Donald Trump's Health Declining: Political Commentator, Robert Reich, Points Out Signs of Trump's Dementia

Political commentator, academic and former US labour secretary Robert Reich has published a video across his social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, in which he claims that US president Donald Trump's health is deteriorating. In the video, Reich alleges that Trump is showing signs of dementia, citing public statements, medical commentary and what he describes as increasing confusion.

Trump, who is 79 and the oldest president ever sworn into office, is showing signs of dementia, according to Reich, who laid out his concerns in the video.

Reich also claimed that Trump has a family history of Alzheimer's disease, noting that Trump's father, Fred Trump, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in October 1991.

'Unable to Complete a Thought'

According to Reich, Trump's apparent confusion is 'alarming' and has been supported by analysis from psychologist Dr John Gartner, a former Johns Hopkins University professor.

Dr Gartner said there are occasions when Trump is 'really unable to complete a thought,' citing multiple public appearances as examples.

In one clip referenced by Reich, Trump is heard saying: 'I've been looking at those things with a little, right? They're always broken.'

Dr Gartner also pointed to instances where Trump appeared unable to complete words, including a moment when he was discussing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notifying physicians about acetaminophen. Trump was seen struggling to finish the word, saying 'Aceta' and 'Asedum.'

'It's called phonemic paraphasia,' Dr Gartner said. Video clips of Trump mispronouncing or trailing off mid-word were shown again in Reich's video.

Reich further highlighted moments where Trump struggled to pronounce longer words, including 'infrastructure,' which he allegedly rendered as 'infust-rut-shure.'

Claims of Confusion and Memory Lapses

Reich also claimed that Trump appeared confused while in office, saying: 'He falsely claimed in a post that the Biden FBI placed 274 agents into the crowd on January 6th. Hello — Biden wasn't the president.'

According to Reich, Trump's assertion that the Epstein files were a hoax created by his predecessors was another sign of confusion, as were instances where Trump appeared unable to remember people he had recently met.

'Trump is increasingly befuddled about who everyone around him is,' Reich said. 'He didn't seem to know who House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was — after he had just been meeting with him.'

Another sign cited by Reich was Trump's alleged inability to stay on topic, claiming that he once 'went on a 15-minute rant about picture frames and lamps.'

'Deleted Transcripts from Websites'

Reich further alleged that the White House has attempted to conceal Trump's condition, saying: 'Trump's ramblings have become so incoherent that the White House has started covering up for him by deleting transcripts of his remarks from their websites.'

However, Reich argued that such efforts are ineffective, adding: 'They cannot hide his mental deterioration and growing paranoia.'

He cited an incident involving an escalator malfunction, where Trump reportedly claimed the incident was an act of sabotage by the United Nations and called for a Secret Service investigation.

Reich also referenced an occasion where Trump referred to a reporter as 'piggy,' suggesting that paranoia, anger, and loss of impulse control are common symptoms of dementia.

Confusing an Old News Clip with Current Events

Another example raised by Reich involved Trump allegedly confusing a five-year-old Fox News clip with current events, leading him to order troops to respond to what he believed was a 'war' in Portland, Oregon.

Reich questioned: 'Are Trump's actions those of a sane person, or of an ageing, paranoid megalomaniac?'

He further claimed that figures including Stephen Miller, Russell Vought, JD Vance, and RFK Jr. were feeding into Trump's alleged paranoia to advance their own agendas, rather than cabinet members invoking the 25th Amendment.

'A person suffering from dementia can be a danger to themselves and others,' Reich said.

He continued, 'In the most tragic cases, they can be manipulated and taken advantage of by unscrupulous relatives or caretakers. Is this what's happening in the White House?'

Reich concluded by urging the media to investigate and 'tell the truth' about Trump's mental state and those he claims may be exploiting the 79-year-old president.

Trump Boasts of 'Acing' Dementia Tests

Amid growing discussion about his mental health, Trump posted on Truth Social on 9 December 2025, saying he had undergone more cognitive tests than any other president in US history and had 'aced' three Montreal Cognitive Assessments, which are used to screen for early dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

'In addition to the medical assessments, I have done something that no other president has done,' Trump wrote.

He added: 'Taking what is known as a cognitive examination — something which few people would be able to do very well — and I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts.'

Trump claimed that very few people can 'ace' the test and that most perform 'poorly.'

He first took the test in 2018, scoring 30 out of 30, with his physician, Dr Ronny Jackson, stating at the time: 'The president is mentally very sharp, very intact.'

Trump later took two additional tests, including one in April, though he was unable to recall specific details, telling reporters, 'It's a pretty well-known test. Whatever it is. I got everyone right.'

He then took another one in October, where he revealed that he found the test 'very hard' even challenging Democratic Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to take the tests and compare their results to his.