REUTERS PICTURES 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts during a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. October 22, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Barria SEARCH "REUTERS PICTURES 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION" FOR THIS PACKAGE

In an article for the Guardian published Sunday Adam Gabbatt noted that President Donald Trump’s recent online behavior — especially the sharing of bizarre AI‑generated videos — signals a deeply concerning blurring of truth, confusion about reality, and possible deterioration in the president’s own grasp on what is real.

Gabbatt laid out several recent episodes to support his point. First, he noted that, on the eve of a looming government shutdown, Trump posted an AI video depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wearing a sombrero and exaggerated moustache, accompanied by mariachi music.

Trump later doubled down by posting another video showing himself wearing a sombrero and playing guitar behind Jeffries’s image.

More striking, Gabbatt highlighted a second case in which Trump reposted a fake AI video of himself announcing “med bed hospitals” and promising “med bed cards” to all Americans. The video implied the government would deliver miraculous healing technology, and Gabbatt points out that this “med beds” concept is a conspiracy theory lacking any scientific basis.

The post was later deleted, but not before raising questions about whether Trump himself believed it, or whether he understood what he was sharing.

Gabbatt also referenced recent public missteps by Trump — for instance, confusing Argentina with Armenia in remarks about foreign affairs, or speaking in confusing terms about autism and medical research — as further evidence of cognitive lapses.

By juxtaposing these errors with his AI-video behavior, Gabbatt asserts that Trump’s recent public actions are potentially signs of a deeper issue with discernment and reality testing.

The article argues that Trump’s increasing reliance on AI content, his public confusion, and his willingness to share implausible claims may suggest that he is losing, or has already lost, the ability to reliably distinguish between fact and fiction.

To reinforce his point, Gabbatt mentioned the reaction to Trump’s recent address to military leaders in Virginia, quoting former military figures who found the speech deeply alarming.

Retired General Barry McCaffrey told MSNBC that Trump’s performance in Virginia was “one of the most bizarre, unsettling events I’ve ever encountered,” and said:

“The president sounded incoherent, exhausted, rabidly partisan, at times stupid, meandering, couldn’t hold a thought together.”