Trump: Behavior suggests possible early dementia

In our current toxic political divisions, President Trump has turned into a cardboard symbol of our divisions rather than a flesh and blood human being. On the right he can do no wrong, while the left sees him as a monster who lies constantly.

I suggest a more measured explanation of his erratic and belligerent behavior.

Watch the YouTube video of Trump praising Hillary Clinton in 1999. He is calm, well-spoken and generous, totally different than the debacle of his New York Times interview last week, where he could hardly finish a thought without veering off into confusion.

I spent 15 years watching both my parents suffering the ravages of dementia/ Alzheimers disease. Their short-term memories disappeared and later on their lucidity.

A major symptom was perseveration, repeating the same things over and over again. The brain latches on to certain concepts and phrases, and the patient forgets that he/she has just said the exact same thing.

Now read the transcript of the president”s interview. He perseverates constantly.

Sadly for him, his family and the nation, I believe that Trump is in the throes of early dementia, whatever one thinks about his personal merit or lack of it.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Trump: Behavior suggests possible early dementia."