Donald Trump’s increasingly strange public appearances have once again raised questions about his mental acuity, experts say. The president, 79, has exhibited odd behaviour at campaign events, interviews, and press conferences, frequently drifting off topic and misremembering simple facts. During a recent cabinet meeting, he spent 15 minutes talking about decorating.
On his recent trip to the UK, Trump launched into an unprompted two-minute rant about windmills during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, claiming without evidence that they drive whales “loco” and kill birds. Harry Segal, a senior lecturer at Cornell University, described this as “digressing without thinking”.
Trump has also shown signs of confabulation. In mid-July, he claimed his late uncle, Professor John Trump, taught Unabomber Ted Kaczynski at MIT. Asked about the Gaza famine, Trump forgot that other countries had contributed aid, stating that “nobody gave but us”. In fact, the UK and EU have provided substantial sums, and the US grant he cited could not be verified.
Despite such episodes, Trump has largely escaped the intense scrutiny over mental fitness that dogged Joe Biden during his presidency. Biden was hounded for age-related gaffes, leading to his decision not to seek re-election after a poor debate performance. Trump, however, continues to describe himself as a “stable genius”.
Democrats have begun to more aggressively question the president’s fitness. Representatives such as Jasmine Crockett of Texas and California Governor Gavin Newsom have highlighted multiple examples of odd conduct. The White House did not respond to questions about Trump’s claimed $60m donation to Gaza.
