Jim Acosta, formerly of CNN and currently of posting things on the internet, decided to weigh in on President Donald Trump's physical and mental fitness after the Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall. The White House, as you might imagine, was not interested in taking notes.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle responded to Acosta's comments in what Trending Views reported was a fairly pointed rebuttal, telling Fox News Digital that Trump is "the sharpest and most accessible president in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises." That is a heck of a superlative. Sharpest in all of American history. That covers everyone from Abraham Lincoln to the guy who died 31 days into office because he refused to wear a coat in the rain.
Acosta's original critique came after he watched the July Fourth festivities and apparently concluded that Trump looked different from his first term. Which, sure, the man is four years older. That is how time works. It is a feature of human biology that no one has yet figured out how to patch. Acosta went further, comparing Trump's Washington projects to the "end days of Saddam Hussein," which is certainly one way to describe some construction work along the National Mall.
He also said, "I don't remember him falling asleep in the Cabinet meetings and in the Oval Office as people are standing over his shoulder talking. I mean, that's totally nuts." Strong words from a man who spent several years turning White House press briefings into his own personal content farm.
Ingle did not stop at defending Trump. He also took a swing at the previous administration, accusing Democrats and legacy media of covering up what he described as Joe Biden's mental and physical decline. This is, of course, the argument that has been bouncing around like a pinball since Biden's debate performance last year made everyone suddenly discover what some people had been pointing out for quite a while.
The whole exchange is a perfect snapshot of where American political discourse lives now. One side says the president is clearly struggling. The other side says he is the sharpest leader in 248 years of constitutional governance. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but nobody gets cable news hits for saying "he seems fine for a 79 year old."
Acosta, for his part, continues to occupy the unique space of a journalist who became as much of a story as the stories he covered. And the White House continues to occupy the unique space of never letting a criticism go unanswered, even when ignoring it might be the easier play. Some things never change, regardless of which term we are in.
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