# Trump's neurological health - a rational discussion please **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 2, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379 "2019-07-02T03:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/221 "2019-09-09T10:57:37Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I’m not the biggest fan of Internet memes, but there is an article on [boredpanda.com](http://boredpanda.com) about 30 memes inspired by Trump’s sharpie drawing which is extremely amusing. If this crazy social experiment we call the Internet catches on and more people become aware of it, maybe someday we’ll come up with a means for directly connecting, or “linking” if you will, to information we want to share with others. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/222 "2019-09-09T11:36:15Z")
I looked through the site and found it. They are amusing: > **[Trump Shows A Fake Hurricane Map Altered With A Sharpie, Inspires 30...](https://www.boredpanda.com/trump-sharpiegate-fake-hurricane-map-memes/)** > > Trump insisted that hurricane Dorian had a “95% chance” of hitting Alabama, even though the National Weather Service denied it. And, boy, did the internet love where this was going. The memes started coming in fast and furious, and Trump was the butt... ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/223 "2019-09-09T12:08:49Z")
Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/224 "2019-09-09T12:34:53Z")
Well, our president appeared with a weather map that was obviously and crudely altered with a line drawn by a Sharpie in order to “prove” his assertion that Alabama was in serious danger from Dorian. He seemed to genuinely believe his own delusion, which is what concerns me the most. Not long after he was elected, and in a discussion on this board pertaining to his constant and obvious lies, I pointed out that there is, in fact, a condition where a person lies and actually believes the lies even if they are obviously lies to any observer. Our school councilors have cases like that. “Johnny” slaps “Billy” in the face right in front of an adult, but will adamantly deny doing so and many times ending up in tears because of the “unjust accusation” of the adult. As Trump has aged and his mental abilities have diminished, he has shown signs of slipping farther and farther into his delusions and lies. This could at some point become very dangerous because of the power he can bring swiftly to bear without the approval of Congress. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2019, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/225 "2019-09-09T12:45:20Z")
This bit with the summit meeting with the Taliban shows some sort of disorder, I’m not sure what to call it. Messiah complex? He seems to think that with zero preparation, he can come into a meeting and singlehandedly solve complex disputes by the sheer power of his superior intellect and personality. Maybe it’s delusions of grandeur. Whatever it is, hostile nations have it figured out and know how to play him like a fiddle. Or maybe in his case, a double bass. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/226 "2019-09-09T12:52:05Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’m not sure what to call it. Messiah complex? He seems to think that with zero preparation, he can come into a meeting and singlehandedly solve complex disputes by the sheer power of his superior intellect and personality. Well, he looked up at the heavens and somberly announced, “I am the chosen one.” So, yeah, “Messiah Complex” might be a good description. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/227 "2019-09-09T13:07:53Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > This bit with the summit meeting with the Taliban shows some sort of disorder, I’m not sure what to call it. Messiah complex? He seems to think that with zero preparation, he can come into a meeting and singlehandedly solve complex disputes by the sheer power of his superior intellect and personality. Maybe it’s delusions of grandeur. Whatever it is, hostile nations have it figured out and know how to play him like a fiddle. Or maybe in his case, a double bass. Agreed. That’s always been his thing. ISTR in the election cycle, he talked about how he didn’t like to have scheduled meetings or even carry a briefcase. He just liked to “see what develops during the day” (paraphrasing from memory). So, yeah, he just figures he can wing it because he’s so damned smart. Remember when Republicans complained that Obama was “arrogant”. I’m beginning to think that might have been a code for something else. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/228 "2019-09-09T14:02:26Z")
In The Atlantic online today. [ **Trump Is Not Well** _Accepting the reality about the president’s disordered personality is important—even essential._](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/donald-trump-not-well/597640/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAtlantic+%28The+Atlantic+-+Master+Feed%29) > [@](#): > > …“He’s deteriorating in plain sight,” one Republican strategist who is in frequent contact with the White House told Business Insider on Friday. Asked why the president was obsessed with Alabama instead of the states that would actually be affected by the storm, the strategist said, “You should ask a psychiatrist about that; I’m not sure I’m qualified to comment.” > > We have repeatedly heard versions of that sentiment over the course of Trump’s presidency. It’s said that speculating on Trump’s mental health is inappropriate and unwise, especially for those who are not formally trained in the field of psychiatry or psychology. > > That’s true, up to a point. Yes, it is best to leave it to experts to determine whether Trump satisfies the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, some combination of both, or nothing at all. > > But if a clinical diagnosis is beyond my own expertise, Trump’s psychological impairments are obvious to all who are not willfully blind. On a daily basis we see the president’s chaotic, unstable mind on display. Are we supposed to ignore that? > > An analogy may be helpful here. If smoke is coming out from under the hood of your car, if you notice puddles of oil under it, if the engine is overheating and you smell burning oil, you don’t have to be a car mechanic to know that something is wrong with your car. > > … > > Even now, almost a thousand days into his presidency, the latest Trump outrage elicits shock and disbelief in people. The reaction is, “Can you believe he said that and did this?” > > To which my response is, “Why are you surprised?” It’s a shock only if the assumption is that we’re dealing with a psychologically normal human being. We’re not. Trump is profoundly compromised, acting just as you would imagine a person with a disordered personality would. Many Americans haven’t yet come to terms with the fact that we elected as president a man who is deeply damaged, an emotional misfit. But it would be helpful if they did. > > … Seeing him for what he is—a terribly damaged soul, a broken man, a person with a disordered mind—should not lessen our revulsion at how Trump mistreats others, at his cruelty and dehumanizing actions. Nor should it weaken our resolve to stand up to it. It does complicate the picture just a bit, though, eliciting some pity and sorrow for Trump. > > But above all, accepting the truth about Trump’s mental state will cause us to take more seriously than we have our democratic duty, which is to prevent a psychologically and morally unfit person from becoming president. > > The office is too powerful, and the consequences are too dangerous, to allow a person to become president who views morality only through the prism of whether an action advances his own narrow interests, his own distorted desires, his own twisted impulses. > … This is from a very long article. Here’s the punch line: > [@](#): > > … **Whether or not his disorders are diagnosable, the president’s psychological flaws are all too apparent.** They were alarming when he took the oath of office; they are worse now. Every day Donald Trump is president is a day of disgrace. And a day of danger. My bold. We don’t need a name (Latin or otherwise) for his condition and a paper signed by a doctor to see with our own millions and millions of eyes that he is not fit to hold the office (or to hold a Sharpie, for that matter). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/229 "2019-09-09T15:23:35Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Agreed. That’s always been his thing. ISTR in the election cycle, he talked about how he didn’t like to have scheduled meetings or even carry a briefcase. He just liked to “see what develops during the day” (paraphrasing from memory). So, yeah, he just figures he can wing it because he’s so damned smart. > > Remember when Republicans complained that Obama was “arrogant”. I’m beginning to think that might have been a code for something else. “Uppity” is _so_ 19th-century. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/230 "2019-09-10T17:48:51Z")
Last weekend I was on a tour boat, and one of the other passengers was shitfaced. She was rambling and semi-coherent, and every time one of the crew tried to mitigate her behavior she lashed out, accusing them of persecuting her and threatening legal action. Here’s the punchline: her exasperated husband was wearing a Trump t-shirt. Suppose it occurred to him that the President he supports acts like his drunk wife 24/7? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/231 "2019-09-28T15:31:53Z")
The President is in the news of late. Since I avoid video I rarely see him. My goodness he looks unhealthy. I would not be surprised if he is unable to run in 2020. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/232 "2019-09-28T15:37:11Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > The President is in the news of late. Since I avoid video I rarely see him. My goodness he looks unhealthy. I would not be surprised if he is unable to run in 2020. He will run if some one has to hold him up. ---
**Author:** ![Charlotte\_Little](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Charlotte\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlotte_Little)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/233 "2019-11-23T23:48:19Z")
Our bloated, burnt orange POTUS is dragging his right foot on the regular, forgetting simple words, repeating himself repeatedly, needs notes to speak to reporters, saying, “I want nothing, I want nothing” (note repeat), slurring, making odd faces, has one eye that barely opens, and had a sudden impromptu “partial physical” last Saturday, all hush-hush with conflicting stories coming out of the White House until they settled on releasing a note from a very real military doctor who wrote it as if he’d barely graduated high school, but is was SO official. Sure. Trump’s fine. He’s in perfect health! (I believe Judge Pirro declared him almost superhuman). And sure…we all get “partial physicals” three months out from our actual annual physical. Right? Stroke or dementia? Or both? The dude is a walking Big Mac, after all, so anything is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/234 "2019-11-24T01:18:55Z")
Linky-link-link? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/235 "2019-11-24T01:26:03Z")
I have no idea what’s going on inside his head, as far as whether he has beginnings of dementia or anything like that. But I don’t think he looks objectively bad for a 73 year old man, I’ve seen plenty of folks younger than him that looked worse. His father did live to 93, a pretty ripe old age. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/236 "2019-11-24T04:16:44Z")
He’s only 73? I think he looks at least 80. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/237 "2019-11-24T04:38:35Z")
As has been noted elsewhere, the most accurate way to express his age is to move the ‘s’ and the hyphen(s): he is seventy three-year-olds. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/238 "2019-12-23T00:40:52Z")
a relevant tweet to this topic > ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/239 "2019-12-23T02:51:24Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > a relevant tweet to this topic > > [https://twitter.com/TomJChicago/status/1208818305097781249](https://twitter.com/TomJChicago/status/1208818305097781249) In that clip, he does not seem aware that he has slurred / skipped a step / anything. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/240 "2019-12-23T12:36:48Z")
He can’t hide out like Woodrow Wilson did for the last 2 years of his time in office. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379.md?page=13)