Katy Tur’s Attack on Trump’s Mind
Katy Tur went on air and went after President Donald Trump’s mental fitness. Short, blunt lines. Loud accusations. Predictable outrage followed.
She pointed to polls and odd moments in the White House. She asked if the president has the clarity to lead. That’s fair to discuss. But tone matters. Context matters.
Here’s Tur’s on-air bit, straight from the transcript:
“KATY TUR, MS NOW: Is Donald Trump well? Is his head in the presidency? Does he have the mental acuity to lead this country? More people are starting to doubt that, beyond, of course, Democrats, who have always doubted it. This is being borne out in two new polls. The first one from The Washington Post, ABC, and Ipsos, which finds a number of people who think he lacks the mental sharpness to serve effectively is now climbing 56 percent.
And the second, from Reuters and Ipsos, which shows six in ten Americans now say President Trump is becoming more erratic as he ages. That includes a growing number of Democrats, independents, and Republicans. Why is that?
Well, the apparent sleeping during Cabinet meetings and Oval Office visits, probably they’re not helping. Neither are the stories about how he’s forcing his top aides to wear his preferred brand of shoes and buying them in incorrect sizes that he’s guessed they wear. He also doesn’t sound as energetic and clear as he did even a few years ago, comparatively speaking, of course.
Case in point, the wild besides, mid-thought. He has always done that to a degree, but now he’s doing it in the middle of White House Cabinet meetings, largely defined by deadly serious issues like the war in Iran or alleged political prosecutions. Listen to this one, when the president took a sharp left turn during complaints about what he argues is criminally wasteful spending for construction at the Federal Reserve.
This video is cued to start at the 1:32 mark, so just press play:”
She dropped the clip cue. We included the video below. Watch it yourself. Judge for yourself.
Critics on the right point out a double standard. Tur and many on MSNOW spent years defending Joe Biden’s fitness for office. They dismissed or mocked anyone who raised the same questions about him. Now they flip the script. That looks like bias, not journalism.
We can and should ask tough questions about any leader. Do it with facts. Do it without obvious hypocrisy. Short attention spans and cable heat make that hard. But viewers deserve better.
Watch the clip. Listen to the polls. Then ask: are you hearing reporting, or a rehearsal for a political hit?