Australian Journalist Enters Fugue State After Trump Interview
Axios reporter falls into dissociative state after speaking with the President.
Washington, D.C. - Axios journalist Jonathan Swan is recovering from a mental health episode he experienced following an interview with President Trump on Monday.
The one-on-one interview between Australian-born Swan and the President lasted nearly 40 minutes, with Swan challenging the President on a number of issues, including his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Trump was quick to defend himself, occasionally offering vague and inflammatory statements to move the interview along, such as advocating for less COVID-19 testing and calling China “fake news”.
“But Mr. President, China can’t be fake news - it’s a country,” an exasperated Swan responded.
“Well, it is what it is, Jonathan,” President Trump replied before moving on.
After spending the majority of the interview attempting to clarify Trump’s answers, a frustrated Swan reportedly entered the fugue state moments after the interview concluded, worrying his colleagues.
“It was like he suddenly lost all sense of time and place,” said Amanda Yates, an Axios producer that was present at the time of filming. “He was mumbling incoherently to himself about books and manuals, it was quite scary.”
A White House aide on the scene that was familiar with the condition recognized what was happening and called for paramedics within minutes of the interview’s conclusion.
“I’ve seen this happen a few times now,” The aide told the NY Prophet, requesting that they remain anonymous. “The same thing happened to Chris Wallace last week.”
Dr. Lisa Smith, a mental health physician that watched the interview, said there was a strong probability the episode was triggered by the interview with the President.
“The President repeatedly made claims throughout the interview that challenge even basic logic,” Dr. Smith said. “The deluge of blatant lies and exaggerations clearly had an impact on Mr. Swan’s mental health.”
Axios today released a statement on behalf of Swan confirming he was feeling better and recovering at home.
