Tip Sheets
Trump’s abrupt decision to play DJ, a sign of ‘accelerating cognitive decline’ says Cornell expert
October 16, 2024
Media Contact
Damien Sharp
Democrats and the Harris-Walz campaign are again taking aim at former President Trump’s mental acuity following his 30-minute music and head-popping detour during what was supposed to be a town hall event in Philadelphia Monday night.
Harry Segal is a senior lecturer in the Psychology Department at Cornell University. He says Trump’s awkward display at his rally was another clear sign of mental decline.
Harry Segal
Senior Lecturer
“What’s alarming is how the rate of Trump’s bizarre speech and political decisions have been increasing. He gave an answer about childcare to the Economic Club of New York so incoherent that even his supporters were concerned. Last week he got cognitively lost in a rally and began to talk about the ‘eight circles’ that Biden filled up with journalists. No one on his staff has been able to explain the reference.
“Trump has shown evidence of dementia for the past year as indicated by his strange gait, phonemic paraphasia—when he begins a word and can’t finish it—and decline in the complexity of his words and concepts. This limited capacity explains his poor debate performance, but there are two more disturbing signs of his decline.
“First, he is avoiding events where he has to respond coherently and spontaneously: He has refused a second presidential debate and abruptly cancelled a 60 Minutes interview. Second, he has become more impulsive, another sign of incipient dementia. This explains his strange behavior in Philadelphia – his abrupt decision to play DJ is yet another sign of his accelerating cognitive decline.”
