Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham dropped a bombshell opinion during President Trump’s marathon press briefing, stating flatly that the president appears to be “mentally slipping.” Grisham, who has become an outspoken critic of the president since leaving the administration, monitored the event on social media and quickly concluded that the performance was concerning, as per The Hill.
“This presser is bizarre even for him,” Grisham wrote online. She described the briefing as filled with the usual elements, including rambling, off-topic stories, half-truths, and the president’s typical claims that he’s “fixed everything” and that no one has ever seen anything like his accomplishments. However, she noted a distinct difference this time, saying the presentation felt “low-energy” and felt “like he’s…mentally slipping.” She closed her post with an urgent plea for Congress to “wake up.”
The press conference was held alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and was intended to mark the completion of one full year into President Trump’s second term. During the lengthy session, the president touched on a wide range of topics, from federal immigration enforcement taking place in Minnesota to his continued, growing calls for the United States to acquire Greenland.
He took the opportunity to praise his administration’s work over the past year, though he did suggest that the public isn’t fully recognizing his economic accomplishments
Grisham is certainly in a unique position to comment on the president’s demeanor and fitness. She served as press secretary during the first Trump administration and also acted as an aide to First Lady Melania Trump. She ultimately resigned following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and has since become one of the most vocal anti-Trump Republicans.
Just a few months ago, Grisham spoke at the Democratic National Convention after endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris. She told the audience she was once a “true believer” in President Trump, but she offered up some incredibly harsh assessments of his character based on her time inside the White House.
“Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters,” she said, adding that the president calls them “basement dwellers.” She didn’t mince words, stating emphatically that he has “no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”
Grisham’s commentary isn’t happening in a vacuum; it follows similar calls from medical professionals regarding the president’s fitness. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist who notably served the late former Vice President Dick Cheney, recently called for a bipartisan congressional inquiry into President Trump’s capacity to serve.
Reiner cited a recent letter President Trump sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In that letter, the president seemed to directly link his threats to acquire Greenland to his frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, an award he has openly campaigned for. Reiner emphasized that the existence of the letter, combined with the fact that President Trump directed it be distributed to other European countries, should absolutely “trigger a bipartisan congressional inquiry into presidential fitness.”
Published: Jan 21, 2026 11:30 am