There is trouble in the Realm of the Stable Genius. And the more that reality contradicts the fantasy life of Donald Trump, the more bizarre and dangerous his delusional tales become. But Trump is, without a doubt, his biggest booster. He has to be. No one else with any scrap of credibility wants the job.

Trump is constantly telling anyone who still bothers to listen that he is brilliant and infallible. He says he knows more than the generals about war; more than economists about the economy; more than doctors about healthcare. And always, Trump insists that he has a mind that is far superior to those of mere mortals.

Sadly for Trump, he has failed miserably at persuading the American people that any of that is true. A poll by his State TV Propaganda Network (aka Fox News), was just published that asked voters “Do you think Donald Trump has the mental soundness to serve effectively as president?” A majority of the people (51% to 43%) responded that he does not.

Of course, anyone paying attention to the steady stream of Trump's incoherent babbling, whining, and flagrant lying, already arrived at this conclusion long ago. But the fact that Fox News is validating it with their poll has some significance and provides a stinging rebuke to Trump's laughable self-appraisals.

What's worse for Trump is that when Fox asked the same question about Joe Biden, a plurality of voters (47% to 39%) responded saying that he is mentally fit to serve. And that is after Trump has spent months trying to malign Biden, particularly with regard to his mental competence. That effort on Trump's part has actually backfired.

Another poll published last week by Monmouth University had similar results. Only 35% said they are “very” or “somewhat” confident of Trump’s mental stability. A majority of 54% said they are “not to” or “not at all” confident. Biden’s numbers are the complete opposite with 52% saying they are “very” or “somewhat” confident, and only 35% saying they are “not to” or “not at all” confident.

Following the release of the Fox News poll, Trump was interviewed by Chris Wallace, who actually brought up this question. Which led to one of the most peculiar exchanges between a president and the press ever recorded:

x Chris Wallace to Trump on Trump's cognitive test: “Well, it's not the hardest test. It shows a picture and it says, 'what's that'. And it's an elephant.” pic.twitter.com/7hnZphc1Rp— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 19, 2020

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Notice that Trump didn't actually respond to the fact that a majority of the American people think he's too demented to be president. Setting that aside, Trump's “challenge” to both Biden and Wallace to take the test and compare results is a typical Trumpian dodge. That's because he has not – and will not – release his own results. Nevertheless, this isn't the first time that Trump has issued this challenge. He is apparently exceptionally proud of the fact that he can identify an elephant and count backwards from 100. Well, allegedly. Without seeing his results we really don't know if he “aced it” or even passed it.

In addition to the Fox News poll's findings on Trump's mental infirmities, it also showed Trump…

Losing to Biden by eight points

Losing women by 19 points

Losing Blacks by 64 points

Losing Hispanics by 30 points

Losing millennials by 22 points

Behind on favorability (Trump 43% / Biden 54%)

Negative on compassion (Trump 36% / Biden 56%)

Negative on intelligence (Trump 42% / Biden 51%)

Negative on judgment (Trump 40% / Biden 52%)

Less trusted on race relations (-21 points)

Less trusted on the coronavirus (-17 points)

And as if that weren't enough, only 26% percent say they are better off than four years ago. A national mask-wearing order for indoor spaces is favored by 71%. Voting by mail is favored by 63%. Continuing the extra $600/week unemployment benefit is favored by 62%. There is almost nothing positive for Trump to cling to in this survey.

The Trump interview featured some nuggets of nonsense as well. Trump repeated his ludicrous assertion that testing for the coronavirus causes cases; he callously stated that the death toll “is what it is”; he claimed that he's not losing because all the polls are fake; and he floated the crackpot conspiracy theory that “children are taught in school to hate our country.” These are the same schools that he is now recklessly pushing to reopen, which is also unpopular according to the Fox poll.

What's more, Trump refused to say that he would accept the results of election if he lost. He railed some more about mail-in voting being rigged. And when asked “How will you regard your years as president” after your term ends, he replied “I think I was very unfairly treated […] I've been very unfairly treated. And I don't say that as paranoid. Everybody says it.” Then he he repeated his oft-stated lie that Obama and Biden spied on his campaign.

Finally, Trump made a point of telling Wallace that “I'm not a big fan of Fox, I'll be honest with you. They've changed a lot since Roger Ailes.” Actually, Trump isn't a fan of any inference of negativity, regardless of where it comes from. And Trump missing former Fox CEO Roger Ailes isn't surprising since they both have shared being dishonest, right-wing, sexual predators. But Trump still favors Fox News as his network of choice. It is almost the only network that he grants interviews. And his favorite media personalities (Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs, etc.) are all on Fox.

However, Trump isn't shy about “working the refs” in an attempt to get Fox to be even more fawning and servile. So no matter how many times Trump says that it's “So Hard to Watch Fox News Anymore,” he keeps coming back for more fluffing and ego-stroking.