Sunday, September 1, 2019

What did Donald Trump do today?

He showed off his memory and attention to detail.

Trump was chauffeured to the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency today, where he could be seen receiving an update on Hurricane Dorian. Afterwards, apparently eager to show what he'd learned, he made this statement:

I’m not sure that I’ve ever even heard of a Category 5. I knew it existed, and I’ve seen some Category 4s ― you don’t even see them that much ― but a Category 5 is something that I don’t know that I’ve ever even heard the term other than I know it’s there.

Dorian is the fourth Category 5 hurricane to hit the United States during Trump's term. The first three were Irma, Maria, and Michael. Trump was at least briefly aware of their Category 5 status in each case, but appears to have forgotten again, and not for the first time.

Who cares?

  • Presidents don't have to be meteorology experts, but they do have to be able to remember a few basic facts.
  • Some degree of memory loss is normal in elderly people, but only some.