Trump, 78, insists he’s ‘not that close to 80’ in latest effort to deny mental acuity concerns

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The 78-year-old Republican candidate told a town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Sunday that his opponent Kamala Harris – who turned 60 yesterday – “may have a cognitive problem.” “I have no cognitive,” Trump told moderator Sage Steele, who he incorrectly referred to as “Paige” earlier in the town hall. Trump told the crowd he ‘has no cognitive’ “Let’s have a little fun, Paige,” he said. “Today Pennsylvanians got a firsthand look at why Donald Trump’s handlers are canceling events and interviews,” campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said. Pointing to his “rambling” speeches and “erratic” debate performance, experts warned that Trump appears to “have lost touch with reality.” Dr. Ben Michaelis, a clinical psychologist who has previously carried out cognitive assessments for the New York Supreme Court, previously told The Independent that Trump is “really not in a strong cognitive place.” A professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Richard A. Friedman, also said he was “alarmed” by what he witnessed during Trump’s debate performance on September 10.