Concerns Over Trump’s Mental Health Grow After “De-Banking” Speech

Donald Trump has started making waves in America, and not just for his inflamed and flamboyant political rhetoric. There are also growing concerns about Trump’s mental health, and one of his recent speeches has done nothing to alleviate those concerns.

“De-banking” Speech

In a recent speech, Trump, while addressing a crowd of Republican supporters in New Hampshire, confused people with his discourse about a seemingly unfamiliar topic.

The topic was “de-banking,” a phrase that many people were not immediately familiar with. Discourse started to buzz on the internet following the former president’s bizarre remarks.

After an Overwhelming Victory

This address was in the wake of the former President’s overwhelming victory in the Iowa caucus’ on Monday, January 15. There, he took a whopping 51% of the total Republican vote, overshadowing his rivals Ron Desantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy overwhelmingly.

This was always the expected outcome of the Iowa caucus. Trump hasn’t shown up to any of the Republican nationals debates during the primary season, and it’s clear to see why. Trump clearly believes that he has the Republican nomination locked down.

Trump Thanking His Supporters

He said as much to the Republican supporters in New Hampshire on the 15. After thanking them for their support, he went on to confidently say, “We did so well, and I think that we’re going to have the same result here.”

Recent polling data suggests that the race is Trump’s to lose. Ahead of the primary, Trump appears to have secured a little over 50% of the support of registered Republicans in New Hampshire, while his closest contender, Nikki Haley, only has 39%.

A Wildly Bizarre Speech

After bragging about his polling numbers, though, Trump’s speech took a turn for the bizarre, leaving his followers confused and a little concerned.

The speech quickly turned into a convoluted rant about banks, regulators, and political beliefs. These are topics that he has spoken on before at length, both before, during, and after his presidency, but this speech was particularly baffling.

Introducing “De-banking”

Trump’s comments widely claimed, “They want to de-bank you, and we’re going to de-bank.” He then went on to critique the electric car industry and claim that he was gaining support from union auto-workers at the same time.

Trump didn’t elaborate on his comments during his speech, or give an explanation of exactly what he meant by de-banking. For anyone who isn’t perpetually online, it seemed almost entirely nonsensical.

Explaining “De-banking”

In the financial services industry, de-banking – also known as de-risking – is a term that refers to the practice of a financial institution closing an account due to the perceived financial risk to the institution.

Experts on the practice, though, are skeptical that Trump was even clear about what term meant when he broadly used it in his campaign speech. It wouldn’t be the first time that Trump has spoken on matters that he didn’t fully understand.

Referencing Current Events

Trump’s comments may be more topical than informative. The odd speech came in the wake of JP Morgan Chase closing an account linked to a conservative group, claiming a need for information about its donors.

JP Morgan Chase has also earned Trump’s ire by temporarily withdrawing from a deal connected to a fundraiser involving Donald Trump Jr. This decision was later reversed, but Trump was still unhappy about it.

JP Morgan in Hot Water

JP Morgan Chase has also fallen under scrutiny in the past several months for revelations regarding unethical practices regarding their customers.

JP Morgan has been accused of politicizing de-banking – like what Trump referred to in his speech – but also silencing customers with bribes, ignoring elaborate scams perpetrated under their institution, and settling with victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse.

Causing an Online Ruckus

Trump’s comments caused an immediate stir online, and not just because they were controversial. They appeared to highlight some mental health issues that both anti-Trump Republicans and Democrats have been pointing out for months.

A video of the rally, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, sparked a flurry of reactions from users across the political spectrum after Trump’s speech. One user questioned Trump’s understanding of presidential powers, and even went so far as to point out his apparent cognitive decline.

Not the First Trump Misstep

Trump’s comments have stirred the questions about his mental health in the wake of other verbal missteps from the former president. Most recently, Trump appeared to confuse Nancy Pelosi and Nikki Haley in a speech.

Nikki Haley immediately capitalized on the comments, calling into question Trump’s mental fitness during this particular run for presidency. She’s been clear in her stance that she does not believe that Trump is the right man for the job anymore, and the comments that appeared to confuse her with Pelosi strengthened her point.

Biden Weighing In

President Biden even weighed in on Trump’s apparent mental health crises. Not the comments about de-banking, necessarily, but his words about Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi.

In a post on Twitter, Biden stated, “I don’t agree with Nikki Haley on everything, but we agree on this much: She’s not Nancy Pelosi.” Biden’s supporter base immediately latched onto the comments, with many agreeing that Trump’s mental health clearly seemed compromised.

Blowing a Whistle

If you believe that Trump knew what he was talking about in his speech, though, it appears to follow a similar rhetoric that many conservatives have been pushing as a talking point.

The idea that conservative viewpoints are being demonetized and deplatformed due to their beliefs is not a new one. Private businesses such as social media and payment platforms are, of course, at liberty to decide who is allowed to use their online space, but the talking point of conservative deplatforming strongly resonates with voters.

Anti-Conservative Bias?

One conservative who has been pushing the anti-conservative bias angle particularly strongly is Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio. Jordan is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a position he has been using to push this point.

In August, in pursuit of fueling the idea of anti-conservative bias, Jordan even went so far as to subpoena Citibank. At the same time, he accused the FBI of engaging in “back-channel” discussions with financial institutions while investigating the January 6 attack.

An Ongoing Discussion

Trump appears to be in discussions with a mental health professional over these potential mental health issues, and the media will keep a close watch on him as his bid for the presidency ramps up.

Whether it’s true that Trump is in the midst of mental health decline or not, his comments create plenty of fodder for online discussion and mainstream commentators. The showdown between Biden and Trump appears to be ramping up, and it will be interesting to see where the conversation goes from here.