President Donald Trump has declared February 22 as National Angel Family Day in tribute to those who lost their lives at the hands of illegal immigrants. However, the “Angel Family” ceremony is grabbing attention for an entirely different reason.
Cheers filled the room as POTUS vowed to stop undocumented immigrants from entering the country, “We’re willing to tell the story that the news doesn’t want to hear, the Democrats don’t want to hear. We want to stop murderers and criminals from coming into our country.”
Had he been elected in 2020, Trump claimed, the “illegal aliens” could not have killed those victims. Some reports claim that approximately 32 people have died due to ICE violence under the Trump administration. Some analyses have suggested that about 74% of the roughly 70,000 individuals detained by ICE in the past year had no criminal records.
Trump cited the names of several victims during his speech.
“Americans like Laken, Grant, Javier, Joshua, Rocky, Rachel, and Kayla. These are great people, and I’ll never forget them. I just think you’re among the bravest people,” he stated.
🚨 President Donald Trump bid farewell to angel families at the White House after an emotional ceremony honoring their loved ones.
There were hugs.
There were tears.
There were quiet words exchanged.
As they told him, “We love you,” it was a deeply personal moment.
For those… pic.twitter.com/4SUBkYDnUg
— ⁿᵉʷˢ Barron Trump 🇺🇸 (@BarronTNews_) February 23, 2026
As some family members and loved ones of the victims delivered their speeches, Trump appeared zoned out, sitting in the audience. An awkward silence fell over the room. He was seen whispering to Border Czar Tom Homan, then hurriedly standing up out of nowhere.
He addressed the attendees and thanked them for coming before grabbing the podium for balance. The audience appeared rather clueless about whether the ceremony was over. Trump then slowly made his way to the stage.
However, instead of going for the microphone, he turned to the audience, mouthed the words “Thank you” once again, and could be seen disappearing behind closed doors. It’s safe to say that no one was expecting the ceremony to end so abruptly.
“The American citizens must always come first.”
President Trump welcomes the police officer who arrested Laken Riley’s killer to the Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony, where the officer tells her family, “Your loss should never have happened.” pic.twitter.com/MbLqueJwVo
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 23, 2026
This event added to the ongoing speculation around Trump’s health. His niece, Mary, recently suggested that she fears Trump could be struggling with cognitive decline as his ‘deer-in-the-headlights look’ reminded her of his late father, Fred Trump.
Despite the 79-year-old claiming to feel younger than ever, critics have noted that he loses focus during official meetings, talks about irrelevant topics, and even falls asleep. Experts and critics have pointed out that these are the signs of dementia, which Trump has a family history of.
Not only the attendees but also social media users were also confused by his strange interlude. Political commentator Jack Cocchiarella asked, “Was this uhhhhhh supposed to happen?” Several X users pointed out that he could be at the middle to late stage of dementia and should not be left unattended, although there is no official media record confirming the same.
