# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/41 "2019-07-03T04:00:51Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > …People have blips and memory lapses, but when you give a speech about signing a bill and then try to walk out because you forgot what you are doing is not normal… Well, if you are a nitwit narcissist who has become used to reading your lines off cue cards when in front of cameras, I can see how walking out without signing anything could happen. His tiny brain is concentrating on his lines. Keep in mind, DJT was a performer, a cast member of Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice. The role he played on The Apprentice was his greatest success prior to being cast as POTUS. In fact, so many people confused the character he played with the actual man, they fell for his shtick and elected him. Keep in mind, Trump was not in charge of the outcome of the program in any way. He was playing a character named Donald Trump. All the decisions about who to fire were made by the producers. Every bit of the boardroom scenes and his other appearances on the show were very much scripted. No shocker he does so poorly when speaking off the cuff. Particularly when it is about things of which he has no knowledge. Possibly if Mark Burnett were producing DJT’s presidency things would be working out better. ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_7\_14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Chris\_7\_14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_7_14)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/42 "2019-07-03T04:19:10Z")
Tertiary syphillis? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/43 "2019-07-03T04:30:44Z")
> [@Chris\_7\_14](#): > > Tertiary syphillis? No, he doesn’t have any big gaping sores on his face. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/44 "2019-07-03T05:19:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > No, he doesn’t have any big gaping sores on his face. 😃 I would consider that subjective. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/45 "2019-07-03T05:24:49Z")
I wasn’t aware mushrooms were susceptible to syphillis. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/46 "2019-07-03T08:17:33Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > This is clearly not the case if one compares recordings of him from 20-30 years ago with live presentations of him now. > > He was just as _ignorant_ back then, just as _narcissistic_, just as _obnoxious_, yes. What is different now is that his overall mental faculties are showing obvious signs of decay. Yes; it’s the difference between “wrong inna head” (which he’s always been) and “demented” (which he probably is, now, but wasn’t 20 years ago). “Demented” is a specific type of “wrong inna head”. And thanks to Wesley Clark and the article quoted for teaching me new vocabulary. My Grandmother used to do the first thing (semantic paraphasia), where she would clearly use one word for a similar-sounding (and usually related) different word: what she meant was correct, what she said was not, and we could clearly see the first through the second. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/47 "2019-07-03T08:19:08Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > I would consider that subjective. OK, but his nose doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/48 "2019-07-03T14:26:00Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > A LOT of verbal speech – especially “off the cuff” remarks – translates very poorly to the page. Many people have a certain degree of stream-of-consciousness quality to extemporaneous speech that sounds ok when you hear it, but looks downright terrible when you read a transcript. I recommend then, that you listen to this (and other examples) instead of reading it. It’s just as disjointed and makes just as little sense. In fact, at least with the transcript you can at least look at the whole jumble and try to superimpose a coherent point; when you’re listening to this word salad, it’s almost impossible to understand. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/49 "2019-07-03T14:37:25Z")
I truly don’t understand why people are claiming not to see this clear deterioration in his demeanor, speech, and affect. If your parent displayed this behavior, you’d pack them off to a neurologist in a New York minute. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/50 "2019-07-03T14:55:14Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Here it Trump forgetting his own wife is standing next to him and him saying he wishes she could be there. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_ghKTJCqutI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ghKTJCqutI). That’s because it’s the fake Melania! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/51 "2019-07-03T15:01:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I truly don’t understand why people are claiming not to see this clear deterioration in his demeanor, speech, and affect. If you don’t remember him being any other way (and most probably don’t), then it isn’t deterioration, just the stir-shit-up personality they voted for. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/52 "2019-07-03T20:44:43Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If you don’t remember him being any other way (and most probably don’t), then it isn’t deterioration, just the stir-shit-up personality they voted for. Even if you never saw him before in your life, it’s obvious that something is wrong with his speech and comprehension. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2019, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/53 "2019-07-05T06:18:43Z")
In today’s speech he said (supposedly about the revolutionary war): "Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.” That doesn’t seem to be the output of an entirely healthy mind. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/54 "2019-07-05T08:34:40Z")
I suppose most people his age are off their game compared to decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/55 "2019-07-05T11:44:54Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I suppose most people his age are off their game compared to decades ago. He is in his early seventies. I know people that age, they don’t act like this. Something else is wrong. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/56 "2019-07-05T12:22:48Z")
I think a lot of how you act in your seventies depends on how you lived your first 70 years. If you spent a fair amount of time reading, followed the news from fair sources, and took responsibility for your own actions your entire life there’s a good chance you won’t look like an old fool in your seventies. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/57 "2019-07-05T12:30:23Z")
With the airports things, there are only three possibilities: 1 - Trump is really spectacularly uninformed. 2 - Trump is not mentally well. 3 - Trump is both. Based on all of the evidence, I’d had to vote #3 personally. It is already obvious that Trump has some kind of narcissistic personality disorder. I don’t think it is much of a stretch to imagine that his mental faculties are in serious decline. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/58 "2019-07-05T12:39:07Z")
I think it’s a red flag in the linked OP’s analysis that he sees a bulge in the back of Trump’s jacket, thinks it might be a back brace, and then thinks a back brace is further proof of a neurological problem. Even though Trump is a bit of an absentee president, he still has a schedule that would be crazy for any of the 70 yr olds that I know. He also doesn’t get to pick and choose when he’s going to be interviewed or what the subjects he gets questioned on as much as when he was granting interviews in his 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/59 "2019-07-05T12:41:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [His latest statement:](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-describes-homelessness-in-cities-as-phenomena-that-started-two-years-ago/ar-AADKo5u?li=BBnb7Kz) > > [INDENT]President Trump lamented the state of American cities in an interview Monday night, describing homelessness as “a phenomena that started two years ago” that is causing public health hazards.[/INDENT] > > Is this man mentally competent enough to run a country? Far be it from me to actually defend Trump, but that isn’t what he said. He talked about increased amount of filth. He’s talking about garbage and trash piling up. He talks about it being a health hazard for policemen on the beat. He says it’s hell for the people that live there. At no point in the interview did he mention homelessness. He says that it wasn’t like this three years ago. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s \*plausible \*it’s got noticeably worse in that period. “Homelessness started two years ago” is something he didn’t say. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/60 "2019-07-05T13:31:14Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I suppose most people his age are off their game compared to decades ago. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > He is in his early seventies. I know people that age, they don’t act like this. Something else is wrong. Excuse me very much! :dubious: Some of us Dopers are close to him in age (though not, thank God, close in any other way) and we can still use bigly words correctly and know shit. Lots of shit. My mother at age 90 was more coherent, lucid, and well-informed that Donnie. Of course, she read voraciously her whole life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379.md?page=4)