"Cobb's comments represent one of the most pointed public attacks from a former Trump insider, suggesting the president's mental state has deteriorated beyond what he witnessed during the first administration.

"I think he's gone," Cobb said to Acosta, a Trump critic, when asked directly if the president had lost his grip on reality.

Cobb cited Trump's Iran war strategy, which he said was executed without consulting allies and against military advice. He also pointed to Trump's recent Truth Social posts telling allies to "go get your own oil" from the Strait of Hormuz.

"He believed that merely by exercising his power and puffing out his chest that Iran would surrender, that the regime would step down," Cobb said. "And now his position to the world is, hey, we broke it. I don't care. You fix it."

He also criticized the Cabinet's composition, arguing that it lacked the "intelligent, courageous people of character" who could push back during the first term, such as Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

"There were people who would say no, you can't do that," Cobb said. "We don't have that now."