Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) railed against President Trump late Thursday, questioning his mental fitness amid economic turmoil kickstarted by his aggressive tariff agenda.
“The fact that no one is questioning his mental acuity or fitness to serve is beyond wild to me,” she told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes in an interview, referencing the president’s attacks on former President Biden during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“Like the fact that they sat around, called Joe Biden ‘Sleepy Joe Biden,’ and as I said before, at least you could sleep at night because you didn’t have to worry about your 401(k) disappearing overnight,” she added.
Her criticism comes after the stock market took a dramatic dip earlier this month after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners. Although the market saw gains after the president walked back some reciprocal tariffs, consumer sentiment is still low.
In her Thursday appearance, Crockett slammed the president for upending the economy that Biden handed to the administration in January.
“You didn’t have to worry about these allegations of fake invasions,” the Democratic firebrand added about Biden’s tenure. “You didn’t have to worry about the cost of food just skyrocketing or skyrocketing costs of all of your electronics.”
Throughout the 2024 election cycle, Democrats ratcheted up attacks on Trump over his mental fitness as his campaign dug in on concerns about Biden’s age and mental state.
On Friday, Trump said he took a cognitive test at his annual physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, stating the results are expected to be released on Sunday.
“Overall I felt I was in very good shape. Good heart. A good soul. Very good soul,” Trump quipped on Air Force One Friday night. “I took — I wanted to be a little different than Biden. I took a cognitive test. I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right.”
Both of their comments follow the Trump administration’s temporary pause on most reciprocal tariffs — notably excluding China.
The 10 percent base tax is still in place, including on Beijing, who Trump hit with an additional whopping 125 percent import tax, bringing the total to 145 percent, after the country retaliated with their own levies. The Chinese government followed suit raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125 percent.
Economists have warned of rising prices due to the administration’s tariff regime, and on Saturday, the administration moved to exempt electronics — including phones, computers and semiconductor chips — from the sweeping tariffs.
Throughout her tenure in the lower chamber, Crockett has emerged as a provocateur, boosting her profile within the Democratic party over the last year. From her “Hot Wheels” comment about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and his wheelchair earlier this year to a tussle with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) last year, her controversial remarks have drawn scrutiny.
