'Donald Trump is Genuinely Unwell': Ex-Aide Shuts Down Dementia Rumours But Drops 'War Crime' Bombshell

Donald Trump is 'genuinely unwell' but shows no clear signs of dementia, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has claimed in a pointed public intervention that has reignited debate over the president's health. Posting on X, Scaramucci said Trump, now 80, remained 'fairly vigorous' and warned critics not to underestimate him, even as he accused his boss of making statements so extreme they amounted to a 'war crime.'

Trump's condition, fuelled by clips of apparent lapses in memory, moments where he seemed to nod off in public and visible bruising and swelling spotted on his body. Those episodes, widely shared online, have been seized on by opponents who argue the Republican contender is in significant physical and cognitive decline. Allies, though, insist there is nothing abnormal about his behaviour or appearance for a man of his age and insist his health is 'perfect.'

Scaramucci Argues Donald Trump's Problem 'Isn't Dementia'

In his latest comments, Scaramucci moved to shut down one of the most persistent rumours: that Trump is suffering from dementia.

'Trump doesn't have dementia, I'll say that clearly,' he wrote on X. He then sketched his own diagnosis of sorts, not medical, but sharply personal. Trump, he said, has 'a narcissistic personality and the normal infirmities you'd expect at 80. But he's a fairly vigorous, fairly healthy 80. Don't underestimate him.'

It is a striking defence from a man who lasted just ten days in the Trump White House before being fired in 2017 after a spectacular public fallout with senior colleagues. In the years since, Scaramucci has recast himself as one of Trump's most persistent internal critics, routinely questioning his judgement and fitness for office. All of that makes his refusal to endorse the dementia narrative more notable. He plainly believes Trump is dangerous for other reasons.

Scaramucci then turned from health chat to Trump's rhetoric, holding that up as the real evidence that something is 'genuinely' wrong.

'He's making statements that are nowhere near what a world leader should be saying,' he wrote. At one point, he highlighted what he described as Trump 'threatening the death and destruction of an entire civilisation on social media,' adding bluntly: 'That is a war crime.'

He urged readers to imagine any other head of government issuing such a threat. 'It would never happen in the first place and if it did, their own party would remove them within hours,' he said, arguing that Trump's rhetoric would be intolerable in any other political system and should not be normalised simply because Americans have grown used to it.

Supporters Defend Donald Trump's Health As Critics See 'Physical Decline'

If Scaramucci was trying to steer the conversation away from dementia and towards Trump's words and conduct, the online reaction did not entirely follow his lead.

Social media users pushed back, insisting that the president-in-waiting 'is very medicated and exhibits many symptoms of dementia' along with clear 'physical decline.' Others traded amateur diagnoses and speculation about medication regimes, reinforcing a familiar pattern in US politics where unverified health theories spread far faster than qualified medical opinion.

Scaramucci, confronted with that pushback, softened his certainty while keeping his core warning intact. 'You may be right. I am not a doctor. I am just saying don't underestimate him,' he replied. It was a rare note of caution in a debate that often lapses into gleeful armchair pathology.

None of the public claims about dementia or heavy medication have been substantiated by medical records, and there is no confirmation of any serious undisclosed illness. Without full, independent documentation, much of what is being said about Trump's condition remains speculative and should be treated with a degree of scepticism.

Trump's own team, meanwhile, are digging in. They have repeatedly rejected any suggestion that the president is unwell, with aides insisting he remains in 'perfect' health. Communications director Steven Cheung has framed the criticism as partisan sniping, saying: 'President Trump has publicly released more detailed information about his health than any other president in history showing he is in excellent health.'

Medical professionals quoted last month questioned an official health report issued by Trump's camp, arguing it lacked the level of detail normally expected and instead presented what one described as a 'filtered narrative.' The report did not answer some of the more pointed questions that have been raised about his stamina, occasional slurring and the unexplained marks on his skin.

In that gap between glossy campaign statements and sparse medical detail, people like Scaramucci have stepped in, trying to reframe the conversation. His argument is simple enough: obsessing over whether Trump can remember names or stay awake in public risks underestimating a man he portrays as psychologically unfit, not medically incapacitated. For those still determined to believe that dementia alone will remove Trump from the stage, he is spelling out a colder political reality.