A White House ceremony last week produced an awkward viral moment for President Donald Trump when he struggled for nearly a minute to fasten the blue ribbon of the Medal of Honor around Army Major Nicholas Dukry’s neck. After several failed attempts, Trump gave up on the original clasp and tied the ribbon into an improvised knot, joking to the laughing audience, “Now it won’t come off.”
The clip quickly spread online and prompted comparisons with how other presidents, especially Joe Biden, handled the same gesture. The embarrassment landed particularly hard because Trump has spent years mocking Biden as “Sleepy Joe” and ridiculing his fatigue whenever possible.
Now the tables have turned. In recent weeks, Trump has been filmed appearing to doze off or keep his eyes closed for long stretches at the NBA Finals and at a White House event marking his 80th birthday. Critics on social media described the medal clip as proof that he “failed his latest cognitive test.”
The video’s timing was especially sensitive because Trump is 80, and congressional Democrat Jamie Raskin has asked the president’s doctor to release his cognitive test results, citing worrying signs of disorientation and reports of frequent hospital visits. The article also notes that Trump himself has publicly imitated Biden’s slow walk and movements at appearances to mock his age and physical condition.
