President Donald Trump used a speech before business leaders in Detroit on Tuesday to mock former President Joe Biden, turning what was expected to be an update on economic policy into a rambling attack on his predecessor.
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump claimed that Biden was incapable of speaking for more than a few seconds at a podium and suggested that the former president had once been “high as a kite” during a public appearance.
“Remember the speeches Joe [Biden] would make?” Trump said. “First of all, they’d last a matter of seconds.”
The comment quickly drew pushback online, where critics pointed to Trump’s own public appearances. One X user, @DjOmegaMVP, responded, “Says this motherf—er who falls asleep even when they’re kissing his a—.”
The remark gained traction following footage from an Oval Office photo opportunity later that day. During the event — held after Trump’s Michigan trip and attended by several Cabinet members as he signed the Whole Milk for Kids Act into law —Trump appeared on camera with his eyes closed and head lowered at his desk, prompting renewed speculation about his alertness during official duties.
A 2024 U.S. Department of Defense report also found that the White House Medical Unit has a long history of dispensing prescription and non-prescription medications, including controlled substances, without proper recordkeeping, effectively operating a pharmacy that at times even provided drugs to “ineligible White House staff.”
The bombshell findings, laid out in a January 2024 report, describe repeated negligent practices that intensified during Trump’s presidency while noting that some problems also occurred during Barack Obama’s tenure. Adding to the allegations, a former official reportedly described the Trump White House as “awash with speed” and Xanax, with staffers routinely using stimulants to push through late-night work sessions.
Trump continued his attack at the Detroit event, recalling what he described as a single instance when Biden appeared unusually energized. “The one time they had him spruced up pretty good, remember?” Trump said. “He was high as a kite.”
As laughter spread through the room, Trump launched into a bizarre impersonation punctuated by exaggerated grunts and groans, drawing additional chuckles from the audience.
On social media, critics framed the episode as projection. “EVERY TRUMP ACCUSATION IS A CONFESSION,” wrote one X user, @NervousMully.
Others revisited earlier moments that had sparked speculation about Trump’s own health and behavior. In September of last year, a widely circulated photograph taken by photographer Andres Kudacki appeared to show Trump placing a small blue pill in his mouth during the men’s U.S. Open final. While some suggested it may have been a breath mint, others speculated that it could have been medication, citing Trump’s age, 79.
Another user, @photogater, took aim at Trump’s physical appearance, writing, “Judging by the way he’s sweating, he’s ‘spruced up’ pretty good right now.”
@DjOmegaMVP added in a follow-up post, “I’ve been wondering for months if they were pumping Trump full of drugs before his public appearances to keep him awake. This seems to confirm it.”
Trump, for his part, appeared unfazed by the criticism. During the same speech, he bragged about his penchant for abandoning his prepared remarks.
“You know, when you go up here, you take a big chance,” Trump said. “Especially me, because I go off teleprompter about 80% of the time. But isn’t it nice to have a president that can go off teleprompter?”
Critics argue that Trump’s habit of veering off-script is not only distracting but further fuels concerns about his fitness for office.
The Detroit appearance was just one in a series of eyebrow-raising moments that day. Earlier, during a tour of a Ford production plant in Dearborn, Michigan, video footage showed Trump appearing to flip off a factory worker, an incident that quickly circulated online and added to criticism of what opponents described as yet another display of unpresidential behavior.
