# Is President Trump suddenly Getting Worse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 12, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444 "2018-01-12T04:54:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/201 "2018-01-17T04:39:11Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > The President maxed out (30 out of 30) the Montreal Cognitive Assessment which screens for dementia and Alzheimer’s. > [@Ravenman](#): > > So, what IS Trump’s excuse? No excuses necessary. The MCA provides a baseline with questions such as this: [INDENT][INDENT] Six points for knowing the date and where you are. One point if you can identify what a train and a bicycle have in common, and another for watch and ruler. Three points for correctly identifying pictures of a lion, camel, and rhinoceros. [/INDENT][/INDENT] I think it’s fair to characterize this as a Kindergarten test. Anyway, cite: [This Is the Cognitive Test That President Trump Passed - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-president-can-draw-a-clock/550610/) Frankly, I can’t see any constitutional issues involving the establishment of an advisory [Presidential-fitness committee](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/trump-cog-decline/548759/), unless the President decides to invoke Executive Privilege. Then it would be up to SCOTUS to weight battling precedents. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/202 "2018-01-17T04:51:35Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > No excuses necessary. The MCA provides a baseline with questions such as this: [INDENT][INDENT] Six points for knowing the date and where you are. > > One point if you can identify what a train and a bicycle have in common, and another for watch and ruler. > > Three points for correctly identifying pictures of a lion, camel, and rhinoceros. [/INDENT][/INDENT] I think it’s fair to characterize this as a Kindergarten test. Anyway, cite: [This Is the Cognitive Test That President Trump Passed - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-president-can-draw-a-clock/550610/) > > Frankly, I can’t see any constitutional issues involving the establishment of an advisory [Presidential-fitness committee](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/trump-cog-decline/548759/), unless the President decides to invoke Executive Privilege. Then it would be up to SCOTUS to **weight** battling precedents. Nice typo. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/203 "2018-01-17T05:03:41Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Fuck, yeah! It’s totally cool as long as the target is a Republican. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/204 "2018-01-17T05:08:16Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s totally cool as long as the target is a Republican. No, it’s totally cool when the target is a fat and body shaming asshole himself. Which he did numerous times during the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/205 "2018-01-17T05:39:05Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > You’re shitting all over their whole theory. They won’t like that. Did they screen for racism? Narcissism? Misogyny? Ignorance? Perpetual lying? Egomania? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/206 "2018-01-17T05:50:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Did they screen for racism? Narcissism? Misogyny? Ignorance? Perpetual lying? Egomania? I had a … not even sure what to call it … maybe a “bet” with myself, or perhaps a guess, that the first person to respond to that would be one of the “they” that have tried to advance the theory that Trump was suffering from dementia / Alzheimer’s / etc., but I don’t think you have, have you? My impression is that you are generally more precise in your criticisms. Kudos. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/207 "2018-01-17T05:55:13Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I had a … not even sure what to call it … maybe a “bet” with myself, or perhaps a guess, that the first person to respond to that would be one of the “they” that have tried to advance the theory that Trump was suffering from dementia / Alzheimer’s / etc., but I don’t think you have, have you? My impression is that you are generally more precise in your criticisms. Kudos. Grazie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/208 "2018-01-17T06:11:14Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I had a … not even sure what to call it … maybe a “bet” with myself, or perhaps a guess, that the first person to respond to that would be one of the “they” that have tried to advance the theory that Trump was suffering from dementia / Alzheimer’s / etc., but I don’t think you have, have you? My impression is that you are generally more precise in your criticisms. Kudos. I’ll note that, in post #193 (just after your “You’re shitting all over their whole theory. They won’t like that.” post), I said: > [@](#): > > Being incurious, possessing of a short attention span, convinced that he doesn’t need to study, and mostly, being an asshole. You can be all of those and still be mentally competent. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/209 "2018-01-17T06:31:00Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Are you engaging in fat shaming? Why, yes I am. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/210 "2018-01-17T06:37:21Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > The President maxed out (30 out of 30) the Montreal Cognitive Assessment which screens for dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a publically available test. Anyone with an internet connection can download it. Someone who was suffering from cognitive impairment but didn’t want anyone to know could easily get a copy of the test, practice taking it, then score 30 out of 30 regardless of their cognitive impairment. With a few days practice, even someone with significant decline could memorize “lion, rhino, camel”. Of course, a doctor who knew in advance that a cognitive test was going to be done might choose a different testing method, so you don’t want to give them advance notice or they might arrange for a serious session with a mental health specialist. You just show up, announce you want a cognitive impairment test performed, and the doctor will apply one of two standard cognitive functioning tests (you should probably practice both). ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/211 "2018-01-17T07:28:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ll note that, in post #193 (just after your “You’re shitting all over their whole theory. They won’t like that.” post), I said: You’re right. Because you quoted Ravenman, I didn’t really count it, but it’s very much along the same vein of offering harsh criticism without straying into fantasies about Trump and dementia. Kudos to you too. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/212 "2018-01-17T10:22:09Z")
What is going to be really interesting to watch is that “mental fitness” is now going to be defined in some tweetstorm as the lowest bar of “not having Alzheimer’s” instead of the more reasonable expectation that the President not have rather severe personality disorders. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/213 "2018-01-17T13:05:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Why, yes I am. Trigger warning next time, please. We have some (sporadically) sensitive souls in our midst. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/214 "2018-01-17T13:33:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I find the website [height-weight-chart.com](http://height-weight-chart.com) to be pretty cool and useful; it has photos that real people have submitted of themselves, at a wide range of different weights and heights. However, it doesn’t have a lot of pictures of bigger and taller men. > > Here’s the entry for [6’3" and 240 pounds](https://height-weight-chart.com/603-240.html) (closest to Trump’s claimed height and weight). There are pictures of four different men at that height / weight (one of them submitted two pictures); three of the four have slight paunches (though not as pronounced as Trump appears to have), and the fourth is a bodybuilder. > > There’s one picture for someone at [6’3" and 260 pounds.](https://height-weight-chart.com/603-260.html) This looks, to me, closer to how Trump looks. > > Now, certainly, different people carry their weight differently. But, based on the sizable paunch that Trump carries (more visible in [pictures taken](http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55a410e3eab8ea4d21028ac8/after-calling-for-the-us-to-get-down-to-business-trump-goes-on-his-23rd-golfing-trip-of-his-19-weeks-in-office.jpg) [when he’s golfing](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fk5LRiYxZXg/WM1njwwJX1I/AAAAAAAA6Ts/DLnBBZQYlUcQOxTbwisXWzEqAXmTkPYjgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Trump-golf-seated.jpg)), and [his not-quite-a-double-chin neck](http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5a20918ff914c353018b72a4-1190-625/plans-for-donald-trump-to-visit-the-uk-in-january-2018-have-reportedly-been-dropped.jpg), I’m skeptical about the 239 pounds claim. If he is 239 pounds, then I am a dancing princess. He’s 280 minimum. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/215 "2018-01-17T14:17:41Z")
I would have guessed 260-280 based on a certain family member of mine who is about 5’6" but with a similar paunch who weighs 240. That he’s overweight is unfortunate. That there may be a deliberate effort to misreport his actual weight is bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/216 "2018-01-17T15:16:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Did they screen for racism? Narcissism? Misogyny? Ignorance? Perpetual lying? Egomania? Well, all of those would have eliminated LBJ. JFK, who was pumped up with drugs by his own Dr. Feelgood to bring him (and Jackie) up and down for events would never have passed a physical, either. Bill Clinton wouldn’t have passed several of those screens as well. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/217 "2018-01-17T15:25:10Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > Well, all of those would have eliminated LBJ. > > JFK, who was pumped up with drugs by his own Dr. Feelgood to bring him (and Jackie) up and down for events would never have passed a physical, either. > > Bill Clinton wouldn’t have passed several of those screens as well. Oh Christ, the man who nearly single handedly passed the Civil Rights Act was a racist? Go ahead, pull my other leg. Ignorance? To describe LBJ? Please. Perpetual lying? Got any examples? You can’t run for president without having a large ego, so I think they’re pretty much all egomanics. But I don’t see a lot of narcissism until Donald came along. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/218 "2018-01-17T16:24:08Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > Well, all of those would have eliminated LBJ. > > JFK, who was pumped up with drugs by his own Dr. Feelgood to bring him (and Jackie) up and down for events would never have passed a physical, either. > > Bill Clinton wouldn’t have passed several of those screens as well. You’re making an interesting point: FDR, the best president of the past century, was obviously in poor health and a screening would have shown that; while the worst President of the past century passes the exam. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/219 "2018-01-17T16:38:44Z")
What we have learned is that doctors who actually examined a patient can’t be trusted, but psychiatric diagnoses made by those who have never met the subject are definitive. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444/220 "2018-01-17T16:55:40Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What we have learned is that doctors who actually examined a patient can’t be trusted, but psychiatric diagnoses made by those who have never met the subject are definitive. > > Regards, > Shodan The doctor misstated Trump’s height and his weight is obviously well above what the doctor said. Why should the rest be trusted? Trump is just as obviously narcissistic and lacks emotional control as the very least. I’m no doctor but I can diagnose (and initiate on the spot treatment) a broken leg, sucking chest wound or arterial bleeding. I can try to sustain some who’s heart has stopped. Are you saying I should wait for a doctor to arrive to make a diagnosis? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-trump-suddenly-getting-worse/806444.md?page=12)