Donald Trump Health Fears: Psychologist Warns President's 'Deteriorating Brain' Risks World War

A psychologist's claim that President Donald Trump may be suffering from what he called a 'deteriorating brain disorder' has prompted a firm rebuttal from the White House, amid heightened US–Iran tensions and renewed scrutiny of the president's foreign‑policy decision‑making.

The comments were made by Dr John Gartner during an appearance on The Daily Beast podcast, where he argued that Trump's conduct and recent public statements should raise concerns about his cognitive fitness as the administration considers its next steps on Iran following last year's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Psychologist's Claims Add To Donald Trump Health Fears

Gartner, described by The Daily Beast as a former Johns Hopkins professor, told host Joanna Coles that Trump's behaviour should be viewed through both political and medical lenses. He alleged that the president exhibits signs of cognitive decline and claimed this had implications for national security. 'It's such a terrible combination, because we have a constitutional crisis of sorts... But we have someone with a brain disorder, OK? A deteriorating brain disorder, so they have no internal controls or judgment,' Gartner said.

He expanded on those claims by arguing that Trump's decision‑making appeared unconstrained, saying: 'Donald Trump's id is now sort of in control of the world, because he has no frontal lobes. He has no advisors. We have no Constitution. We have no checks and balances.' Gartner also characterised Trump as 'hypomanic' and 'a narcissist', according to the podcast summary published by the outlet.

As an example of what he called an 'arbitrary, confused and paranoid' approach to major decisions, Gartner pointed to remarks Trump made Thursday during the first meeting of his newly formed 'Board of Peace'. At that event, the president referred to last summer's US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and told attendees: 'So now we may have to take it a step further, or maybe not. Maybe we're going to make a deal. You're going to be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days.'

Gartner later interpreted the president's phrasing on the podcast, saying: 'We might go to war, we might not, we'll let you know... You'll find out. If we can't make a deal and we feel like it's wrong, we're going to bomb.'

White House Rejects Donald Trump Health Fears

In response, the White House dismissed the psychologist's comments and defended Trump's condition. In a statement attributed to spokesperson Davis Ingle, the administration said: 'President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.' Ingle also criticised The Daily Beast and described Gartner as 'a disgraced doctor'.

The exchange unfolded as Axios reported that the US had moved closer to a potential conflict with Iran, citing a dual‑track strategy combining diplomatic outreach with expanded military readiness. The outlet said Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, for three hours in Geneva on Tuesday. Both sides reportedly said the discussions 'made progress', though US officials remained sceptical about bridging longstanding disagreements.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News, according to Axios, that while diplomacy had shown some positive signs, Trump had set 'certain boundaries' that Iran had yet to address. Vance suggested talks may have 'reached their natural end'.

Axios also reported significant US military deployments to the region, including two aircraft carriers, multiple warships, hundreds of fighter jets and additional air‑defense systems. The outlet said more than 150 military cargo flights had delivered weapons and ammunition, and that a further 50 fighter jets — including F‑35s, F‑22s and F‑16s — had been sent in the previous day.

One Trump adviser quoted by Axios said the president was growing increasingly frustrated. 'I believe there is a 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks,' the adviser reportedly said.