House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared visibly uneasy Tuesday as Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) pressed him in a Capitol hallway over President Donald Trump’s mental fitness, following a rambling speech to hundreds of senior military leaders and amid a looming government shutdown.
“The president is unhinged. He is unwell,” Dean told Johnson in footage later aired by MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes. “What are you doing?”
Johnson interrupted: “A lot of folks on your side are too. I don’t control him.”
Dean, incredulous, shot back: “Oh my God, please. That performance in front of the generals?”
“I didn’t see it,” Johnson said.
“It’s so dangerous! You know I serve on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations, it’s a collision of those two things. Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a president who is unwell,” Dean replied.
The exchange unfolded just hours before a midnight deadline to fund the government, with both parties deadlocked. Johnson has so far avoided direct criticism of Trump.
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Earlier in the day, Trump spoke at Marine Corps Base Quantico to more than 800 commanders flown in from across the globe. The address drew little reaction from the audience and included false claims that President Joe Biden had attempted to eliminate the Space Force and allowed “25 million immigrants” into the country.
In his remarks, Trump labeled “civil disturbances” as the “enemy from within” and suggested American cities should serve as “training grounds” for the military. He repeated attacks on San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, pledging to “straighten them out one by one.”
He also endorsed continuing to use the military for domestic law enforcement, declaring, “It’s a war from within. Controlling the physical territory of our borders is essential for national security. We can’t let these people in.”
Trump drew sharp criticism in the national media for what many described as a halting and impetuous speech.
The New York Times observed, “For a 79-year-old, he’s often shown a great deal of energy, but he seemed a bit sapped Tuesday. As his remarks went on and on, his voice took on a more monotonous quality. A day earlier, when he spoke at the White House while standing beside Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Trump sounded out of breath at times.”
The Washington Post called the address low energy, noting that the hundreds of commanders in attendance remained silent and refrained from applauding at the end.
“Trump, who draws energy from instantaneous feedback, appeared to speak more slowly than usual and in a monotone, seemingly affected by a largely mum audience,” the paper reported.
The Atlantic went further in an article headlined “The Commanded in Chief Is Not Okay.”
It recalled a cautionary episode from 1973, when Air Force nuclear-missile officer Harold Hering asked, “How can I know that an order I receive to launch my missiles came from a sane president?” The magazine wrote, “The question cost him his career. Military members are trained to execute orders, not question them. But today, both the man who can order the use of nuclear arms and the man who would likely verify such an order gave disgraceful and unnerving performances in Quantico. How many officers left the room asking themselves Major Hering’s question?”
Trump himself seemed to sense the unease in the room. As he began, he remarked, “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before.”
His attempts at humor throughout the speech fell flat.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth kicked off the summit with his own controversy, vowing to dismantle “woke culture” at the Pentagon and impose new “male-level” physical fitness standards for the rank and file, as well as officers, including “fat generals.”
During the tense exchange on Capitol Hill, Dean also confronted Johnson about Trump’s racist AI-generated video targeting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The video depicted Jeffries wearing a sombrero and a handlebar mustache, while a fake Schumer voiceover played over mariachi music, saying, “There’s no way to sugar coat it: Nobody likes Democrats anymore,” and suggesting undocumented immigrants should get “free healthcare.”
Dean pressed Johnson on why he hadn’t condemned it. “Not your style? It’s disgraceful. It’s racist. You should call it out,” she said. Raising both hands, she added, “Is it racist? You put a sombrero on a Black man who’s the leader of the House. You don’t see that as racist? We need you desperately to lead.”
Johnson eventually responded, “I’m working on it. And personally, it’s not my style. I love you and I respect you, OK?”
Speaking later to CNN’s Manu Raju, Dean said Johnson even questioned her characterization: “He asked me, like, rhetorically, ‘Is that really racist?’ It’s really racist, it’s despicable, and he should have called it out.”
Trump’s conduct has fueled growing speculation about his health. Critics and some medical experts have raised concerns that he may be suffering from dementia, alongside physical complications tied to chronic venous insufficiency. The White House has denied that the president has any major health issues.
CNN fact-checkers flagged multiple falsehoods in his Quantico speech, further intensifying doubts.
Footage of Dean’s confrontation went viral after being posted by independent journalist Aaron Rupar.
“So sick of ‘I haven’t seen it.’ It’s your f–king job to see it,” one commenter wrote. “If you don’t see it, your team informs you immediately. If you’re uninformed, you’re incompetent. End of story.”
That sentiment echoed throughout reactions, with critics saying Johnson was ducking responsibility and failing to lead at a time when, as Dean put it, “our allies are looking elsewhere, our enemies are laughing.”
Reactions online were visceral.
“No denial, no defense. Even the tiny Johnson knows Trump is a joke,” one critic wrote. Another added, “She is not wrong, and he is insanely uncomfortable with this interaction. He needs to be confronted like this more. Force accountability.”
Some noted that Johnson came close to admitting Trump is “unwell” when he told Dean, “A lot of folks on your side are too.”
That prompted questions such as, “Did Mike Johnson just admit that his orange menace of a boss is unhinged?!?!??” and the observation, “He did not deny it.” One person wrote, “He admits The President of the United States is unhinged and unwell. He doesn’t deny it, he just dismisses it by saying folk on your side ‘Are TOO.’”
Others praised Dean’s push for accountability.
“Absolute bravery, Rep. Dean … Where are your fellow House members?! They should be right there with you,” one person said. Another added, “Finally….. Democrat who is saying out loud what is obvious to any intelligent person. Keep up the good work.”
Some voices also turned their frustration toward the press.
“Why does the media refuse to question the president’s health? Every other president in my 57 years has been watched closely for any signs of issues but for Trump, it’s ignored. Why?” one commenter asked.
