Trump's State of Mind.

[_EAllusion]

I don't know about that. I listened to a presser he did regarding Iran yesterday and he sounded pretty darn fluent in that and dare I say presidential. I said it.

On a side note: Remember when we were talking about Biden stammering? Turns out he's a stutterer. I didn't know that!

He slurred his words multiple times during that. He also had very labored breathing, but that's something he seems to do when he has to read a speech written for him and wants to adopt a serious tone.

He also slurred at his most recent rally. It's been happening more often. Of course, that speech quirk is a classic Alzheimer's sign, but it doesn't have to be in Trump's case. It is probably worth *some* discussion in the media. This is the same President that made an emergency trip to a hospital that the admin obviously lied about in calling part of a routine physical. Asking what's going on isn't out of bounds, and it certainly wouldn't be if he had a D after his name.

[_honorentheos]

To EAs point:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.esquir ... sanctions/

[_Jersey Girl]

To EAs point:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.esquir ... sanctions/

That's it, honor. All I listened to was the Q&A.

[_Jersey Girl]

He slurred his words multiple times during that. He also had very labored breathing, but that's something he seems to do when he has to read a speech written for him and wants to adopt a serious tone.

He also slurred at his most recent rally. It's been happening more often. Of course, that speech quirk is a classic Alzheimer's sign, but it doesn't have to be in Trump's case. It is probably worth *some* discussion in the media. This is the same President that made an emergency trip to a hospital that the admin obviously lied about in calling part of a routine physical. Asking what's going on isn't out of bounds, and it certainly wouldn't be if he had a D after his name.

That's the difference, I didn't see the speech only the Q&A. Maybe this is partially due to fatigue and add to that his labored reading of scripts that he hasn't written himself because he's unfamiliar with the text. He's trying to deliver the speech, place emphasis at certain points, probably doing a cold read of the speech in real time because reports are that he doesn't read anything not even a typical briefing, and he can't keep all the cognitive/speech/language balls up in the air.

I know when I've lectured in classes with Q&A afterward, I had no problem with delivery because I knew the guts of the lecture having constructed it myself. Trump probably doesn't know the guts and he's winging it in real time.

I'm very concerned not only about Trump but also the D-candidates. The top tier 3 are all in their 70's and I spend too much time thinking about that. While I would agree that experience, know how, and wisdom are desirable qualities in a candidate I do worry about their overall health running through even one term as president.

As we age we never know what is going to befall us. I spent the past two years living with a heart condition that is now resolved (!!) but there is no way in hell I could've held up to a demanding schedule during that time. President? I can think of too many what if's regarding putting another aging president in place.

by the way, I've known for a long time that Biden has the same heart condition that I had going on. If his heart starts whacking out during a stint in the White House, he's toast with regard to keeping up with his daily 24/7 duties. It'll destroy any continuity he hoped to have as president.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

“Winging at the time.” I think you just summarized his entire life, not to mention his domestic and foreign policies as President. I should point out that the option to kill Soleimani was on the last slide of his ‘options’ briefing regarding the attacks on the American embassy, and he was quoted as, “Yeah, do that one.” I have a feeling he was daydreaming during the briefing, snapped out of it when he realized he was at the end of it, and just picked what was in front of his face.

But, hey, White men are currently being oppressed, so let’s keep this clown in office.

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

“Winging at the time.” I think you just summarized his entire life, not to mention his domestic and foreign policies as President. I should point out that the option to kill Soleimani was on the last slide of his ‘options’ briefing regarding the attacks on the American embassy, and he was quoted as, “Yeah, do that one.” I have a feeling he was daydreaming during the briefing, snapped out of it when he realized he was at the end of it, and just picked what was in front of his face.

But, hey, White men are currently being oppressed, so let’s keep this clown in office.

- Doc

Yeah I suppose he could've snapped out of a checked out daze or he went all machismo and chose the most aggressive thing on the list.

With regard to winging it, yeah, I think he's essentially a lazy privileged guy who shoots from the hip on a regular basis and has done so all his life because it's easier and when he screws up he has hired help to get him out of it. As President he shifts blame, heads roll and then he takes the credit for getting rid of them because he's so wise and crap.

Easy peasy.

[_EAllusion]

This is the President of the United States repeatedly bragging about possibly committing a war crime:

https://Twitter.com/atrupar/status/1215834911015428096

Laura Ingraham of all people tries to nudge him out of his comments, but he isn't having it.

The other notable thing about this is the way he sticks to the "get the oil" phrasing. Rambling, vague, and repeated phrasing is another classic sign of cognitive deterioration in older individuals. It also is plausibly just who Trump is, but the fact that he has so many different red flags that would cause you and doctors to worry about your aging relatives shouldn't be just ignored. The President's health shouldn't be such a forbidden topic in the media, and it's an insane double standard when you consider how right-wing conspiracy theories about Clinton's health were treated by those same sources.

Bernie Sanders, a 78 year old man, had a heart attack in the middle of a Presidential campaign. That also was brushed past almost immediately in coverage. He has a high statistical chance of being dead in 8 years. It seems like this sort of thing shouldn't be so taboo to bring up in an appropriate manner.

[_honorentheos]

The concept of what it means to be President would need to shift from symbol to it being an actual job with demands for the average voter to be concerned about age, or even dementia, of a candidate they like. Most of us would be concerned about a 70-year old taking on most jobs that require stamina, above-average cognitive abilities, toughness, and the need to be available 24/7 to perform under intense pressure in very high stakes situations. That's not to say some people over 70 wouldn't be up to the job, but you'd think hard about it and probably want to offer them something less likely to kill them instead.

We don't think about the Presidency as a job, at least not when we are envisioning our preferred candidate taking on that role. They are a figurehead representing a set of ideological goals. No one succumbs to the stress of being a symbol because being a symbol only requires sticking to one's guns, not actual physical stamina. And a 78 year old Sanders has that in spades. Hell, having a heart attack and then hitting the debate stage within a couple of weeks just shows his grit and commitment to the beliefs he stands for.

Reducing the candidates to their resumes doesn't completely fix the perception issue, but it certainly changes the thinking about the candidates. Biden has a pretty good resume for the job, but then the rest of the candidates probably shake out differently than their current polling, in my opinion. Add to that the perspective it's a job that turned Obama from a vibrant 40-something into a gray-haired older man (who stopped smoking and still looked like he aged 30 years in those 8) but now having been out of office for a few years again looks like someone in the prime of their life...yeah. Someone being 77 (Biden) or 78-years old (Sanders) should probably matter in making that job selection.

[_EAllusion]

At those ages, the difference between even 70 years and 75 years is fairly significant. The curve of age-related risks bends exponentially in the 70's.

[_aussieguy55]

MAGA (Make America Gullible Again). One only has to see Paula White speaking at a Evangelicals for Trump rally. She knows little of the Bible speaks in "tongues" and insists her church members give money and use equity in their homes to support the ministry. She says that if you oppose Trump you are opposing God. I'd like to see Trump speak in tongues. He may need to use some denture paste.