President Donald Trump displayed another concerning memory lapse when he expressed surprise about Jerome Powell’s appointment as Federal Reserve chairman, seemingly forgetting that he was the one who nominated Powell to the position in 2017.
According to MSNBC, the incident occurred during Trump’s recent public appearance, where he made several comments about the Federal Reserve chairman, whom he has frequently criticized.
“I was surprised he was appointed,” Trump said about Powell. “I was surprised, frankly, that Biden put him in and extended him.” The statement shows Trump apparently forgot that he personally chose Powell for the position, though President Biden did renominate Powell in 2021 with bipartisan Senate support.
Recent string of cognitive missteps raises concerns about Trump’s mental state
This memory lapse is part of a pattern of concerning cognitive incidents involving the president, with experts noting Trump’s accelerating cognitive decline and growing dementia suspicions after several awkward memory lapses. Just one day before the Powell comment, Trump shared a detailed story about a conversation with his uncle about teaching Ted Kaczynski at MIT. This conversation could not have happened since his uncle died more than ten years before Kaczynski was identified, and Kaczynski never attended MIT.
Trump didn’t remember that he appointed the federal chairman of the Federal Reserve. Or he lied that Biden appointed the chairman of the federal reserve. Biden renewed Trump’s appointment of Powell.
— Daniel Fainberg (@daniel_fainberg) July 17, 2025
In another recent incident at a Florida Everglades detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” Trump gave an unrelated answer about spending time in his home state when asked about the expected timeframe for holding detainees at the camp.
These episodes follow other concerning incidents, including a 12-minute story about Arnold Palmer’s anatomy and an unusual town hall event where Trump stopped taking questions and instead spent 39 minutes swaying to music, including “Ave Maria” and “YMCA.”
Former President Barack Obama commented on these behaviors, saying people would be worried if their grandfather started acting this way. He noted that town hall meetings are meant for taking questions, not for extended musical interludes.
While some observers dismiss these incidents as examples of Trump’s unique personality or dishonesty, others see them as potential signs of cognitive decline, particularly given that Trump can’t even recall details of his ‘perfect’ cognitive test, despite claiming he aced it. The pattern of forgetting significant appointments he made, having impossible conversations, and giving unrelated answers to direct questions has raised questions about his mental fitness, particularly as these incidents appear to be increasing in frequency.
