'Dementia Don' Strikes Again: 'Clueless' Donald Trump Fuels Health Rumors After St. Patrick's Day Gaffe

US President Donald Trump sparked a fresh wave of mockery and health concerns on Tuesday when he referred to Ireland's female president, Catherine Connolly, as 'he' during a White House meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin to mark St Patrick's Day. The slip-up, captured on video amid tense talk of Iran, has critics branding Trump 'Dementia Don' once more, questioning if it's mere carelessness or something deeper.

Connolly, the 68-year-old former barrister and psychologist, swept to victory in Ireland's presidential election last October with 63 per cent of first preferences. She was inaugurated in November 2025 at Dublin Castle, succeeding Michael D Higgins as an independent left-winger who pledged emphasis on peace, neutrality, climate action and Irish unity in a largely ceremonial yet morally potent role. Trump's blunder arose when Martin cited Connolly's recent criticism of his 'war in Iran,' prompting the president to snap back without realising or recalling her gender.

Donald Trump's 'Clueless' Misstep on Ireland's Leader

The Oval Office press exchange turned awkward when a reporter cited 'the Irish president' criticising Trump's Iran policy. 'Who said that?' Trump fired back. The reporter repeated: 'The Irish president.' After a pause, Trump shot, 'Look, he's lucky I exist. That's all I can say.' Martin, seated beside him and visibly off-balance, mustered just an uneasy smile, no correction, as cameras flashed and questions flew on NATO, tariffs and Middle East fires.

Online, the backlash erupted like shamrock confetti. 'Hey @jaketapper? If Biden called the female President of Ireland a 'he' we wouldn't hear the end of it!!!' one X user jabbed, targeting the CNN anchor who penned a book on Joe Biden's mental fitness yet stayed mum here. Others piled on: 'The Irish President is a woman. She, not he. Trump is so clueless.' A third sneered, 'He can't even comprehend that a president could be a woman.' 'Dementia Don strikes again. Where's the auto pen?' quipped another, while a fifth declared, 'Trump always shows us that it is correct that you really can't fix stupid!' The pile-on painted Trump as an 'ignorant degenerate,' with Martin dismissed as a 'spineless simp' for not speaking up—one voice lamented a leader oblivious to counterparts' genders.

This isn't isolated. Just days prior, Trump misgendered Venezuela's female president too, twice in 48 hours, fuelling talk of a pattern. At 79, such lapses hit harder against his bombastic style—remember his rants on 'transgender everything' in past St Patrick's meets? Yet Martin boxed clever overall, deftly nodding to Churchill's Irish troubles when Trump bashed Keir Starmer, diffusing tension without concessions.

Swirling Health Whispers Trail Trump's Gaffes

Trump's gaffe hits as questions about his mind and body grow louder. Dementia talk bubbled up after his White House comeback, fanned by the likes of Dr John Gartner, ex-Johns Hopkins shrink. On The Daily Beast Podcast, he picked apart Trump's three Montreal Cognitive Assessments: not just age checks, but dementia tracking. 'He kind of gave the game away again,' Gartner said, flagging slips like 'mishiz' for missiles and tangled sentences as red flags.

The physical side looks rough too. Swollen ankles. Bruised hands. That neck rash below his right ear, caught in shots then slathered in makeup. Gartner spots a stiff, wide shuffle hinting at frontotemporal dementia, with paranoia turning grotesque. Petitions since 2024 have flagged clear memory lapses, speech glitches and shaky movement, backed by insider whispers of steady slide. His team brushes it off as Biden-style smears, but this Iran dust-up—brushing aside Connolly's by-the-book jab—fans the flames.​

Age hits everyone, presidents too. But slips amid world leaders make screaming headlines. Connolly branded US strikes illegal; Trump's retort blanked her identity. Bluster masking frailty, or vintage Trump? Social media erupts: 'can't fix stupid' trends, echoing his Oval swagger. Iran festers, Martin picks his path—how many stumbles till questions demand reckoning? Signs endure, observers hover, as the 47th president presses on, defiant or detached.