‘Biden’s brain is aging, Trump’s is dementing’: Experts analyze series of gaffes made by aging presidents in recent months – and reveal what it REALLY means for their health

Doctors have put forward a fascinating theory about why it is former President Donald Trump, and not incumbent Joe Biden, who is most at risk for cognitive decline and dementia.

Biden, 81, has suffered a series of public blunders, downfalls and memory lapses that have left a large majority of Americans unfit to run for office.

The 77-year-old Trump is also no stranger to high-profile verbal missteps, which his supporters say are the result of the off-the-cuff public speaking style he has become famous for.

However, experts now argue that there are important – but nuanced – differences in Trump and Biden’s blunders that could have important consequences for their health.

Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, a geriatrician and dementia expert, told DailyMail.com that Biden’s accidents are usually brief and serious, such as climbing stairs or memory loss. And he usually owns up to his mistakes, no matter how embarrassing they are, which she believes is a sign of his very old age.

Despite appearing more physically robust than Biden, Trump’s blunders usually see him wandering around for extended periods of time and not correcting himself, which could be a sign of underlying brain problems, several experts told this website.

One psychologist called the situation “a tale of two brains,” claiming, “Biden’s brain is aging. Trump’s brain is developing dementia.’

Several experts DailyMail.com spoke to said the fact that Trump’s father suffered from dementia fueled their concerns – because genes are a risk factor.

Dr. Landsverk cited the example of Trump repeatedly confusing former Speaker Nancy Pelosi with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley during a campaign speech in January, claiming Governor Haley was “in charge of security” during the January 6 Capitol riot.

She told this website: ‘He often wanders – sometimes incoherently – for long periods of time. His comments are often muddled, incoherent and filled with factual errors.”

While Biden may be confusing names and dates, psychologist and associate professor at Cornell University Dr. Harry Segal told DailyMail.com that what’s more concerning is that Trump is actually confusing people.

He has previously said several times that he is running against former President Barack Obama and claimed at a rally earlier this month that Biden had won against Obama in previous unspecified elections.

His misses aren’t just “slips,” Dr. Segal said, they are “derailments” that are becoming increasingly common and result in major digressions that make no sense.

These “semantic distortions,” the verbal mixing of facts, could be early signs of dementia, he added.

In addition, Dr. Segal, who told DailyMail.com that he has not treated Trump as a patient, said the ex-president’s verbal blunders are examples of phonemic paraphasia, the swapping of words for others that sound the same, which is also an early could be a sign of dementia. .

He told this website: ‘I think the concern is that we are increasingly seeing these slips during rallies that take place at night and last several hours.’

In dementia patients, the symptoms of their condition often become worse at night, which is called ‘sundowning’.

And dr. Segal said Trump’s frequent mistakes as the sun sets during long rallies could be a sign of that.

Dr. John Gartner, a psychologist, said on the David Pakman Show that with regard to Trump, a key sign of cognitive decline is “a lack of awareness that you are experiencing cognitive decline when you make these mistakes and you don’t correct yourself because you are not aware that you have done so” made a mistake.’

On the other hand, experts say, Biden usually acknowledges and corrects his mishaps, such as when he said inflation was linked to “a war in Iraq” but quickly clarified: “Excuse me, the war in Ukraine.”

However, there have been several occasions when his blunders have gone unnoticed, such as when he misidentified Laken Riley, a student who was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant, or when he confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt.

And doctors have previously told DailyMail.com that the president should undergo dementia tests because of his pattern of confusion, confusion and a damning report from Special Counsel Robert Hur that called him a “well-meaning, older man with a poor memory.”

Dr. Gartner called the situation “a tale of two brains,” claiming, “Biden’s brain is aging. Trump’s brain is developing dementia.’

Dr. Landsverk, who is currently medical director of two dementia care facilities, told DailyMail.com that Biden’s verbal blunders may be the result of his lifelong battle with stuttering being exacerbated by his age.

She said: ‘He overcame this problem in part by making a conscious effort to slow his speech, which may give the false impression that he may be suffering from another, more serious problem.

‘He occasionally has trouble remembering names and dates, but that is quite common as we get older. What ultimately matters is what is said.

“If you take ‘style’ out of the equation and focus solely on the substance of his comments, Biden delivers clear, well-thought-out comments, often laced with humor.”

These experts are far from the only ones sounding the alarm about Trump. More than 1,800 medical and mental health professionals have signed the petition: “Our diagnostic impression of Trump is probably dementia.”

In addition to cognitive signs, the ex-president shows that Dr. Elisabeth Zoffmann, a forensic psychiatrist, told Salon noticed a change in his gait and movement after he developed a wide stance and swing in his right leg.

She believes Trump suffers from behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a progressive disease that causes changes in personality and behavior and a malfunction of the neural circuits in the brain that control cognition, emotions and decision-making.

Dr. Landsverk, also author of “Living in the Moment – ​​​​A Guide To Overcoming Challenges and Finding Moments of Joy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias,” agreed: “Dementia-related gait changes (DRGC) – a condition characterized by a dramatic slowdown in speed, shorter steps and an increased need for support – are directly linked to the decline in cognitive function.”

Dr. Zoffmann said the former leader should be assessed by experts specializing in (bvFTD).

While more people are now speaking out about Trump’s health, the focus on Biden’s ability to lead is unlikely to disappear before the election.

Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internist in New York, told DailyMail.com that a cognitive test for the president was “long overdue.”

He said: ‘If you want to prove to the public (that he is mentally and physically healthy), you have to show them.

‘You have the top job in the country… you have to be able to produce.’

Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the right-wing Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, also told this website: “Speaking as a citizen who watches him speak and observes the blunders, I have reason to be very concerned.

“The person who is commander-in-chief of our armed forces and who makes very crucial decisions about every second of our lives may not know what he is doing.”

She called for “basic cognitive testing” to be conducted and made public.

However, the ages of both candidates must be taken into account, as Dr Landsverk told this website: ‘Both Biden and Trump are of advanced age and we know that the likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia increases as we get older – there is a incidence of 10 percent. among those over 65 and at the age of 85 this rises to 50 percent.’

She added: ‘A general slowdown in functioning is common as we get older. What is not normal is when we begin to experience significant disruptions in our thinking, remembering, learning, reasoning, and habitual behavior patterns.

“If these interruptions start to disrupt our daily lives, you could be suffering from dementia.”