Almost a decade ago, Jeffrey Epstein had claimed that a few people, reportedly close to Donald Trump at that time, were worried the current US President may be suffering from dementia after he allegedly failed to recognize them. The sex offender had shared his concern in an email sent to journalist and Trump biographer Michael Wolff in December 2017, which was released by the Department of Justice along with millions of other files from the investigations. The mails were sent to the Landslide author during Tump’s first term as President, in which Epstein wrote: “Some at dinner with Donald last night were concerned about dementia. Tons of makeup. Did not recognize old friends.” However, Epstein has not been the first high-profile individual to speculate
about signs of dementia in 79-year-old Trump. According to another book, written by podcaster Ira Rosen, former associate of Trump Steve Bannon had allegedly believed that the president had “early-stage dementia”. Bannon allegedly claimed that Trump had no attention span, did not read, and “now doesn't listen”. He said, “Donald repeats himself a lot, telling the same story minutes after he told it before,” as per Rosen's account, which the former chief strategist had later denied.
Relatives shared concern over cognitive health
One of Donald’s nephews has also shared similar concerns over his mental fitness and behaviour - citing the family's often-overlooked history of dementia. Fred C. Trump III said the way his uncle recently went about reminds him of the other Trumps who have faced cognitive health challenges, including the president's late sister and father. “Like anyone else, I've seen his decline. But I see it in parallel with the way my grandfather's decline was,” Fred told People magazine. “If anyone wants to believe that dementia did not run in the Trump family, it's just not true.”
What is dementia?
Dementia involves a decline in the mental abilities you need for daily living. It develops when there’s damage to the parts of your brain involved with learning, memory, decision-making, and language. While it is not a specific disease, it is a clinical description of a set of symptoms caused by underlying brain diseases. The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease. If you have it, you might forget the name of a close friend or loved one. Or you might get lost in the neighborhood where you’ve lived for many years. Doctors say it is not a part of normal ageing and can shorten your lifespan, but how much varies. An estimated 6.7 million US adults age 65 years or older have dementia.
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Signs and symptoms of dementia you need to watch out for
Difficulty sharing thoughts
Having trouble saying what you want to say
Slow memory loss
Forgetting names, past events, or things you just learned
Problems following directions
Not understanding or remembering steps
Trouble with language
Finding it hard to read, write, or understand words
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