He’s not Crazy, He’s Just a Little Unwell

Trump’s truly unfit to be president. Not because of inexperience, but because he’s truly not fit.

Danielle
Danielle
Jul 10, 2017 · 13 min read

Donald Trump’s father’s name was Fred Trump. Donald came from a short line of real estate moguls, going back to his grandfather, Friederich Trump, an immigrant to the United States from his homeland in Germany. Friederich Trump started the family’s real estate business in the United States with hotels set up for miners in the west, trying their hands at gold mining, they found a home in Trump’s hotels. Donald Trump never met his grandfather, who died of the flu in 1918. His father was born in Queens, New York, and died of pneumonia in 1999, just before the start of the new millennium. By then, he had already passed the reins to Donald Trump, who leads the Trump empire to this day. Those reins were not passed due to Fred Trump’s death, Fred lived to be 93 years old, and had passed his company off to Donald Trump when he was much younger. Six years prior to Fred Trump’s death, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a heartbreaking way to watch your loved ones die. Often, they’re dead long before they die. Slowly, the disease robs them of their memories, recognition of friends and family, personality, cognitive thought, and their sanity. They become forgetful, paranoid, anxious. They cease being who they once were, and, in a heartbreaking turn of events, often die of an unrelated health issue that’s neglected due to an extreme lack of capability of caring for or diagnosing one’s self. We expect to watch our families wither away, age, become ill, but what’s never expected is losing them while they still have a pulse, watching the glint in their eye fade, and their soul, their very essence, their joys, loves, and wants, fade before they reach their final resting place is truly a heartbreaking experience. Donald Trump, callous and sociopathic though he may appear, had to watch his father, a man he looked up to greatly, die before him in such a tragic manner.

There’s another terrifying aspect to Alzheimer’s disease. We’re getting better at detecting the symptoms early, in part due to a horrifying reality of the disease: it’s hereditary.

Paranoia, forgetfulness, rapid changes in personality or demeanor, irritability, loss of balance, weariness, a lack of motivation, confusion, memory loss, and sleep troubles are all symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which eventually takes a person’s cognitive abilities, memories, personality, and even the ability to speak completely. We’ve seen some of those early and middle stage symptoms already in a man we’ve come to call our President.


Difficulty Sleeping

Let’s start small. Trouble sleeping. This is a symptom of so many illnesses, stress being one of the most obvious. I frequently have trouble sleeping, and I’m not the leader of a country. Still, reports of Donald Trump staying up late, barely sleeping, and wandering the halls of the White House in his bathrobe have come from multiple sources a within the White House, some of those details have even come from Donald Trump himself, who seems to take pride in not sleeping much. This lack of sleep could be due to any illness — including stress,— and, as a young person with similar troubles sleeping, I wouldn’t base the entirety of my concern on this fact alone.

But we’re just getting started.

Irritability

As I’m sure you can imagine, going through the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is inherently frustrating. Imagine the feeling of walking into a room and forgetting why you walked in there, forgetting your friend’s face, having trouble thinking of a particular word for an object or situation, or finding yourself wandering aimlessly, neglecting the task at hand. These are things many people have experienced at one point in their lives. I, for example, sometimes have trouble remembering new acquaintances’ names, and I’ve walked into a room, only to forget the reason I’ve entered the room before, and I’m sure you have too. These situations are few and far between. Imagine experiencing them every day, multiple times throughout the day. It would be incredibly frustrating, wouldn’t it? That alone could make a person irritable, and it’s a possible factor in the irritability that’s often displayed during the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Thinking of situations in which Donald Trump has become irrationally irritable doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination. This is a man who starts Twitter feuds over silly comments. It’s the man who, frustrated with his overwhelmingly negative press (which he sees as unfair, while most Americans disagree with him), posted an edited video from a notable Reddit troll of Trump punching a man who’s face has been replaced by the CNN logo. The president of the United States of America posted a video made by a racist, sexist, xenophobic Reddit troll. It shows an easily irritated man with a dangerously short fuse who throws immature temper tantrums online. It’s exactly how someone with the early stages of Alzheimer’s would react. But could this just be part of his personality? This is the man we’ve come to know as a politician and our president, but he’s been in the public eye for decades. Trump usually came off as cool, collected, and with a sense of humor regarding criticism. Now he reacts to criticism with vile videos on a social network popularized by millennials. This represents a dramatic shift in his personality.

Rash Behavior

Rash behavior is another symptom, and falls in line with the irritability expressed above. However, it goes beyond that. Rash behavior is acting or reacting without thought of the consequences or repercussions of one’s actions. Once more, Trump displayed dangerously rash behavior during his candidacy, some of which may have gotten people injured at his rallies. For example, Donald Trump mocked a disabled reporter who said things he disagreed with. Trump later claimed he never met the reporter and was just goofing, but the president has, in fact, met the reporter in question many times. He didn’t think about the result of his actions both negatively affecting his campaign and the pain caused by mocking a man for a disability he was born with. Trump’s rallies were also notoriously violent, thanks in part to Trump, who often encouraged harassment of protestors, saying he’d pay for legal fees for anyone hurting them, and inviting members of the crowd to assist in the removal of people Trump deemed unwelcome. This is textbook rash behavior, reacting to situations without thinking them through. It’s not only dangerous for a person on their own, but when that person is in control of a government, it can be dangerous for the entire world.

Making things up

Kids lie all the time. They lie to cover up their own misdeeds or faults, their own shortcomings as a child, learning how to cope in the world. As a child, I was known by my family for some time for being quick with a believable lie. They grew to not trust me. That awful feeling is likely why I’ve done a complete 180 in my life, now being honest to a fault. But people can regress to those early stages of uncertainty, especially if they’re experiencing the troubling symptoms of dementia. They can grow to no longer trust themselves, their own thoughts, and quickly lie to cover up their own shortcomings. Remind you of anyone? Donald Trump started his career as president lying about something as insignificant as his inauguration crowd (or lack thereof). He’s also repeatedly stated, without a single shred of evidence, that an unthinkably unprecedented number of people cast votes illegally, 3-5 million people, who all voted against him, naturally. For the record, there is never more than a small handful of voter fraud, with just four cases of documented voter fraud in the election. What’s a multiple of a million between friends though, right? Donald Trump lost the popular vote by over 3 million votes. Most of America did not want him to be president, but thanks to an electoral college system that drastically favors rural, conservative-leaning states, Trump was gifted the election. He has reacted to this obvious shortcoming, his own unpopularity, in the only way he could: he’s been lying. It’s not hard to find countless other examples of his lies, from making up claims about sex tapes, to lying about never being in favor of the Iraq war (audio recordings disprove this), to hundreds of other lies. Donald Trump has been lying daily since he’s been president, and shows no sign of stopping. Politicians often usage mistruths to win elections, but Trump seems to lie on impulse, even when he has nothing to gain from said lie.

Paranoia and Strange Fears

I mean, come on, a fork for pizza? And you call yourself a New Yorker. Credit: Andrew Savulich

Donald Trump has been a germaphobe for years. That’s not overly surprising. The man eats his steaks well done (yuck!) washes his hands frequently, doesn’t like to touch handrails, and even commits an unforgivable sin by New Yorker standards: eats his pizza with a fork and knife instead of folding it like a decent person does. This certainly isn’t an example of his paranoia or even strange fears. Many people have a few things they irrationally fear. Some people dislike heights. Others are terrified of roller coasters. A few of my exes had a fear of commitment. I have an impulsive fear of wasps. What we’re looking for here are new fears, strange paranoid delusions that could signal dementia. For example, Trump seems paranoid that the entire press is out to get him. He thinks the media hates him for some unknown reason, and is purposely cruel to him just because he’s Donald Trump, and for no other reason (he used to believe most people loved him). It’s a paranoid delusion that’s obviously not been a problem for Trump before. He also seems to have a new fear of stairs and slopes, as was revealed by the White House after video of Trump grabbing for British Prime Minister Theresa May’s hand as they were walking surfaced online. Of course, this newfound fear could actually be tied to another symptom of Alzheimer’s and dementia, a loss of balance.

Loss of Balance

Dementia is a disease that directly affects the brain. The brain, as I’m sure my readers know, is the processing center for all of our senses. However, if our senses disagree, we can lose our balance. People describe a feeling of vertigo from looking down at the ground from great heights. Virtual reality can cause people to become nauseous and have trouble standing up because it confuses our senses. Spinning rapidly in circles can cause our inner ears to have difficulty discerning which way is up. If the brain’s not processing all of these signals properly, we can lose our balance. Unfortunately, it’s yet another symptom of degenerative cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. If Trump really has gotten a newfound fear of slopes and stairs, this could be why.

Reduction of Vocabulary and Disjointed Speaking

Here are a few public speaking 101 tips: be concise, be specific, don’t use “filler” words like “um” or “uh,” and make a clear point with each statement. Donald Trump is a media personality, spending most of his life on camera. He’s done TV shows, interviews, even professional wrestling spots. However, his speeches now show a distinct change. He becomes lost in sentences, he switches topics frequently, seemingly never completing a thought, his vocabulary has shrunken dramatically, and he has trouble speaking without a plethora of filler words, usually in between disjointed thoughts. He’s even tweeted in a disjointed way, most famously, starting a tweet that was, once again, attacking the free press, and ended in “covfefe.” His dramatic change in speech patterns is perhaps the greatest indicator that Donald Trump has a neurodegenerative condition such as Alzheimer’s.

Compare, for example, a few of his interview answers today and older videos, before he ran for office.

And some of his interview answers have been troublingly confusing.

From an interview with AP News (which had many ramblings):

“TRUMP: It had 9.2 million people. It’s the highest they’ve ever had. On any, on air, (CBS “Face the Nation” host John) Dickerson had 5.2 million people. It’s the highest for “Face the Nation” or as I call it, “Deface the Nation.” It’s the highest for “Deface the Nation” since the World Trade Center. Since the World Trade Center came down. It’s a tremendous advantage.”

Or here, his answer to a question regarding Trump’s outlandish (and baseless) claims of widespread voter fraud:

“Let me — sure. And I do — and I’m very — and I mean it. But just so you know, it was supposed to be a confidential meeting. They turned it into not a — number two, the conversation lasted for about a minute. They made it — somebody said it was, like, 25 percent of the — it wasn’t. It was hardly even discussed.”

These are not the speech patterns of a healthy man. However, if we look to older videos, of Trump when he was in his 40s and younger, we see a different man, a more confident, prepared, and more capable man. Note that while his ideals haven’t changed, his ability to express them has definitely changed.

None of the confusion, anger, or frustration we see in current interviews is on display in this clip either:

It seems clear that Donald Trump was never a great public speaker, but he was certainly a man who could hold his own on camera. He could engage in conversation, and, while his vocabulary was never superb, it definitely wasn’t as narrow as it is today. It’s clear that Donald Trump hasn’t changed his core beliefs, but he has become less capable in interviews, answering questions, and formulating his thoughts into coherent sentences.

Sundowning and Wandering

Take a look at this video. You can see the president leaving his plane and an SUV limo prepared for him at the bottom of the steps. Watch what happens when Donald Trump gets to the bottom of the stairs.

He wanders away from it until he’s directed back to the vehicle. He walked right past it, seemingly lost in his own world. As many have pointed out, Trump had been through a long day at this point. However, this, too, is a symptom of dementia known as “sundowning.” Basically put, it’s a worsening of many of the basic Alzheimer’s symptoms at the end of the day, and can include confusion, pacing, and disorientation, much like we see here. This is something that can happen to some older people who do not have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, but it is common in cognitive disorders. Regardless of the time of day, wandering away from your own limo, which is placed at the bottom of a stairwell with people directing you to it, is a clear example of a man who is not aware of his surroundings.

Forgetfulness

This is the greatest characterization of Alzheimers, and often the most heartbreaking. Someone with the disease could forget the names or faces of their friends and family. They could forget stories, times they shared together, and disassociate stories and memories with the people they shared them with. They could be sitting across from a table with someone they’ve known for many years and not recognize them.

Like this:

Donald Trump was sitting right across from former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a man who he’s worked with a number of times throughout his life and worked with him during the campaign. This is a man he’s called a friend for years, and he seemingly doesn’t recognize him.

Age

It’s no secret that Alzheimer’s disease is prevalent almost entirely in the elderly. Donald Trump’s father was likely Donald’s age when he started displaying his earliest symptoms of the disease. Trump is the oldest U.S. President ever, at 70 years of age. Simply being older than any other candidate isn’t enough to make the claim that Donald is becoming senile, but in combination with his familial history with the disease and his erratic behavior, it seems clear that Trump may be experiencing the warning signs for a cognitive disorder such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.

I’m no medical professional, and even if I was, I certainly couldn’t diagnose a man solely based on his public appearances, just as I can’t fix my parent’s computer from my apartment when they call with strange issues they’re facing. It would be irresponsible to make such a diagnosis (plus, Trump would sue if I was a professional stating any of this). However, the signs are clearly here, present for anyone to see. Even if Donald Trump does not have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, he’s clearly lacking the temperament required for the job of president of the United States.

What can we do?

The president can be impeached, likely for obstruction of justice (firing Comey) or for violation of the emoluments clause of the constitution (he hasn’t divested from his company and is collecting money — which could be bribes — from all around the world). However, with a Republican House and Senate, and tough gerrymandering that will guarantee the House remains conservative for decades, it’s unlikely that’ll happen unless Trump is found guilty of an exceptionally heinous crime (which isn’t unlikely). Trump could admit he is unfit for duty and step down, making Mike Pence the president. He may even be pressured by his own party to do this, who could be afraid Trump’s harsh policies and incompetence will drive liberals out in droves to vote in 2018 and 2020, stealing away the Grand Ol’ Party’s power. There’s a third option, one that, once again, would likely require Republicans to be out of power because they’ll always put party before country, and that’s section four of the 25th amendment. This allows the majority of congress along with the Vice President to force a president out of office if they’re incapable of doing their duties. It was used in the past when Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke, and could be used in Trump’s case if his mental state degenerates any further. It would have some dark implications, a Vice President and congress overthrowing a president would seem coup-like, unless it was blatantly obvious that Trump was sufficiently mentally impaired, as it already seems to many, Alzheimer’s or not.

Sources/Further Reading:

Danielle

Written by

Danielle

Software dev, writer, tech news blogger, geek, amateur photographer, car lover, opinionated, (occasionally) funny lady.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade