Donald Trump had an unfortunately timed lapse in memory while discussing concerns over dementia.
The 79-year-old president was being interviewed by New York Magazine about concerns surrounding his health—issues the Daily Beast has widely documented—when he brought up his father’s struggles with the condition that commonly causes it.
“He had one problem. At a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting—what do they call it?” Trump said during the interview in the Oval Office, pointing to his forehead and looking toward White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for help recalling the word.
“Alzheimer’s,” Leavitt interjected, before the president quickly reassured, “Well, I don’t have it.”
When asked whether the condition concerns him, given his family history, Trump replied: “No, I don’t think about it at all. You know why? Because whatever it is, my attitude is whatever.”
For the past year, the Daily Beast has reported on health issues surrounding Trump, who is on course to be the oldest sitting U.S. president in history.
These concerns include the frequent appearance of bruises on both of his hands and his attempts to cover them with blotches of makeup. The 79-year-old also suffers from swollen cankles due to chronic venous insufficiency, which he treats with an unrecommended dose of daily aspirin.
Trump has at times appeared unsteady on his feet, struggled to walk in a straight line, and has been spotted seemingly nodding off during public events.
Beyond physical frailty, there have also been mounting concerns about Trump’s apparent cognitive decline. These include rambling and often incoherent public remarks, erratic behavior, difficulty recalling basic details about his life, and instances in which he appears to invent information on the spot that has no basis in reality.
Trump has routinely dismissed concerns about his mental acuity, boasting that he has “aced” three cognitive tests. As New York Magazine noted, the president has never explained why he needs to take so many such exams, which often include tasks such as drawing a clock to show a specific time or identifying animals.
Mary Trump, the president’s niece and a frequent critic, said Trump may be exhibiting some of the same signs of Alzheimer’s that her grandfather displayed later in life.
“One of the first times I noticed it was at some event where he was being honored,” she told New York Magazine. “I looked at him and saw this deer-in-the-headlights look, like he had no idea where he was.”
“Sometimes it does not seem like he’s oriented to time and place,” she added. “And on occasion, I do see that deer-in-the-headlights look.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller denied claims that the administration is attempting to shield the president’s frail health from public view—an accusation frequently leveled at the Biden administration—while offering a characteristically fawning assessment of Trump’s condition.
“He can work harder and he has a better memory and he has more stamina and more energy than a normal mortal,” Miller told New York Magazine. “The headline of your story should be ‘The Superhuman President.’”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung lashed out at Trump’s niece for her claims about his health, making an apparent typo to call her a “stone-old loser.”
“Her entire worth as a human being is predicated on spewing lies about President Trump in a sad attempt to stay relevant,” he said. “President Trump’s excellent doctors have repeatedly affirmed that he is in perfect physical and cognitive health.”
