House Speaker at a Loss for Words Over Trump’s Mental State

When Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) told Mike Johnson (R-La.) that Trump is "unhinged" and "unwell," he definitely didn't disagree. 

By Danielle Han  |  October 2, 2025 | 3:00pm
Photo: Screenshot Politics
House Speaker at a Loss for Words Over Trump’s Mental State

With the U.S. government in official shutdown mode, MAGA waging a hateful blame game, and Trump shitposting a concerning flurry of AI-generated videos, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is once again flailing at the bottom of the ado.

Now, alongside monitoring porn with his son and (badly) deflecting questions about Jeffrey Epstein, flailing is what Johnson does best (by which we mean worst). So when Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) confronted the speaker in the chamber on Wednesday, videos of the interaction quickly went viral on social media.

In one part of the conversation, Dean asks Johnson about a wildly racist AI video Trump posted to Truth Social on Monday night, which depicts Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) in a sombrero and fake mustache, standing next to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and saying undocumented immigrants should get free healthcare. (Part of the reason for the shutdown is because Dems are refusing to let health care subsidies expire for millions of Americans, though MAGA is categorizing this effort as them trying to give “free healthcare” to undocumented immigrants.) Johnson, sloppy as ever, responds by saying “[the video] wasn’t my style.” (To be clear, his “style” is watching NSFW videos with his offspring.) Dean answered, “Not your style? It’s disgraceful, it’s racist. You should call it out.” Johnson asks, “Is it racist?” He then breaks away from the conversation, but not before imposing Dean with an “I love you.” (?!?!?!!?)

Speaking to CNN about this particular exchange, Johson doubled down. Per the outlet:

Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” about the interaction, Johnson said, “I’m the speaker of the House, so I represent Republicans and Democrats in that capacity and I always hear complaints and concerns from members and I always stop and hear that, and I did that for Madeleine Dean. I respect her as an individual, we disagree on every policy matter.” Johnson said he told Dean that he “disagreed with her perspective on it.” “I tried to bring her back to the real issue,” Johnson said. “The fight tonight is not about social media posts. The fight is about whether they’re going to keep the government open for the American people.”

No, Mike, the fight is about preventing the GOP from stripping health care from 22 million Americans.  But it gets worse. His best slip-up came when Dean called the president “unhinged” and “unwell,” and he—exasperatedly—slightly shook his head, and seemed to agree. “A lot of folks on your side are, too,” he replied. 

MADELEINE DEAN: The president is unhinged. He’s unwell

JOHNSON: A lot of folks on your side are too D: Oh my god, please. That performance in front of the generals? J: I didn’t see it D: It’s so dangerous! Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a POTUS who’s unwell. [image or embed] — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 2, 2025 at 1:40 AM

Trump’s health has been a strangely elusive topic, and questions about his makeup-plastered hands and swelling ankles have been bubbling up, the latter of which prompted a doctor’s check-up in April. That led to a physician diagnosing him with a vein condition called chronic venous insufficiency. But speaking about his annual physical exam, one official said his “blood flow to his extremities is unimpaired.” In general, there are plenty of reasons to believe Trump is “unwell” enough to hold office; for one, his status as a near-octogenarian. (Friendly reminder: he is the oldest person in American history to be re-inaugurated for office.) And beyond Johnson admitting and agreeing that he is “unwell,” you can only make so many excuses for the old man who, lately, has been making even less sense than ever before.

In another part of the now-infamous interaction, Dean asks Johnson about a speech delivered by Trump and his Head of Hostile Incompetence, Pete Hegseth. Speaking to military generals in Virginia on Wednesday, the cursed duo announced their plans to make Dem-led cities “training grounds” for the U.S. military, and to end the age of “politically correct” policies in the armed forces. (The event was roasted by those who attended, with one retired general saying it was “one of the most bizarre, unsettling events [he’d] ever encountered.”) Dean called it a “performance,” to which Johnson said he “didn’t see it.” (Again, let’s presume he was off watching X-rated content with his lad.) She responded: “That is so dangerous.”

Of all the things Dean got to slip in, perhaps the most cutting remark was her parting demand that Johnson do what he’s proven himself incapable of doing. “We need you desperately to lead,” she said. I’d sooner bet on the rapture.

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