The Democrats' audacious plot to force Trump into a mental fitness test amid signs of 'dementia'

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 22:18, 14 April 2026 | Updated: 22:23, 14 April 2026 Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin has sponsored a bill that would give his party a blueprint on how to force President Donald Trump, 79, into taking a mental fitness exam.  Raskin's bill would set up a commission to assess the President's fitness for office, pursuant to the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which deals with presidential removal.  The Maryland lawmaker's office released the bill's language on Tuesday, and it's already been co-sponsored by 50 additional Democratic House members.  The move comes on the heels of Raskin making a public request to Trump's doctor, asking him to conduct a cognitive exam.  'Experts have repeatedly warned that the President has been exhibiting signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline,' Raskin wrote in a letter to the Physician to the President, Captain Sean P. Barbabella, last week.  'And in recent days, the country has watched President Trump's public statements and outbursts turn increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening,' Raskin stated in the April 10 letter. The Maryland Democrat pointed to Trump's foul-mouthed tirade aimed at Iranian leaders dished out on Easter morning, where he told them to 'Open the F***in' Strait, you crazy b******s,' before praising 'Allah.'  Raskin also mentioned the President's behavior at the Easter Egg Roll, where he gave a graphic Iran war update to an audience filled with children.  Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin pointed to President Donald Trump's behavior at the White House Easter Egg Roll (pictured) as evidence that he may be 'exhibiting signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline' The congressman also referenced some of Trump's apparent health challenges, including the bruising on his hand.  The White House has said the near-constant blemish is due to Trump's aspirin use and frequent handshaking.  Trump's most recent physical was conducted last April, supplemented in December with Barbabella's reasoning for requesting advanced imaging, which the White House doctor described as 'preventative.'  Since Raskin's initial letter, Trump has riled up his base by reposting an image where he appeared as Jesus.  He told reporters Monday afternoon that he thought the picture portrayed him as a 'doctor making people feel better.'  Raskin's bill would establish a bipartisan commission made up of two appointees chosen by the House Speaker, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader.  Another four former 'high-ranking executive branch' appointees - including vice presidents and ex-Cabinet officials - would be chosen by Democrats, and another four would be appointed by Republicans.   The 16 commissioners would then choose another individual to serve as chair.   Maryland Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin is spearheading legislation that, if passed, would put together a commission to assess whether President Donald Trump can be removed from office via the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution  The group would 'carry out a medical examination of the President to determine whether the President is mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.'  Raskin's bill won't see the light of day unless Democrats take control of Congress after the November midterms and still could be derailed by a Senate filibuster.  But it draws attention to some of Trump's recent behavior.  It also calls back to concerns about former President Joe Biden, who dropped his reelection bid in July 2024 over fears about his mental competency.  Trump was even older than Biden when he was sworn in for his second term in January 2025.  But the White House argued that the contrast between the two men continues to be 'stark.'  'Lightweight Jamie Raskin is a stupid person's idea of a smart person,' White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail in a statement.  'President Trump's sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats like Raskin intentionally covered up Joe Biden's serious mental and physical decline from the American people,' Ingle added. 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