Nicolai Haugsted
Trump struggles to keep his eyes open as specialist raises serious health questions.
Questions about Donald Trump’s health have resurfaced after video footage showed the US president appearing to struggle to keep his eyes open during a meeting with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Clips from the meeting have circulated widely online, prompting renewed speculation about the 80-year-old president’s condition. Some observers have interpreted his appearance as a possible sign of a medical problem, although footage alone cannot establish a diagnosis.
One healthcare professional has gone considerably further, arguing that the behavior could be consistent with symptoms seen in dementia patients. His assessment has not been independently confirmed, and no evidence presented in the report establishes that Trump has dementia.
Expert points to possible ‘sundowning’
Dr Adam James, a specialist physiotherapist who works in elderly care, told the Daily Star that he believes Trump’s apparent difficulty remaining alert should not simply be dismissed as tiredness.
James argued that the footage could indicate “sundowning,” a term commonly associated with increased confusion, agitation or changes in behavior among some people with dementia, particularly later in the day.
“Clinically, these are all symptoms of dementia. He is experiencing sundowning. His brain is disconnecting from a typical sleep-wake, day-night circadian rhythm because a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus is shrinking or breaking down,” James said.
Such observations cannot determine whether Trump has the condition, however. Diagnosing dementia normally requires a clinical assessment rather than conclusions drawn from publicly available videos.
Claims about stimulant use
James also alleged that Trump could have developed tolerance to stimulant medication after years of use, potentially reducing its effect. No medical records or other evidence cited in the source material substantiate that claim, and the text does not establish that Trump currently takes such medication.
The specialist nevertheless presented a stark interpretation of the president’s appearance.
“This is not about him being tired. Although that also plays a role. This is about someone’s brain disintegrating inside their skull. It would be a shame if he had the nuclear codes,” James said.
Questions surrounding Trump’s age and fitness have followed him throughout his political career, while online speculation has repeatedly focused on videos and photographs of his public appearances. Such material has also generated unsupported claims about other medical conditions.
Alzheimer’s researcher explains long development
Scott Small, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University, was also quoted discussing how neurodegenerative disease can develop long before pronounced symptoms become apparent.
“The most important thing is that the cells are dying. When I see a patient with Alzheimer’s dementia, I’m usually fairly certain that they have had a slowly simmering condition for at least a decade or longer,” Small said.
Small’s general explanation of Alzheimer’s progression does not, based on the supplied text, amount to a diagnosis of Trump or an assessment that the president has the disease.
No confirmed diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s is established by the material, leaving the claims about Trump’s health as interpretations of his public appearance rather than verified medical findings.
