Donald Trump raised some eyebrows this week when he called Kamala Harris "mentally impaired" during some campaign speeches over the weekend. Even a number of Republicans were quick to distance themselves from the comments.
“Kamala is mentally impaired. If a Republican did what she did, that Republican would be impeached and removed from office, and rightfully so, for high crimes and misdemeanors,” Trump said. “Joe Biden became mentally impaired. Kamala was born that way. She was born that way. And if you think about it, only a mentally disabled person could have allowed this to happen to our country.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) urged Trump to focus on Harris’s policies rather than personal attacks, calling her policies "crazy," but not her mental state. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) also emphasized sticking to the issues, citing Trump's record of fixing problems in the past. However, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan flat out condemned Trump's remarks as offensive, both to Harris and to individuals with mental disabilities, reaffirming his long-standing opposition to Trump's divisive rhetoric.
While there is certainly validity to the idea that Trump should stick to the issues, a huge part of me wonders why the left can get away with such accusations, but the right cannot.
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For one thing, from the time Joe Biden was still in the race until now, the mainstream media has tried to create parity between Biden's obvious cognitive decline and Trump's occasional gaffes. Back in March, Newsweek cited a psychologist who had never examined Trump saying that there is "overwhelming" evidence that Trump has dementia despite all evidence to the contrary, based on an instance where Trump used the name Obama instead of Biden.
"If he were to become president he would have to be immediately removed from office via the 25th Amendment as dangerously unable to fulfill the responsibilities of office," the so-called expert claimed.
The media was eager to deflect growing concerns about Biden's fitness for office by pushing a narrative that "Trump is just as unfit." Meanwhile, outlets largely dismissed clear signs of Biden's physical and cognitive decline until his disastrous debate performance with Trump. That event finally forced the issue into the spotlight, ultimately leading to Biden's forced withdrawal from the race.
But it wasn't just the media making these claims. Earlier this year, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) claimed without evidence that Trump has “cognitive disorders."
While Trump was president, Democrats and the media were repeatedly floating the idea of invoking the 25th Amendment on Trump without any actual evidence that such a move had any merit. They even sought changes to the 25th Amendment to create a commission to assess presidential fitness for office.
I could cite more examples, but you get the point. After spending years insisting that Biden was mentally sharp while relentlessly questioning Trump’s fitness, the left is suddenly outraged when the roles are reversed. Now that the spotlight is on Biden and Harris, it can’t handle the same scrutiny it's been dishing out with complete immunity for years.
