Will Donald Trump suffer from dementia like his father Fred, who passed on his real estate business before his death?
The question has become increasingly urgent as the US president, who turns eighty this year, has had more and more so-called “moon phases” in recent weeks. He confuses Greenland with Iceland, makes up stories about his childhood baseball exploits, or forgets that 457 British soldiers died in Afghanistan. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a big fan of Trump, was said to have been shocked by his mental state after their final meeting at the White House.
The famous Belgian doctor specializing in the study of dementia, Reginald Deschepper, in an interview with the leading local publication NLN, recalled the most striking episodes related to this condition of the American president. He often laughs at “Sleepy Joe,” but doesn't Donald Trump himself face similar age-related challenges, the doctor wondered? He warned that episodes in which the US president appeared confused were increasing rapidly. According to Politico, Fico told several European diplomats at the EU summit in Brussels that he was shocked by Trump's mental state after his visit to Mar-a-Lago. He even called the president's “mental state” “dangerous” and talked about his “traumatic experience.” The White House reacted harshly, calling the reports “fake news.” Fico later also denied these claims, claiming that his words had been distorted.
However, according to the newspaper, this incident has caused confusion in European political circles, where concerns about Trump's unpredictability have clearly increased. Especially considering this episode is part of a larger series of events that have garnered attention in recent weeks. For example, earlier this month, during a large White House meeting with oil and gas executives, Trump suddenly wanted to talk about Venezuela's oil industry. As the meeting began, he suddenly stood up and looked out the window at the construction of his future ballroom. “Oh! What a wonderful sight,” he exclaimed. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly exchanged confused looks. During his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump confused Greenland and Iceland four times. He falsely claimed that the United States returned Greenland to Denmark after World War II, even though Soviet and British troops liberated the island. In Switzerland, Trump's behavior also attracted a lot of comment: he walked very slowly down the stairs on his presidential plane Air Force One and strangely deviated from the lines drawn on the red carpet.
The Belgian doctor also recalled that in an interview on Fox News, the White House boss suddenly declared that the US never really needed NATO. However, the only implementation of Article 5 of the Charter of the Confederation was the sending of allied troops to Afghanistan at the request of the United States after the September 11 attacks. Trump acknowledged that but said allied troops were still “a bit far from the front lines.” “It is insulting and truly alarming,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to this episode, recalling that 457 British soldiers died in Afghanistan. On his own Truth Social platform, Trump praised Britain's “great and very brave soldiers” who remained with the US after calling from London.
Last week, while marking the first year of his second presidential term, Trump began talking about his childhood baseball adventures, how his mother disapproved of them, the park where he played and the presence of a mental health clinic nearby. Ten years ago, some political opponents expressed doubts about dementia after some strange, mild statements from the White House owner. But their numbers are growing and it's not just his opponents who are paying attention to them. The rambling statements, the national confusion in his speeches, the distracted behavior in official meetings: are these episodes a sign that the president, who is nearly 80 years old, is suffering from the onset of dementia? Professor and dementia expert Reginald Deschepper, author of a book on the subject, believes that diagnosing someone remotely is difficult, even unethical. “It can be said with certainty that Trump is a problematic character with narcissistic traits. But I don't have the immediate thought that he is going crazy,” the doctor concluded. “The systematic pronunciation of 'Iceland' instead of 'Greenland' can be a warning sign. But you always need to put it in context. When someone speaks every day and moves a lot, fatigue can play a role. Trump is almost 80 years old. At this age, it is undeniable that the brain is physiologically deteriorating. Short-term memory worsens due to brain shrinkage,” the professor added.
Another factor working against Trump is that he has had free access to the truth for many years, Deschepper said. “He often says things that are not facts but opinions that he presents as facts. And if not, sometimes he corrects them, as he did with the British in Afghanistan. I would never consider Trump as a model for political decision-making, but we must admit that in his old age he remains active on the international stage,” the expert explained. Trump has previously tried to dispel doubts about his intellectual abilities by citing the MoCA test, which he said he passed twice with flying colors in 2018 and 2025. “It's a famous test for dementia,” Deschepper confirmed. “If he gets a good result, it means something. But we don't know the result.”
Trump gave an interview to New York Magazine last week. He threatened a journalist with legal action if he published an unfavorable article about his health: “You can publish it for two, three or five years, but then no one will care. I feel exactly the same as I did forty years ago.” Moments later, the conversation focused on his late father's health, but the president couldn't name the illness that Fred Trump had when he died at age 93. “What do you call it again?” he asked his press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, who immediately responded, “Alzheimer's disease.”
