Trump May Be 'Drooling' by Midterms, Observer Warns as He Claims Decline Is 'Noticeable' to Americans

Michael Tomasky, editor of the progressive political publication The New Republic, wrote on 4 September that Donald Trump could appear more visibly diminished by the US midterm elections, claiming that the president's 'mental deterioration' was 'noticeable' and writing that 'in two more months, he may literally be drooling'.

Tomasky made the remarks while predicting a Democratic 'blue wave' on 3 November. He argued that strong turnout among anti-Trump voters, opposition from disappointed swing voters and lower participation among some MAGA supporters could hurt Republicans.

Trump Midterm Warning Centres on Voter Discontent

Tomasky divided the coalition he expects to turn against Trump into three groups. The first includes voters who have consistently opposed the president and whom he described as people who 'have always thought he was a fascist goon and an imbecile'.

He characterised the second group as swing voters who backed Trump believing he would lower prices, but who now see those promises as broken.

A third group, which Tomasky labelled 'Betrayed MAGA Pigeons', could stay home during the midterms, he argued, because of dissatisfaction over the economy, the administration's immigration policies and the Iran war.

The argument also focused on Trump's recent political messaging. Tomasky criticised the president's statements about the Iran conflict, inflation, affordability and data centres, as well as his broader claims about the strength of the United States.

'[Trump] sits up there and says we've won the [Iran] war, we control the Strait of Hormuz. Inflation's no big deal. Affordability isn't a thing. Data centres are great, and if you're against them, you want to stay 'backwards and poor.'

The United States is the 'hottest' country on earth. As the American people cry out for help, he's obsessed with building monuments to himself,' Tomasky wrote.

Trump Decline Claim Is Political, Not a Diagnosis

Tomasky tied his assessment of Trump's public behaviour directly to the election calendar. 'By November 3, there's every chance that Trump will be more unpopular than he is today,' he wrote. 'His mental deterioration in just these last few weeks is noticeable, and in two more months, he may literally be drooling.'

The remarks are political commentary rather than a clinical finding. Tomasky presents no medical diagnosis, and his description of deterioration reflects his interpretation of Trump's public conduct rather than an examination of the president.

His forecast also rests on an electoral judgement that dissatisfied voters will either shift towards Democrats or, in the case of some Trump supporters, choose not to vote.

Separate commentary about Trump's health has come from his niece Mary Trump, who holds a PhD and is a trained clinical psychologist.

In July, she said she believed Trump was experiencing 'cognitive, psychological, and physical decline' and noted that Alzheimer's disease runs in her family.

Her remarks were her own assessment and did not constitute a clinical diagnosis.

Trump's physician said after his May 2026 annual examination that a neurological assessment showed normal mental status and that his cognitive function was within normal limits, including a 30-out-of-30 score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Trump Midterm Outlook Remains Tomasky's Central Argument

For Tomasky, the health-related criticism sits inside a wider political prediction. He believes voter frustration over prices, foreign policy and unfulfilled promises could deepen before November, while arguing that Trump is 'incapable of responding to reality'.

'A wave is building,' Tomasky wrote. He said the president 'looks out on the ocean and sees calm, pacific seas' and described him as 'delusional, spent, incapable of responding to reality'.

Tomasky then brought the argument back to what voters may observe before polling day. 'In the next two months, all that is only going to get worse—and more apparent to the American people.'