President Donald Trump always makes news whenever he steps in front of a microphone. Trump, 80, seems to enjoy basking in the glory of media attention whenever he gets the chance, even if the outcome leaves viewers scratching their heads and rolling their eyes. With constant side tangents and off-script deflections, there have long been questions about how involved the president is in writing his own speeches. President Donald Trump’s recent speeches have been filled with long tangents and strange admissions. (Photo: White House) Trump appeared to offer some answers to his involvement in the speechwriting process during an event at the White House on July 23. The Los Angeles Dodgers headed to Washington to join the POTUS in celebrating the franchise’s 2025 World Series win over the Toronto Blue Jays.  “They played their opening game in Tokyo and traveled more than 2,000 miles. It’s more than any team has ever traveled,” Trump said as the members of the Dodgers stood behind him. He resumed, “In fact, from the first pitch to the final out, they endured and triumphed through the longest season of any team in the history of Major League Baseball. 229 days.” ‘What Is Wrong with Him?’: Trump’s Attempt to Sound Smart Backfires When He Admits He Doesn’t Know the Answer — Then Begs for Help on Live TV Trump then let the world know that he clearly had not read the written statement before stepping to the podium set up in the Rose Garden. “I didn’t know that. Did you know that?” Trump randomly asked a man standing near him on the stage, before adding, “That’s what they give me to read. So, what can I tell you?” "That's what they give me to read, so what can I tell you? … I don't know what the hell that means" — Trump is surprised by the stuff he's straight up reading from the text that was prepared for him pic.twitter.com/3Im2HMo0b0— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 23, 2026 The president’s strange, mid-speech admission prompted strong reactions on social media. For instance, one X user wrote, “OMG… He reads like a 4th grader.” “He never reads anything in advance. He is never prepared. He is the least literate president in history,” tweeted a second person on the app. A third account stated, “Trump just straight up admitting that he has no clue what his [handlers] have written for him.”  “You wonder if they’re doing this to actually show how he’s ‘losing it’ without any of his handlers having to admit it!” read a similar tweet. x pic.twitter.com/sQgpUd7PuR— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 23, 2026 Over on Threads, someone posted, “He admits he’s unprepared and everyone laughs. How embarrassing for everyone involved.” Another Threads user declared, “He looks and sounds like a fool. He can’t read.” Someone else offered, “He was confused because he was stating a fact. That’s foreign to him! He doesn’t understand facts!” “More and more, he is admitting not to understand. That’s not normal for him. What’s going on?” one commenter wondered. Trump also recently struggled while giving a live address from the White House’s East Room on July 16, where he mumbled and stammered through his 25-minute presentation. Maybe they should’ve waited till tomorrow to get rid of the teleprompter guy pic.twitter.com/zweEmFGdm4— Acyn (@Acyn) July 17, 2026 The former host of “The Apprentice” reality television show seemed to have difficulty reading from the teleprompter several times that night. At one point, Trump strangely called out his own full name as he was ranting about losing the 2024 election to former President Joe Biden.  The president delivered those remarks on the same day his longtime teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, was put on unpaid leave over allegations he wagered on Trump speeches. Throughout his second term in the White House, Trump has repeatedly slurred his words, completely veered off-topic, made unverified claims, and rudely insulted world leaders when speaking on camera. Whether he is following the script or venting on the spot, the most powerful person on the planet continues to raise widespread concerns about his reading ability as well as his current cognitive ability.  ‘OMG’: Trump Stumbles Through Speech,Stuns Crowd After Admitting He Doesn’t Know What He’s Talking About ...read more read less