President Donald Trump should have stuck to the script during his press conference with Fortune 500 company leaders.
By failing to act, he ensured that his recent forgetfulness would become yet another major embarrassment.
Trump, 80, gathered motor and transportation executives and IndyCar drivers outside of the White House’s West Wing on July 13 for a preview unlike any other held at the residence.
He came out the doors like a champion, fired up by “Eye of the Tiger” roaring from speakers, before finally taking his place at a podium, opening his padfolio, and looking over the talking points prepared by his staff.
To Trump’s right stood speedway pros David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, and Alex Palou, each dressed in a race suit.
To Trump’s left stood Roger Penske, chairman and CEO of Penske Corp.; Bud Denker, president of Penske Corp.; Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy; Eric Shanks, Fox Sports CEO; and Mark Reuss, president of General Motors.
The event was a showcase to generate enthusiasm for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix races taking place on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23. But it is Trump’s inability to keep facts straight that stopped people in their tracks.
The spectacle began to unravel when the president detoured from his notes to brag about the powerful men at his side.
“The president of General Motors, Mark Reuss,” he began, continuing, “It’s a great company, a hot company. We just ordered a lot of Escalades for security purposes.” Reuss smiled and nodded at the politician.
President Trump dances to Eye of the Tiger 🤣🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/IEq06lMITr
— Queenbee (@Queenbee_12_) July 13, 2026
Trump glanced at his notes and then back at the audience before rambling, “Uh, we do a lot of business with General Electric,” causing Penske to glance at the podium, then Trump, and finally out at the crowd with a blank expression.
Duffy appeared to take a deep breath, slightly opening and closing his mouth, and then shifting his weight from his heels to his tiptoes. Shanks stared at Trump, but the moment Trump uttered the flub about General Electric, Shanks scrunched his face and snapped his head toward the audience.
Trump’s odd weave of facts concluded with, “They’re actually going now in the weapons-making business, and I think you’ll do better than that, than even in the cars.” Reuss maintained his composure by smiling and laughing at Trump, who by then was looking directly at him.
The public was not humored by what they witnessed and let it be known in the brutal comments across social media. One reaction read, “He doesn’t know the difference between General Motors and General Electric.”
Others typed things like, “Can’t make this stuff up. Sad” and mentioned that “The GM president was standing right next to him having to keep a straight face. They’re having more and more trouble hiding the dementia.”
Someone who noticed Shanks’ knee-jerk reaction commented, “Did you see that blonde guy’s head spin around? Like, wait… what ???”
A fifth viewer begged, “General Electric? Get that man back to the Dr.” Critics are convinced that Trump has been displaying signs of dementia throughout his second term. However, the White House continues to prop the reality TV star up as being in excellent health.
Even Trump is convinced that the multiple physical exams and his frequent cognitive tests are routines assessments, and not his medical team’s way of documenting his decline.
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The world witnessed him mention his wife, Melania Trump, during his 2017 Hurricane Irma address. He said, “She really wanted to be with us,” without ever noticing her by his side.
During a 2019 White House meeting, he referred to Apple CEO Tim Cook as “Tim Apple.” Cook was sitting beside Trump, and his name was displayed on a card directly in front of him.
Last August, he misidentified then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as LPGA golfer Christie Kerr. Noem is a brunette, and Kerr is a blonde.
