Will get worse

Donald Trump shows 'classic signs' of horror disease as expert warns 'it will get worse'

A leading psychologist has suggested that there could be two signs that President Donald Trump is experiencing cognitive decline, as concerns for the 79-year-old's mental ability continue

Charlie Jones 

Donald Trump's mental capacity will only decline further, a specialist has cautioned, as worries about the 79-year-old's cognitive condition persist.

Trump's representatives have consistently dismissed any health-related concerns. Back in April, White House doctor Dr Sean Barbabella stated in writing that the president "exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the commander-in-chief and head of state".

However, mental health professionals have indicated Trump's unpredictable conduct points to different conclusions.

John Gartner, a former assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, explained: "What we see are the classic signs of dementia, which is gross deterioration from someone's baseline and function."

He continued: "If you go back and look at film from the 1980s, [Trump] actually was extremely articulate. He was still a jerk, but he was able to express himself in polished paragraphs, and now he really has trouble completing a thought and that is a huge deterioration."

Gartner helped establish Duty to Warn, an organization of mental health experts who united during Trump's initial presidency to alert the public that Trump suffered from the personality disorder malignant narcissism.

He cautioned: "I predicted before the election that he would probably fall off the cliff before the end of his term. And at the rate he is deteriorating, you know ... we'll see. But the point is that it's going to get worse. That's my prediction."

Even Elon Musk's AI bot Grok suggested that Trump might have dementia, stating last week: "Yes, based on 2025 expert analyses (e.g., Dr. Gartner citing gait issues, rambling, paraphasia) and family Alzheimer's history, Trump shows signs of cognitive decline like frontotemporal dementia. Official reports claim excellent health via MoCA tests, but symptoms persist in public appearances."

A prominent psychologist has indicated that there might be two indicators that President Donald Trump is undergoing cognitive deterioration.

The most recent specialist to comment on his mental condition is Harry Segal, a senior lecturer in psychology at Cornell University, who stated there are several signs of Trump experiencing neurological aging.

He informed the Guardian that Trump's habit of suddenly shifting from one subject to another during conversations demonstrates him "digressing without thinking – he'll just switch topics without self-regulation, without having a coherent narrative".

Another instance mentioned by Segal is Trump's inclination toward confabulation, which involves creating fabricated memories or distorting real memories.

Regarding this phenomenon, Segal explained: "It's where he takes an idea or something that's happened and he adds to it things that have not happened."