Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) raised fresh concerns this week over what she believes is an apparent cognitive decline in President Donald Trump. Arguing that the media has failed to scrutinize the president with the same intensity applied to Joe Biden, she said we’re witnessing a “damning” double standard in the veracity of the oval office.
“I think that the president has been acting in increasingly erratic ways,” Ocasio-Cortez said of Trump’s ridiculed speech in Davos on Wednesday. She added that the contrast in coverage between the two major-party figures has been stark.
“I think it is really damning when we think about the degree to which mass media outlets reported on Joe Biden, and you know, that resulted in the Democratic Party changing its nominee,” she argued.
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AOC: It is really damning when we think about the degree to which media outlets reported on Joe Biden, yet we are seeing alarming behavior from Trump and everyone is pretending this is normal… pic.twitter.com/AP5wkYAymc
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 21, 2026
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Trump notably mistook Greenland for Iceland in several instances while discussing his interest in a taking the nation over.
Ocasio-Cortez argued that such behavior has been normalized. “We are seeing behavior from Donald Trump that is increasingly erratic and alarming, and everyone’s pretending that this is normal,” she said. “I don’t really understand why that is — it is very bizarre.”
The congresswoman’s comments reflect a broader debate over how the press covers political leaders’ age, cognition and fitness for office. Biden faced sustained scrutiny and speculation over his mental acuity, ultimately leading to his resignation as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2024, handing the reigns to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ocasio-Cortez also questions the message Trump’s behavior and comments send to the United States’ closest NATO allies.
“I think that for our European partners and for our global partners, I think what they also see is the result of not just one man, right, but also the entire government apparatus and a party that is willing to watch someone decompensate in front of the world and do nothing about it,” she added.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I find that the standard — it would be helpful if we could apply an even standard here,” she said, noting that she sees only a “fraction” of coverage on Trump compared to what “was dedicated a year or two ago.”
This is far from the first time the New York representative has called out Trump. Just last week, she said that the president has “absolutely” committed impeachable offenses.
