deterioration are visible in Trump’s language and behavior over time.
Supporters have dismissed dementia talk as partisan noise, with the White House repeatedly insisting Trump is in fine health.
However, after photos in July showed pronounced swelling in his lower legs, the White House acknowledged Trump has chronic venous insufficiency—nonfatal but common in older adults—which critics say undercut claims that he is in peak condition.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
The post Trump, 79, Needs to Be Reminded When He’s Supposed to Speak at His Big Address appeared first on The Daily Beast.
