Statement on Cognitive Concerns in the Presidential Election
We are a group of medical and mental health professionals with expertise in aging, mental fitness, and how these relate to the capacity for leadership and ensuring our national security. We feel an obligation to express concerns about the manifestations of poor cognitive function in former President Donald J. Trump.
While we cannot make a formal diagnosis without direct examination, his repeated public behaviors and speeches demonstrate strong evidence of significant cognitive decline, aligned with common signs of an early dementia, and include:
o Deterioration in language skills, such as simpler vocabulary, incomplete and incoherent sentences, grammatical errors, and paraphasias (substituting words)
o Impaired memory/recall, such as confabulation, where memory gaps are filled with false or fabricated details
o Tangential thinking, where speech often drifts to unrelated topics in an erratic manner
o Inappropriate or vague statements that lack connection to reality
o Perseveration, where thoughts or ideas are repeated without a relevant trigger
o Rigidity in thinking, evidenced by an inability to adapt or revise opinions, often manifesting as “doubling down”
o Amplification of maladaptive personality traits, such as paranoid (invented threats), narcissistic (excessive focus on self), or antisocial (criminal and dangerous) personality traits
o Disinhibition in speech, such as the frequent use of vulgar, profane language or hate speech
o Disinhibition in behavior, such as impulsive decision making or aggression and violence
We believe these observable and repeated behaviors warrant public awareness of their implications. The multiple signs and symptoms we have observed in Mr. Trump comprise critical information for America’s 2024 presidential voters. We submit this informed opinion by fifty (50) nationally renowned professionals in the interest of public trust and safety.
Voters should consider these facts.
Sincerely,
Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div.
President, World Mental Health Coalition
Harvard Program in Psychiatry and the Law
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Diane E. Meier, M.D.
Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
–
James R. Merikangas, M.D.
Neuropsychiatrist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
George Washington University School of Medicine
–
Anthony Back, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
University of Washington
–
Alan Blotcky, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
–
Frederick M. Burkle, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Former Professor, Harvard University and School of Public Heatlh
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, elected ’07
–
Eric Chivian, M.D.
Former Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Director Emeritus, Center for Health and the Global Environment
–
Jennifer I. Downey, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
–
Ravi Chandra, M.D.
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
–
Howard H. Covitz, Ph.D.
Former Training Analyst, Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies
Former Director, Institute for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies
–
Lance Dodes, M.D.
Retired Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
–
Edwin B. Fisher, Ph.D.
Professor of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
–
Henry J. Friedman, M.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts Medical School
–
Nanette Gartrell, M.D.
Retired Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Retired Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
–
James Gilligan, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, New York University
Adjunct Professor of Law, New York University
–
Leonard L. Glass, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Attending Psychiatrist, McLean Hospital
–
Vincent Greenwood, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Washington Center For Cognitive Therapy
Anne McLean Griffin, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Weill-Cornell Medical College
–
Thomas G. Gutheil, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Director, Program in Psychiatry and the Law
–
Chiara S. Haller, Ph.D.
Clinical Neuropsychologist and Founder, Cognicreate Clinic
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
–
Steven Hassan, Ph.D.
Fellow, Fielding Graduate University
Harvard Program in Psychiatry and the Law
–
Judith L. Herman, M.D.
Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
–
Ellyn Kaschak, Ph.D.
Faculty, San Jose State University
Faculty, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica
–
Kevin Kelly, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and of Ethics in Medicine
Weill-Cornell Medical College
–
Jerome Kroll, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus
University of Minnesota Medical School
–
Rosanne M. Leipzig, M.D, Ph.D.
Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Robert Jay Lifton, M.D.
Lecturer in Psychiatry, Columbia University
Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
–
Francis Lu, M.D.
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis
Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
–
Craig Malkin, Ph.D.
President, YM Psychotherapy and Consultation
Lecturer, Harvard Medical School
–
Dee Mosbacher, M.D., Ph.D.
Retired Professor of Psychiatry
University of California, San Francisco
–
Laura Mosqueda, M.D.
Professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics
University of Southern California School of Medicine
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Hattie Myers, Ph.D.
Faculty, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research
Former Faculty, New York University School of Social Work
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Seth D. Norrholm, Ph.D.
Director, Neuroscience Center for Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma
Translational Neuroscientist, Wayne State University