Donald Trump Slurred Speech Controversy

Overview

Donald Trump Slurred Speech Controversy refers to the theories that came from a moment when President Donald Trump noticeably slurred his speech while saying "The United States of America," leading many on the internet to theorize that Trump wears dentures, while others speculated that the president had suffered a stroke.

Background

On December 6th, 2017, Donald Trump held a press conference announcing that he was recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. During the speech, Trump's speech was noticeably more slurred than usual, particularly when he said "The United States of America."

Developments

After the press conference, Twitter users quickly joked about the conference. Twitter user @bobbyrush^[1] mocked Trump's pronunciation of "United States" in a tweet that gained 2,800 retweets and 5,700 likes (shown below, left). Twitter user @ChrisCJackson^[2] tweeted "I honest had no clue Trump had dentures and can’t stop laughing," gaining over 1,400 retweets and 3,300 likes (shown below, right).

Most jokes about the moment focused on the possibility Trump wears dentures. Select All^[3] covered the jokes about Trump having dentures. CNN also covered the moment.^[4] The White House excused the slurred speech by saying Trump had a dry throat.^[5]

Stroke Theory

Another theory that spread after the speech was that Trump had a stroke, which can effect speech patterns. CNN consulted two doctors who confirmed that slurred speech is a sign of a stroke, but is usually coupled with other symptoms such as a drooping face. The doctors said it was not likely the cause of a dry throat. Twitter users began comparing Trump's signature on the statement to those on his executive orders, suggesting his signature was far worse in the former. Twitter user @aravosis^[6] made this point in a tweet that gained over 2,600 retweets and 3,200 likes (shown below). The Daily Dot^[7] covered the theories.

Search Interest

External References