By David LaGuerre –
The Alarming Pattern of “I Don’t Know”
When four U.S. soldiers went missing during a NATO training exercise in Lithuania this March, President Donald Trump’s response was striking in its simplicity: “No, I haven’t.” He hadn’t been briefed on the situation. He moved on to the next question without expressing concern for the missing servicemembers or their families.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly admitted to being unaware of critical information that would typically be immediately brought to a president’s attention. From military operations to national security matters, the pattern reveals a troubling disconnect between the Commander-in-Chief and the vital information needed to lead effectively.
“What we’re seeing is real,” says Dr. Ben Michaelis, a clinical psychologist who has analyzed Trump’s speech patterns. “If this was your grandfather, you probably wouldn’t think twice about it. Again, we all decline with age. What I’m seeing is more challenges with the thought processes.”
A Presidency Out of Touch
The Lithuania incident exemplifies a growing concern about Trump’s awareness of critical matters. When U.S. soldiers from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division went missing near the Belarusian border, their fate became an international concern. Yet the president appeared completely disconnected from this developing crisis.
Similarly, when a Signal group chat involving senior Trump administration officials discussing military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen was leaked, Trump claimed ignorance: “I don’t know anything about it.” This despite the chat containing operational details that were later confirmed by real-time military actions.
These incidents point to a president who is either deliberately kept out of critical information loops or is unable to process and retain the information provided to him.
The Cognitive Question
Trump’s public appearances have increasingly featured rambling, disconnected speech patterns that experts find concerning. PBS NewsHour recently highlighted several instances where Trump’s remarks were “rambling or incoherent,” including one event where he “swayed silently to music on stage for close to 40 minutes.”
Dr. Michaelis notes that Trump’s speech has become “more and more circumstantial,” pointing to instances where he jumps from electric cars to sharks to music without clear connections. “It just paints a concerning picture,” he concludes.
While Trump dismisses these concerns, describing his rambling rhetoric as “weaving together different topics,” the frequency and severity of these episodes raise legitimate questions about his cognitive state.
The Republican Silence
Perhaps most concerning is the near-complete silence from Republican leadership regarding these incidents. The same party that once demanded rigorous cognitive testing for political opponents now dismisses or ignores clear warning signs from their own standard-bearer.
“This isn’t just about politics—it’s about national security,” says a former intelligence official who requested anonymity. “When the president isn’t aware of critical military operations or missing soldiers, that creates dangerous gaps in the chain of command.”
The pattern of Republican silence extends beyond Congress to conservative media. Fox News, once quick to analyze every verbal slip from political opponents, has largely avoided substantive coverage of Trump’s knowledge gaps. When the topic does arise, it’s often framed as political attacks rather than legitimate concerns about presidential fitness.
Media Complicity: The Fox News Factor
Fox News’ coverage of Trump’s cognitive issues stands in stark contrast to their approach with other political figures. A search of their recent coverage reveals minimal substantive reporting on Trump’s pattern of unawareness, with segments instead focusing on defending the president or attacking those who raise concerns.
In one segment, Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo dismissed concerns about Trump’s cognitive state, instead focusing on Nancy Pelosi’s comments. This deflection strategy has become common across right-wing media, which consistently fails to hold the president accountable for his apparent knowledge gaps.
This media environment creates a dangerous information bubble where millions of Americans remain unaware of legitimate concerns about presidential competence. When the fourth estate fails in its watchdog role, democracy itself is weakened.
The National Security Implications
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Lithuania, where the four soldiers went missing, is a NATO member sharing a border with Belarus, a close Russian ally. The region has strategic importance in NATO’s efforts to deter Russian aggression.
When the president is unaware of military operations or missing personnel, it creates dangerous gaps in the chain of command and undermines America’s standing with allies. As one NATO official put it, “How can we trust U.S. leadership when their own president seems out of the loop on critical matters?”
The leaked Signal chat discussing Yemen operations further demonstrates the risks. When sensitive military plans are shared in unsecured channels while the president remains uninformed, it creates multiple vulnerabilities in national security protocols.
The Way Forward: Demanding Better
The American people deserve a president who is fully engaged, informed, and capable of processing complex information. Dr. Michaelis suggests that “anyone running for office, and certainly the highest office in the land, should be evaluated by an independent evaluator.”
This isn’t about politics—it’s about ensuring that the person with access to nuclear codes and command of the world’s most powerful military is cognitively fit for the job.
Voters must demand transparency about the president’s cognitive state and hold accountable both the politicians who enable concerning behavior and the media outlets that fail to report on it objectively.
As citizens, we must recognize that presidential competence transcends partisan politics. When national security is at stake, blind loyalty becomes a liability, not a virtue.
A Call for Accountability
The pattern is clear: President Trump repeatedly admits to not knowing critical information that should be immediately brought to his attention. Whether this represents a deliberate strategy to avoid responsibility or a more concerning cognitive issue, the result is the same—a dangerous leadership vacuum at the highest level of government.
Republican leaders must put country above party and acknowledge these concerns. Media outlets must fulfill their responsibility to report objectively on presidential fitness. And voters must demand better from both their elected officials and the institutions meant to hold them accountable.
The stakes are simply too high for anything less.
