Donald Trump has sparked fresh health fears after appearing to "lose three weeks" in a recent speech. The US President has come under increasing scrutiny for his cognitive and physical wellbeing in recent months after appearing to suffer lapses in memory and fall asleep during public engagements.
Despite the White House insisting he remains in "perfect" health, Mr Trump fed the flames of speculation during a rally in Dalton, Georgia, this week, ahead of the November mid-terms. Addressing the crowd, the president made an offhand comment about Chinese president Xi Jinping, who he said "was here last week".
Xi visit timeline
In reality, Xi visited the US and met with Mr Trump during a three-day trip from September 23 to 25, around three weeks ago. The apparent blunder sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with one user labelling him "Dementia Donnie".
Another wrote: "He doesn't [know] what day it is. It's gonna get worse as he goes along." "Dementia time is different than normal time," a third added. A fourth said: "It all blends together when every day is another rally alternating with sleeping at your desk."
White House comments
It comes after Mr Trump bizarrely admitted to having "some very severe problems" during a speech at the White House this week. The US leader said he had never been tempted by drugs like fentanyl or alcohol, but "has other problems" in the rambling monologue.
"I have some very severe problems, but those are not one of them," he said. "I don't want to add them to the list. Because if I did, I guarantee I wouldn't be here right now." He then appeared to backtrack and addressed Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, suggesting he would "have to try and defend me because they're going to say 'What are they?' Which I actually don't know. I was just having fun."
Book allegations and medical response
Former White House correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan added to the discourse over Mr Trump's health in a book published this summer, alleging that staffers have noticed he "seems old" and experiences "repeated bouts of drowsiness during mid-afternoon events".
But the administration has rubbished these claims, attributing heavy swelling of his ankles to aspirin intake, bruising to chronic venous insufficiency and insisting any other perceived issues are unfounded. Mr Trump's physician Sean Barbarella said the leader displayed "strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function" and is "fully fit" to serve as commander-in-chief following a check-up earlier this year.
The US leader also claimed that a recent MRI scan produced "some of the best reports they've ever seen" and declared the results of a cognitive test to have shown "extreme intelligence".
