Donald Trump, a professed fan of Ronald Reagan, did not remember the name of the late president’s would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. during a press conference on Wednesday, instead referring to him as "David."
Trump abruptly brought up the news that Hinckley would be released from a psychiatric hospital 35 years after he tried to kill Reagan.
"By the way, David Hinckley should not have been freed, OK? David Hinckley was just released," Trump said.
Some members of the press shouted out that his name was "John."
"John Hinckley," he said. "I think that John Hinckley should not have been freed. I just heard about it two seconds ago. In my opinion," he said.
Hinckley shot Reagan and three others as part of an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster in 1981. He was found not guilty for reasons of insanity and confined to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, although he has been allowed periods of supervised release for years. One of his victims, press secretary James Brady, died in 2014 due to his head gunshot wound.