Does Donald Trump have dementia?

[MADem]

Despite Trump’s naked demagoguery, open racism, blatant lies, constant flip-flopping, and lack of any policy seriousness, he has struck a deep cord within the GOP electorate. Far from being the attention-starved, human comments section he was before, Trump has personified the Ultimate Drunk Uncle campaign and become the figurehead Troll God of the angry so-called “silent majority” of the Republican Party. Since his presidential announcement in June, Trump said many things that might have doomed other political candidates — but who else could really get away it? Only the elderly and the mad. He seems less a man possessing character than one possessed by his character. Now, bear with me …

The thing about Trump that no one really mentions is that he is 69 years old. He’ll be 70 on Election Day 2016. He’s older than Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. The only top-tier candidate older than Trump is Bernie Sanders. Trump is fucking old. Now here’s something else to consider. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease before his death in 1999. Recent studies have shown that Alzheimer’s affects its victims much earlier than previously thought, and, considering The Donald’s behavior on the campaign trail, it might not be too far off the mark to consider that Fred Trump gave more to his son than millions of dollars and a particularly virulent form of racism. Let’s take a look at the symptoms and compare them to Trump’s specific brand of politics....Anyone who has watched one or more of Trump’s rambling, incoherent aimless political speeches about himself can identify this most common trait. One would need to look no further than Trump’s use of the verbal tic “bing bing bong bong,” which refers to the ease at which he has bought politicians through campaign contributions. Trump has also shown a disconcerting habit of talking about his policies without being able to properly articulate what those policies actually are.
....Trump hasn’t filmed an episode of The Apprentice in quite some time, and, far from “building things” as he likes to say he does, Trump makes a great deal of money by selling his name and brand to more active real estate developers. While most candidates spend their days on the road in Iowa or New Hampshire, Trump has spent the bulk of his campaign calling in to television shows from his headquarters at Trump Tower in Manhattan. After claiming multiple times that no one is more militaristic that he, Trump was asked where he gets his military information from. He claimed “I watch the shows.”
....

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/265291/donald-trump-dementia/

[cpompilo]

1. Something he shares with his constituency no doubt.

[polichick]

2. Dementia? Maybe. Narcissistic Personality Disorder? For sure.

[Kelvin Mace]

3. This closing sentence sums it up

"Because if Trump can prove he’s not suffering from a degenerative neurological disorder that has left him with a damaged mind devoid of all shame or self-awareness, he might just be an asshole."

[MADem]

6. WHOOMP--there it is!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BuelahWitch]

4. An older friend and I were talking about this very thing the other day

It seems like the man has no filter. Not having followed Trump before (except for hearing of his many bankruptcies and marriages), I am not aware that he was ever this way as a younger man (pre bitching about the President's birth certificate, which in itself was rather strange for a supposedly well-educated person). Of course he would have handlers to deter him from wandering off alone in a cloud of confusion and shield him from the press if he behaved in ways other Alzheimer's patients might. If he blurts out a "Where am I?" during one of the debates it will be clear, as of now it's hard to tell.

[MADem]

7. He seems more noxious than usual...not that I've followed him closely before this. nt

[0rganism]

5. i can only say for sure that he has a flair for showbiz

a fair bit of what i've heard from him is absolutely batshit insane douchebaggery
much of the rest is moderately stupid
a very small amount actually shows planning and consideration

but ALL of it is presented forcefully and without a shred of doubt
which really appeals to authoritarian followers (aka Republicans)

[MADem]

12. Can't argue w/this at all...

...presented forcefully and without a shred of doubt
which really appeals to authoritarian followers....

[tblue37]

8. I asked the same thing here on DU after he started spewing his nonsense.

It really does seem possible to me.

[spinbaby]

9. Republicans love dementia

It's almost a job qualification.

[Grammy23]

10. My mother, who did suffer from some form of dementia,

Had a period in her life when she said and did unusual things. My sisters and I were annoyed and aggravated by some of the things she said and did, but never suspected that they were early signs of dementia. It was only after we looked back that we were able to see a clear pattern of progression in her behavior. Dementia does not just appear "full blown" but shows itself over a period of time in changes in behavior and language.

Donald Trump could very well be displaying changes in his brain that are symptomic of dementia. He could also be showing signs of advanced Ass Holery. Time will tell if it's dementia or "the Donald" just being a Class A Jerk.

[MADem]

11. Maybe, just maybe--it's both! nt

[L. Coyote]

13. Indeed, every possible personality type could end up with dementia. The early signs in Reagan

were pretty obvious. People you don't expect complex reasoning from camouflage the problem much better.

[Cactus Jack]

14. Yes I think he does.

Until recently I did think that Donald Trump was just a huge asshole - but with more observation I have reached the conclusion that his condition is definitely degenerating, and doing so quite rapidly - he's already had Twitter 'meltdowns' that would have sunk him were the rest of the Republican field more up to the task.

Unfortunately he's the beneficiary of neo-political correctness - also known as anti-political correctness - which prevents Conservatives from calling each other out on really offensive and what will prove damaging racist or misogynistic rants because Conservatives don't want to be seen as too 'politically correct'

Do you want to claim a woman who has an opinion and dares to question you is mentally unstable because she's menstruating? - well I don't want to be politically correct so sure go ahead, I'm sure it won't damage the party with women.

Do you want to claim that Obama was worse than the Holocaust? - Well he's Black and I don't want to be too politically correct so sure, I'm sure Jews won't be offended

Do you want to mock a man's disability on national TV? - Well I don't want to be too politically correct and I'm sure that decent people won't be appalled at that.

Who would have thought that in a contest with Ted Cruz and Chris Christie any other candidate would come even close for least competent and most offensive (in that order) but Donald's degenerating cognitive faculties have made those two look moderate and charming in comparison