President Donald Trump briefly contradicted himself during an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
He first refused to discuss a reported call with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, then immediately forgot his initial response and confirmed the conversation.
A reporter asked Trump, “The New York Times reported you spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Did you?”
Highlights
- President Trump contradicted himself by first refusing to confirm a call with Venezuela's Maduro, then immediately admitting it took place.
- The call reportedly included talks of a possible meeting amid rising tensions and U.S. military operations in the Caribbean.
- Trump’s niece compared his confused behavior to dementia symptoms, amid other incidents like snapping at reporters and briefly falling asleep on camera.
Trump responded to a reporter and instantly forgot his promise
Image credits: Pete Marovich/Getty Images
Trump answered, “I don’t want to comment on it,” then added without hesitation, “The answer is yes.”
The call, first reported by The New York Times, included a discussion of a possible in-person meeting as tensions between Washington and Caracas continue to rise.
Over recent weeks, the administration has expanded military operations targeting alleged narco-trafficking in the Caribbean Sea.
Legal experts warn that the campaign could be violating U.S. and international law.
This week, senators from the Democratic and Republican parties also launched a bipartisan investigation into War Secretary Pete Hegseth following allegations of war crimes in his handling of an airstrike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean.
The Pentagon has not complied with a bipartisan request to view unedited footage of the airstrikes. Senate Democrats were also excluded from a classified briefing on the strikes.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Maduro’s government and publicly described the Venezuelan leader as the head of the Cartel de los Soles, though he has not offered evidence that Maduro controls the alleged drug-trafficking network.
When the reporter pressed Trump to divulge more information about the call, he again declined. “No, I can’t do that,” he said, before once again contradicting himself and saying, “I wouldn’t say it went well, or badly. It was a phone call.”
Image credits: Jesus Vargas/Getty Images
Concerns about Trump’s health added another layer to the incident.
On Monday, the White House released the reason for Trump’s recent MRI, ending weeks of speculation. In a memo to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House physician Sean Barbabella wrote that the scan was preventative, performed “because of his age.”
Barbabella reported that Trump’s major organs were “very healthy” and functioning “within normal limits.”
The decision to release this information came a day after Trump told reporters he did not know which part of his body the MRI examined.
CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang asked him about it during the Air Force One flight. Trump replied, “I have no idea. It was just an MRI. It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it.”
The White House revealed Trump underwent an MRI test ‘because of his age’
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Trump first disclosed the MRI in October, months after his annual physical. The scan fueled public questions because it came after the president revealed he has chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that causes ankle swelling.
Reporters later photographed Trump with bruising on his hand, which the White House attributed to aspirin and frequent handshakes.
Separately, Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, raised concerns about the president’s cognitive health. In an interview on The Daily Beast’s podcast, she compared Trump’s behavior to what she witnessed when her grandfather, Fred Trump Sr., developed mild dementia.
“There are times I look at him [Trump] and I see my grandfather. I see that same look of confusion,” she said.
She also commented on Trump’s interaction with people. “I see this look in his eyes sometimes, like he can’t believe he said this. He can’t believe he admitted this thing. He doesn’t know who he’s talking to. He doesn’t know where he is,” she said.
Trump’s response on Monday is part of a series of insults to reporters in the past few weeks. Last month, Trump snapped at Bloomberg journalist Catherine Lucey, telling her, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
At an event in November, Trump also seemed to fall asleep for several seconds, after his eyelids slowly drooped until his eyes were almost closed. Trump then opened his eyes and looked toward journalists who were watching him.