Does the President even know what is happening?

Heather Delaney Reese
Feb 22 , 2026


Just after 6:30 p.m. tonight, the President of the United States stood before a room of governors at a formal White House dinner and opened his remarks by confessing that he believes his own Cabinet or maybe others in the room want to overthrow him.

“Every time they look in the mirror, every time they wake up or go to sleep, they look at that mirror, and they say, ‘I should be president, not him.’”

And he said it with a slight smile. But there was nothing funny about it. It was raw paranoia on display for the world to see. And whether the fear was real or imagined, most presidents would have known how dangerous it is to say those words out loud. He didn’t. And the spectacle of what he said then, and the rest of his extended ramblings, deepened the sense that something is profoundly wrong.

It was also on display when he entered the room to the sound of “Pomp and Circumstance,” walking down the red carpet lined with military members and flags, where Melania had to hold his hand tightly, smiling widely to distract from his physical and mental decline. She subtly guided his pace, aligning his path and direction, steadying him when his body seemed stiff and unsure. Her grip was firm in contrast to his careful, almost hobbling movements.

When they reached the table, she was the one who greeted the governors. She shook hands. She carried the conversation. He lingered half a step behind her, his left hand pressed against the small of her back, his right hanging motionless at his side. He looked diminished and smaller than usual. And more than once, you could see concern in the eyes of the people watching him.

https://heatherdelaneyreese.substack.com/p/does-the-president-even-know-what





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