Tuesday’s presidential debate put a spotlight on the cognitive fitness of the candidates, and former President Donald Trump’s performance left many alarmed. Among the voices of concern is Prof. Richard A. Friedman, director of the psychopharmacology clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, who argued in an editorial for The Atlantic that Trump’s behavior should prompt immediate medical attention from a neurologist.
Friedman emphasized that Trump exhibited a classic and common sign of dementia during the debate, a serious concern given his aspirations to return to the presidency. “Trump’s expressions of those tendencies were alarming,” Friedman wrote. “He displayed some striking, if familiar, patterns that are commonly seen among people in cognitive decline.” These patterns, according to the psychiatrist, were not mere political tactics but symptoms of cognitive deterioration.
At the core of Friedman’s concern is Trump’s repetitive speech pattern. While repetition is common among politicians, who often rely on well-rehearsed talking points, Friedman suggests that Trump’s persistence on certain topics is not strategic but rather a troubling compulsion. As an example, he cited Trump’s rambling response to a question regarding whether he had any lingering regrets following the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump responded with a disconnected and tangential statement:
“I have said ‘blood bash—bath.’ It was a different term, and it was a term that related to energy, because they have destroyed our energy business. That was where bloodbath was. Also, on Charlottesville, that story has been, as you would say, debunked. Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Jesse—all of these people, they covered it. If they go an extra sentence, they will see it was perfect.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
According to Friedman, this kind of circumstantial and tangential speech reflects the inability to engage in logical thinking, a key symptom of cognitive decline. Trump’s inability to provide a coherent, direct answer to the question raised concerns about his mental flexibility and his ability to engage with complex, high-pressure scenarios—skills crucial to leading a country.
Friedman also highlighted Trump’s repetitive verbal tics as evidence of potential short-term memory loss. “People tend to stick to familiar topics over and over when they experience an impairment in cognitive functioning, for instance, in short-term memory,” he explained. Short-term memory is vital for anyone, but especially for a president, who must absorb and process vast amounts of information daily. Friedman’s analysis suggests that Trump’s reliance on repetition could be a coping mechanism for memory impairment.
While the psychiatrist did not provide a formal diagnosis, nor had he examined Trump personally, Friedman was adamant that the former president’s behavior warranted immediate medical attention. “If a patient presented to me with the verbal incoherence, tangential thinking, and repetitive speech that Trump now regularly demonstrates, I would almost certainly refer them for a rigorous neuropsychiatric evaluation to rule out a cognitive illness,” Friedman wrote.
Friedman went on to suggest that conditions such as vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease would not be out of the ordinary for a 78-year-old, especially given the symptoms Trump is exhibiting. These conditions, while not uncommon for people in that age group, present serious challenges for anyone in a leadership position. “Several treatments and services exist to help patients and their loved ones cope with such a decline,” Friedman noted, “but that does not mean any of them would be qualified to serve as commander in chief.”
As the debate highlighted, the ability to think clearly under pressure and adapt to new information is critical for any leader. Trump’s performance raised serious questions about his cognitive fitness to serve in the nation’s highest office again. For voters, the debate provided more than just a comparison of policies—it revealed important clues about the candidates’ mental agility. And for Trump, Friedman’s concerns underscore that it may be time to consider seeking professional medical evaluation before continuing his presidential bid.
In a race where every detail matters, the cognitive health of the candidates is a crucial factor that should not be overlooked. Trump’s debate performance may have been more than just a rhetorical misstep—it could be a sign of something much more serious.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
