No, Virginia, It's Not Just a "Glitch"

As readers of these pages know full well, I've long written about Trump having dementia, and quote psychologist experts who've written articles on it and many who've even collaborated on a collected-essay book about it.

On Wednesday, I was talking with a friend and, in our political discussion (it wasn't an argument, we agreed with one another) I brought up how Trump’s dementia is getting thoroughly overlooked by the press -- often dismissed in reports as just a "glitch" -- most-especially compared to how they bombarded President Biden over every little slip.  This exchange came about when I brought up how the news focused on Trump dropping papers with the British Prime Minister, but ignored what I think was far more critical:  that Trump said how he had just signed a deal with “the EU” (!!!), rather than with the U.K.  I don't know if it was a mere slip of the tongue, a cognitive manifestation of old age, or dementia kicking in -- but given his track record, it wasn't good...and just imagine if Joe Biden had said that!  However, not a word of it about what Trump actually said, just highlighting that papers slipped out when he opened the folder.  The visual image was a bad look for Trump, but what he said was far worse.  And only one person I saw referenced this and how serious it was.  Though he wasn't a reporter.  More on that in a moment.  Anyway, in the conversation with my friend, I added that the only person in the media who really isn’t letting Trump’s dementia slide by is Lawrence O’Donnell!

And then, that very night on his show, Lawrence O'Donnell spent around 20 minutes on his Wednesday show talking about Trump's dementia -- including opening with a blistering eight minutes or so very bluntly about it.

As it happens, yesterday also, Dick Durbin, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee not only embedded a withering video to a pointed tweet about Trump's cognitive issues -- he actually ran the video during a committee meeting, so it is now part of the Congressional record.  (Though it should be noted, even politely calling it "cognitive issues" is letting Trump off the hook.  Old age has normal cognitive issues.  Dementia is a degenerative disease.) 

What should also be noted is that the one person I mentioned about how recognized how far-more serious it was that Trump said he had signed a deal with the "E.U." than that he dropped papers was...Dick Durbin, at the committee hearing, now putting it in the Congressional record.  And he also brings up the 25th Amendment for replacing a president because of disability.

As for the tweet, it said --

"Senate Judiciary Republicans are holding a sham hearing now. If you want to talk about a President’s state of mind, consider this mess.

"We’re focused on the critical challenges facing our nation.

"Back to business."

This was an exceedingly polite, though deeply-pointed way of showing through Trump's own actions that he does have dementia, as many psychologists have written.  And this video doesn't even come close to touching on all the evidence of it -- including Trump dancing for 30 minutes at a Town Hall and all his "glitches" which are actually what psychologists refer to as paraphasia, a medical condition that is evidence of early dementia.