Donald Trump has sparked fresh concerns over his cognitive ability following a gaffe-filled speech in Michigan.
The 77-year-old former president was addressing supporters at a rally in Waterford Township ahead of the state’s primary on February 27 and a caucus on March 2.
Michigan is a key battleground state that could determine the outcome of the general election in November.
Urging supporters to get out and vote, Trump gave both correct and incorrect dates to the crowd.
Donald Trump made two gaffes during his speech
Reuters
"Remember the primary is Tuesday, February 27. We need to get out and vote to set the stage for November. Go vote. November 27."
Trump, who regularly attacks President Joe Biden's mental acuity, also appeared to mix up the number of soldiers Mexico provided to stop migrants from crossing into the United States.
"I told them ‘Look fellas you’ve got to give us 28,000 soldiers’. They looked at me like ‘What a stupid request!’… They’re going like ‘Why would we give him 48,000?’’
The fresh blunders are just the latest in a series of recent slip-ups.
The fresh blunders are just the latest in a series of recent slip-ups
Reuters
In a speech given last month, Trump mistook former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for Nikki Haley, his final opponent for the Republican presidential nomination. He also suggested former Democratic President Barack Obama was still in office.
Trump has since claimed that he sometimes changes names on purpose.
"When I purposely interposed names, they said I didn't know Pelosi from Nikki," Trump said at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday. He said calling Obama the current president was sarcasm, not a gaffe.
The issue of age and mental competence became front and centre in the 2024 election campaign after a Department of Justice report suggested 81-year-old President Biden was suffering from memory lapses.
Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination
Reuters
On Biden’s handling of classified documents, Special Counsel Robert Hur described the President as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory" who was not able to recall to investigators when his son, Beau Biden, died.
Biden responded angrily to the report, saying his memory is "fine", however he also recently mixed up the names of world leaders, including France's former president Francois Mitterrand with current president, Emmanuel Macron.
Trump’s challenger Haley, 52, responded by calling for mental competency tests for all presidential candidates over the age of 75.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 78 per cent of respondents - including 71 per cent of Democrats - think Biden is too old to work in government. However, only 53 per cent consider Trump too old to become commander-in-chief.
Despite these concerns and ongoing legal woes, Trump is still close to clinching the Republican nomination after wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His next challenge will be the South Carolina primary on February 24.
