Trump says he has "some very severe problems" in Rose Garden addiction remarks, then walks it back
At a Rose Garden event for first responders on 15 October, Trump said he had "some very severe problems" while explaining he does not drink, smoke or use drugs, then said he did not know what they were and was joking.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2On Thursday 15 October, President Donald Trump said at a Rose Garden event for first responders that he has "some very severe problems", while discussing addiction. Raw StoryL “Speaking at a Rose Garden event honoring first responders, Trump was discussing the dangers of drug and alcohol addiction when he abruptly shifted the focus to himself.” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC ““I have other problems. I have some very severe problems, but those are not one of them. I don’t want to add them to the list.” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 1He had said he is fortunate not to smoke or drink and has no longing to drink, adding that he has friends who drink and "have a real hard time". Raw StoryL ““You know, I’m fortunate. I don’t smoke, and I don’t drink, and I have no longing to drink,” Trump said.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 2He went on: "If I did, I guarantee I wouldn't be here right now. So it's three problems I don't have, and that's really good." He addressed part of the remark to Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is also his former personal lawyer. Raw StoryL ““If I did, I guarantee I wouldn’t be here right now. So it’s three problems I don’t have, and that’s really good.”” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC “Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is also his former personal lawyer.” Read at The Independent ↗
Left · 2Trump then noted the press would seize on it, saying "I probably set myself up for that one, Todd," and that Blanche would have to defend him. Raw StoryL ““I probably set myself up for that one, Todd,” he added” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC “Todd’s going to have to try and defend me because they’re going to say, he said he’s got some serious problems.” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 2He said he did not actually know what the problems were and was "just having fun" with the media. Raw StoryL ““I actually don’t know,” he added. “I was just having fun to the media. They’re wonderful people.”” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC “Which I actually don’t know. I was just having fun.” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 2The remarks came 19 days before the midterm elections, according to Raw Story, and The Independent said they were part of nearly an hour of speaking that also covered his campaign travel, tight races in Montana and Texas, and Michigan's Senate contest. Raw StoryL “just 19 days before the critical midterm elections” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC “what they got was nearly an hour of rambling from an exhausted octogenarian” Read at The Independent ↗
Left · 1The Independent's Andrew Feinberg compared the event to Joe Biden's final year in office, citing polling it described as poor, including a Pew approval rating of 30 percent this month and a nine-point Democratic lead on the generic ballot. He also noted that, unlike in 2024, such clips now compete with other news. The IndependentLC “an approval rating Pew measured at 30 percent this month, the lowest of either of Trump’s divisive terms. Democrats lead the generic ballot by nine points”“This year, they share the page with gasoline at $4.40, a war in its eighth month” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets treat the remark as a gaffe. Raw Story calls it a "bizarre admission" that Trump tried to correct. The Independent frames it as an analysis comparing Trump's age and demeanour to Biden's before the midterms.
- Emphasis
- Raw Story stresses Trump's own on-the-spot walk-back. The Independent stresses his rambling, his age, bad polling and the midterm stakes.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet reports any response from the White House or Blanche, or any explanation of what the "problems" might be beyond Trump's own remark.
- Charged language
- “bizarre admission”“Biden-like ramble”“exhausted octogenarian”“rambling”
- For example
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“turned remarks about drug addiction into a bizarre admission about his own personal problems” — Raw Story
“what they got was nearly an hour of rambling from an exhausted octogenarian” — The Independent
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Trump said at a Rose Garden event for first responders that he has "some very severe problems" other than addiction.
- He said he did not know what the problems were and was "just having fun".
- He addressed Attorney General Todd Blanche and predicted the press would pick up the remark.
Donald Trump person
Trump said he doesn't smoke, drink or take drugs. He acknowledged he had "set myself up" for press questions and said he did not know what the problems were and was joking.
““I actually don’t know,” he added. “I was just having fun to the media. They’re wonderful people.”” — Raw Story
“I probably set myself up for that one, Todd.” — The Independent
Left2 articles
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Trump admits to 'very severe problems' before scrambling for correction: 'I set myself up'
Mixed Short news report presenting the remark as a bizarre slip that Trump scrambled to correct, quoting him at length.
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Trump admits ‘I have some very severe problems’ in Biden-like ramble at White House
Critical Opinionated analysis likening Trump's Rose Garden speech to Biden's late-term lapses and stressing his poor polling ahead of the midterms.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 15 Oct 18:59 First Raw StoryL Trump admits to 'very severe problems' before scrambling for correction: 'I set myself up'
- 15 Oct 20:14 +1h 15m The IndependentLC Trump admits ‘I have some very severe problems’ in Biden-like ramble at White House
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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