# Is Trump confused? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 24, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589 "2024-01-24T13:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/41 "2024-01-24T23:02:27Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > It’s kind of funny that Trump is such a habitual liar we don’t know if he’s just getting those lies confused or if he might be experiencing some cognative degradation. It could be that his cognative degradation is just making it more difficult for him to keep his lies straight. Has Trump ever bothered to try to “keep his lies straight”? If I lied as frequently and absurdly as he does, I’d have difficulty keeping track of them, too. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/42 "2024-01-24T23:44:58Z")
His decline is obviously progressing. All he has left now is yelling, attacking and name-calling, and even that is becoming more and more befuddled. Hopefully someone notices him wandering around with his underwear on his head in public. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/43 "2024-01-25T03:03:44Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > He can’t _spell simple words_. I don’t think Trump can actually read. He has a functional level of literacy that one would pick up over a lifetime of being exposed to written words but when it comes to actually reading something, comprehending it and repeating it… well, that’s how Trump ends up with airports in the Revolutionary War. There are numerous examples where Trump subs in whatever word he thinks he is looking at, often to hilarious results. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/44 "2024-01-25T03:40:01Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’m not convinced it is. One or two gaffes a month means little. According to this board, Obama saying there were 57 states was a nothing. So if it is occassional then not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/45 "2024-01-25T05:00:28Z")
But it isn’t occasional at all, and it’s getting worse, so it IS a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/46 "2024-01-25T05:08:47Z")
Hey, guys, remember when Ronald Reagan was really starting to seem like he was losing it in his second term, and those of us who dared to mention that were dismissed as being politically motivated, but then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years after he left office? I was just thinking of that for no particular reason. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/47 "2024-01-25T05:11:39Z")
If Ronald Reagan spoke like Trump does now, both Democrats and Republicans would have worked to remove him from office, quietly…but fast. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/48 "2024-01-25T05:34:25Z")
Heh, you hold Republicans of the late 80s in higher esteem than I do. They were heavily into “party before country” by then. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/49 "2024-01-25T05:41:41Z")
Being a total wackjob was a detriment to them. Now it is a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/50 "2024-01-25T06:02:36Z")
Yes! If you’re paying attention, there’s some serious, ongoing deterioration going on. I’ve known people, people I loved, who manifested this type of behavior. The struggle to articulate a simple thought. Confusing different people or the order of past events. Blurting out non sequiturs. Quickly moving past brain farts they struggle to resolve out of panic. And as I said before, I’ve been watching this nightmare for going on ten years now. This does not seem like the typical Trump word salad / free association. I know what it looks like. Trump is exhibiting the decline they falsely accused of Biden. Anyway, to me it’s obvious. He’s losing it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/51 "2024-01-25T06:26:22Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Hey, guys, remember when Ronald Reagan was really starting to seem like he was losing it in his second term, and those of us who dared to mention that were dismissed as being politically motivated, but then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years after he left office? I was just thinking of that for no particular reason. Trump now is worse than Reagan ever was in office. It’s possible Reagan was much better at hiding it. Reagan mostly didn’t speak without it being a prepared statement. Trump doesn’t like prepared statements since they require preparation. He’s winging it every time. Something he could do halfway well 20 years ago and occasionally well five years ago. Now its pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/52 "2024-01-25T13:35:58Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > _I would vote for a wheelchair bound, drooling Biden over Trump. And I meant it._ I said pretty much the same thing about John Fetterman over Dr. Oz. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/53 "2024-01-25T13:56:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s possible Reagan was much better at hiding it. Reagan mostly didn’t speak without it being a prepared statement. Not to mention that Reagan was a professional actor. Speaking his lines correctly is what his job was for nearly his entire working life. With Trump, it’s almost the opposite. It seems he has learned that intentionally mis-speaking can keep you out of trouble. Never tell the truth. They can use the truth against you in a court of law. They can’t use lies. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/54 "2024-01-25T15:03:43Z")
Reagan was an actor, Trump is a real estate salesman. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/55 "2024-01-25T15:27:53Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Trump is exhibiting the decline they falsely accused of Biden. Anyway, to me it’s obvious. He’s losing it. This really does explain why the GOP are pushing so hard on the “Biden is old. Biden is senile” bullshit. It’s a tried and true strategy for them. Accuse the other candidate of your own candidates’s flaws right out of the gate. This insulates your candidate from valid attacks. I think this was a Carl Rove strategy back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/56 "2024-01-25T16:00:51Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Accuse the other candidate of your own candidates’s flaws right out of the gate. ‘Every accusation by a Republican is a confession.’ That should be a named Law, like [Gaudere’s Law](https://ianferrel.wordpress.com/2005/05/19/gauderes-law/) or [Godwin’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law). Joseph Goebbels said, ‘Always accuse your enemies of your own sins,’ but I’d hate to have to call it Goebbels’ Law. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/57 "2024-01-25T16:38:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Joseph Goebbels said, ‘Always accuse your enemies of your own sins,’ but I’d hate to have to call it Goebbels’ Law. Everything really does come back to the Nazi party with these folks doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/58 "2024-01-25T16:57:02Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Is it that much different from showing up to a concert wearing a T-shirt of the band’s old lineup? It is if supporters of one member of the band wanted to murder another band member. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/59 "2024-01-25T17:13:44Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > It is if supporters of one member of the band wanted to murder another band member. Isn’t that like, 50% of most bands? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/60 "2024-01-25T17:35:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘Every accusation by a Republican is a confession.’ That should be a named Law, like [Gaudere’s Law](https://ianferrel.wordpress.com/2005/05/19/gauderes-law/) or [Godwin’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law). Joseph Goebbels said, ‘Always accuse your enemies of your own sins,’ but I’d hate to have to call it Goebbels’ Law. FWIW, [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accusation_in_a_mirror) credits [Sergei Chakhotin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Chakhotin) with originating the concept. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=4)