Trump's Mental Acuity Called Into Question With Devastating Debate Comparison

CNN ’s Abby Phillip pointed out how Donald Trump ’s debate answers have veered “off course” on immigration since 2016 while asking whether there’s a “double standard” over his mental acuity.

The anchor noted on Thursday that the GOP nominee had previously called President Joe Biden ’s mental fitness into question before shifting her attention to Trump’s “rambling” at his rallies as well as his performance at the debate against Vice President Kamala Harris .

She then set up a comparison between Trump’s responses to debate questions eight years ago to how he addressed immigration on Tuesday.

“That is right there in his wheelhouse,” said Phillip of the topic before tossing to the clips of Trump.

“Well first of all she wants to give amnesty which is a disaster, very unfair to all of the people waiting in line for many, many, years. We need strong borders,” said Trump when asked about how his plan on immigration compared to that of his opponent Hillary Clinton in the final 2016 debate.

On Tuesday, Trump instead addressed Harris’ comments on his rallies and also warned of “World War III” occurring should she be elected president.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” said Trump in a racist lie during his answer to a question on immigration.

Trump’s mental acuity has been called into question on several occasions during his campaign.

The former president has rambled in response to a question on child care, has gone on rants about sharks and boats along with spewing a head-spinning argument on bacon and renewable energy .

CNN panelist Ryan Girdusky, a former campaign staffer for Trump’s running mate JD Vance, said Harris threw Trump off “tremendously” by getting under his skin but his “signs of aging” weren’t at the level of Biden’s debate performance.

He later argued that Trump has an ability not to be judged “like every other politician.”

″[It’s] the fact that he was a celebrity for a long time and celebrities, they just, they can sit there and say things that are a little outrageous and you say, ‘OK, it’s fine whatever,’” Girdusky said.

“It just doesn’t make sense, I mean, and that’s the problem. I mean, he has a case to make on immigration, presumptively, but he didn’t make it,” Phillip replied.

You can watch more from the CNN panel below.