I’ll be kind for a moment and tell a personal story – both my parents’ physical health situations dropped off a cliff in their 60s. My dad always had a bad back, and he moved significantly slower in the last years of his life. My mom has had balance issues for years, and she gets around in a wheelchair now. Sometimes, an older person’s body just starts failing them. Because of those experiences with my folks, my eye will catch on certain people – for example, George Clooney has been living with near-constant back pain for years, and it shows in how he walks, stands and sits. Another example: Donald Trump is not physically or neurologically well. He also has balance issues, I can tell from the way he walks and stands. He cannot sip from a glass of water with one hand. He’s been slurring his words a lot and he speaks slower than he used to, probably because his vision is compromised and he can’t always see the teleprompter. Again, here are the water & ramp videos:
Trump still hasn't totally figured out how to drink water pic.twitter.com/IO8CDXmD9i
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
So this became a larger conversation after Trump’s West Point commencement speech. It probably wouldn’t be so notable if Trump and his people were all Hector Projectors trying to make Joe Biden’s mental acuity and physical stamina into a thing.
President Trump faced new questions about his health on Sunday, after videos emerged of him gingerly walking down a ramp at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and having trouble bringing a glass of water to his mouth during a speech there. Mr. Trump — who turned 74 on Sunday, the oldest a U.S. president has been in his first term — was recorded hesitantly descending the ramp one step at a time after he delivered an address to graduating cadets at the New York-based academy on Saturday. The academy’s superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, walked alongside him. Mr. Trump sped up slightly for the final three steps, as he got to the bottom.
Another video circulated of Mr. Trump taking a sip of water from a glass tucked inside his lectern on the dais at West Point. Mr. Trump held the glass with his right hand and brought it to his mouth, but appeared to momentarily have trouble lifting his arm farther. He used his left hand to push the bottom of the glass so that it reached his lips.
Mr. Trump posted defensively on Twitter late Saturday night about the video circulating of his walk, and offered a description that did not match the visuals.
“The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,” Mr. Trump wrote. “The last thing I was going to do is ‘fall’ for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!”
There was no evidence that the ramp was slippery, and the skies were clear during the ceremony.
The videos again raised questions about the health of Mr. Trump, whose advisers have never fully explained his abrupt visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November, saying at the time only that it was intended to get a jump on his annual physical.
The White House doctor released a memo this month that summarized Mr. Trump’s yearly checkup, but provided little information beyond blood pressure (normal) and a description of his course of hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic after the president was exposed to two staff members who tested positive for the coronavirus. The summary was not the customary report released in the past by Mr. Trump and other presidents after a physical.
The president has frequently tried to raise questions about the health and mental fitness of his rivals, while growing indignant when his own is questioned.
Again, a 74 year old man walking gingerly down a ramp is not necessarily cause for concern. But when put together with everything else – the slurring, the weakness in one hand/arm, the slower speech patterns, it all adds up to something. The fact that all of Trump’s doctors are known liars is also problematic, as is the fact that no one knows why he was rushed to the hospital seven months ago.
6 months 28 days since trump was rushed to the hospital without explanation.
Which is in itself an explanation.
— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) June 13, 2020
Whoever came up with #WaterGait is a friggin’ genius… 😈pic.twitter.com/3OUdvKwPrk
— Billy Baldwin (@BillyBaldwin) June 15, 2020
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Wow, this year has been so jam-packed with awful that I flat-out forgot that 45 was rushed to the hospital late last year.
His ass was? When?🤔😁
Stroke out Trump. There would be a riot in the streets that would surpass anything seen in history. 😉
So torn. I want him to have some mental awareness when he gets hauled off to prison, or at least when Ivanka does.
Am torn, too here. Has been the same whenever I wasn’t sure whether I’d like him to catch CoVid or not. Let him have some awareness later when Jared and Ivanka (if not he himself) are hauled off.
After watching TOO many crime dramas, not sure he’ll go to prison if his mental capacities are lacking. We’ll see.
Agreed, Bettyrose, if I thought he was capable of reflection and regret I’d wish that on him. I don’t even know if he would care that much about Ivanka going to jail other than as a personal insult to something that is “his”.
He has no mental awareness now. So don’t expect him to ever gain it or feel it. He’s on so many drugs, there is no way they wouldn’t add morphine to let him go out on a bliss ride.
What I’m torn about is WHEN. I’m leaning towards late September when the GOP will struggle to put together a new candidate and message. Months under Pence would not improve anyone’s situation.
He already lacks mental awareness.
74 y.o. obese man wearing lifts barreling down a ramp in an unsteady manner…sad.
And wearing a girdle while mainlining Adderall and refusing the wear the glasses he so clearly needs. Sad indeed.
And wearing bad makeup. SAD
I’m not sure if this link will work but here’s a totally non-scientific diagnosis, courtesy of Reddit: https://imgur.com/gallery/T8HtK5N
The most annoying part is that *when* he’s voted out (…), his supporters will use whatever illness he does have as the reason why we “shouldn’t go after him, he’s sick, after all.” Ugh.
I pray you’re right about him being voted out but I was thoroughly depressed after reading this Politico article that GOP re-election officials believe he’ll win in a landslide.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/15/trump-glide-reelection-republican-officials-316457
I believe that article is nothing more than propaganda for Trump. The comments section eviscerates him. I speak with real people (not politicians or their reps) who live in CA, NY, AZ, and MI, and their take is very UNfavorable for DT.
They’re from the GOP, of course that’s what they’re going to say.
It is hard to take that article seriously when someone is quoted as saying that they only worry about Trump’s reelection chances if another economic downturn were to happen, but they don’t think it will. We are in a huge economic downturn RIGHT NOW! Worse, a lot of protections from the CARES Act are ending soon or will in the coming months, which will leave millions of people in even more vulnerable positions than they are already in. Some economists forecast a decade of recovery to get out this situation.
The people in this article are delusional and have zero grip on reality.
The ‘subcortical dementia’ of progressive
supranuclear palsy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC494589/pdf/jnnpsyc00188-0001.pdf.
My sister-in-law is a doctor and she’s said for some time that she thinks he had a TIA and that’s why he was rushed to the hospital. In layman’s terms, a TIA is a mini-stroke. The weakness on one side–which is definitely what that water glass was about–is an absolute dead giveaway. The slurring of speech is also a symptom, and gets worse the longer you speak (often described by sufferers as a “thick tongue”). Part of his slowness in speech is due to being too vain to wear the glasses he clearly needs to read the teleprompter, which is not uncommon. Some level of creeping dementia is also pretty clearly present in his extemporaneous speech patterns. This is likely all exacerbated by the Adderall too many people to mention have said the President is addicted to, and has been for years. That addiction is also likely tied in to worsening his sundowning dementia, bringing it on sooner than just age, and perhaps even the suspected TIA, but it also helps mask all those symptoms when he’s up, while making them even worse as it wears off.
I also think that none of this would matter nearly as much if Trump wasn’t a complete lying shitbag trying to accuse his opponent of exactly what he, himself suffers from. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Biden is also showing cognitive and physical signs of his own age, though significantly less so than Trump, which is why I desperately wish we had an under 75 pick for President, but I trust Biden’s judgement, and those of the people he’ll surround himself with, so much more than Trump, it’s not even close. It’s also absolutely ridiculous for Bernie Bros and Trump Cultists to go all-in on their “Dementia Joe” rhetoric when their own candidates aren’t exactly youthful, vibrant and 100% healthy.
What is wrong with this country where the average age of a Senator is 62? And almost half are over the age of 65, with 4 in their 80s.
Vote young people, for the love of all that’s god and not covered in denture cream, VOTE!
Sundowners syndrome might help explain those late night Twitter meltdowns.
I too am down about the age of our nominee. In the end it was down to two very old white guys, let’s be honest. Both too old IMO. I like Biden’s judgement better than Bernie’s. that he’s better than trump is beyond obvious. But…yeah, please, can we have some youth??? I want a youngish VP pick. Please please no 70 yo’s. From the beginning I wanted Beto and Kamala to be the ticket, in any order, though I believe her resume puts her top of ticket. I was really let down, but I never say that on Twitter. It’s done. And Biden is a dream when compared to Trump the nightmare.
I’m still hoping for Kamala as Veep. I hope Beto runs for Senate again and wins.
But who knows? Biden (if elected, which I really believe will happen) may place almost all of the Dem candidates as members of his Cabinet (Liz Warren, Beto, Bernie, Booker, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Yang, etc.–and anyone who worked under Obama and the Clintons); and call it a life (a good one!). So, let the GOP, Teabaggers, AltRight (Haterer Groups, a.k.a. KKKs and Neo-Nazis) steam in their boots! 🤣😀
I’m hoping for Kamala as VP too! 🙂
He takes Adderall? Shouldn’t that make him skinny then?
Wondering whether or not he played golf on his birthday, no pictures, or if he was under medical care, again.
Looking at his schedule, he didn’t leave Bedminster until 5 pm. I assume he did golf, otherwise why not go straight to th he WH after his speech at West Point. JMO.
Anyone else and I would never say anything bad about them but this guy, who poked fun at a reporter with disabilities (and got a laugh from the audience) who said Hilary was dying and responded to sexual assault allegations with a glib “look at her” like she was too unattractive for him to bother, the gloves are off.
I’m with you… And said that John Lewis did nothing… So many things he has done… make the gloves off.
When Biden starts campaigning again he needs to make a point of drinking water with one hand and walking very steadily. He does not have to stoop to Trump’s level to make the point very clear. I wonder how Trump is even going to maintain the 24/7 pace of Presidential campaigning if he is this fragile
The vid of Obama and Joe running in the West Wing has been going around Twitter. Also one of Joe swigging from a water bottle 😂👍🏻
I am side eyeing all this attention to agent orange’s health, what if it is a ploy to get daughter wife to run in 2020? “Trump is stepping back so Ivanka can step into his shoes”….the poor daughter stepping in to save American which was made great by her poor dad who actually did so much that it took a toll on his health.
Am I being paranoid or will this be a flawless segue, look at the symbolism in daughter wife’s commencement speech no one asked for….things that make me go hmmm.
While I do believe Trump is obviously declining health-wise, I’ve often believed the plan was for him to eventually step down do Daughter-Wife and The Boy could take over. From what I’ve read, Jared is the defacto president right now.
Oh definitely they are embiggening Ivanka to be the first female president.
He could run in 2020 with Ivanka as VP, then if he steps down she steps in.
If he dies between now and the election, what would happen? Would Pence (the new incumbent) automatically become the Republican candidate for President? Or could someone else, like Romney, suddenly jump in?
Pence could run, but it would be a disaster as he won’t draw or talk like the crazy, bullying, racist, and misogynistic Drumpf. Pence would garner the straight up Christians though.
Pence would become president until Jan when the next president would step in. I do think Mitt Romney has taken the long view on this game, and why he is trying to indicate he is a “moderate.”
I looked this up: No, Romney (nor anyone else) would be able to just jump in. The RNC would choose a new candidate and that person’s name would go on the ballot. Same thing in the Democratic Party; if their candidate died before the election—the DNC would nominate a new candidate. No primaries. And the election would be held as planned on Nov. 2nd.
exactly – but i expect the GOP would swing away from dead Trump (Pence could’t campaign out of a wet paper bag) and nominate a name with recognition. Especially when those up for election start seeing the fall out in their own campaigns.
When he reads the teleprompter, he is just sounding out words that have no meaning to him, his affect is flat. When he isn’t reading the prepared remarks, his statements are bizarre and rambling, with odd phrases repeated. There is some serious problem there.
At 74, hearing and vision problems are usually present but we’re supposed to believe this man has no problem with either.
But that family will never do what is right for the country or their father. They refuse to give up power.
Pence and every Cabinet member must be asked at every sighting why they haven’t invoked the 25th.
This is just my opinion but I feel that there should be an age limit for all public positions that are held. After the age of 75, I feel that people in an elected office should bot be re-elected. I know there are some very sharp people of that age but the schedule is demanding and a person that is of that age cannot be fully in touch with the younger generation to know their needs and wants.
I completely agree with you. It’s ridiculous. I think 72 should be the absolute cut-off.
Is he still “on the Hydroxy”? What are the other side effects? Everyone focused on the whole death side effect, what other side effects are there?
I’m hoping he’ll hold on with his tiny fingertips until November.
I would dread Pence replacing Trump before November. I believe Pence would be more palatable to people who finally have reached their breaking point with Trump.
I loathe this man but they could have at least provided a ramp with handrails. Also, when I watched the video I was thinking that must be how I look walking down an incline in heels, lol.
I have zero sympathy for him, but I’m wondering if that ramp even met ADA codes. Seems to me they’re required to have handrails.
I’m seeing comments saying “well, he’s still golfing”. When was the last time a real time photo of him swinging a club was taken? Just because he says he is going golfing doesn’t mean he isn’t just having a ride around the course, if even that. He no longer allows photos. After watching him being unable bring a glass to his mouth, and walk down a ramp like a bent over 90 year old, there is no way I would believe he has the ability to take a full swing with a club.
You’ve never been to a golf course, I gather? Particularly one near a retirement community, of which there are thousands? It’s a game you can play even as your physical prowess greatly declines. Those who have golfed with Trump over the years consistently say two things: he cheats like a mofo and he rides the cart literally onto to the green (a huge golfing no-no) to avoid walking even a few feet. And this was back when he was supposedly healthy. Sure he has his own Mr. Smithers out there rushing ahead to move balls and make Dear Leader feel like the goodest golfer ever.
Something else, I just thought of. Back in March when we began the lock downs, Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office. He then gave two subsequent addresses that same week. I recall his right eye wouldn’t open all the way. During the third press conference he gave that week, he wore a hat and appeared to have difficulty keeping his eyes open.
WaterGait. I love it. Are the Dems likely to use this in the run up to the election?
I swear it’s syphillis of the brain. Rotting him throughout like a diseased carcass.
If you compared images of him taken the first of the month every month since January, I think you would see that he has aged significantly and looks particularly unhealthy around the eyes. His eyes are more squinty and bloodshot than they’ve ever been.
First I have to say that “WaterGait” is absolutely brilliant!!
I don’t really have a problem with the ramp walking. I see the orthopedic surgeon in a few weeks as a preface to knee replacement surgery. I hobble up and down stairs but my mental acuity is just fine–I think. The difficulty lifting the glass of water (and the fact this has been happened a number of times on camera) seems to be a neurological issue which is very troubling.
The guy next to him looked to be about the same age (to my eyes), and he had no trouble with the steps. He looked pretty agile to me. I think his gait is as much as a sign as his inability to hold onto a glass.
The ramp thing didn’t really raise many red flags – it was steep and no handrails. But he clearly has medical issues. The water thing has happened more than once, as well as the slanted leaning and slurring words. He for sure has serious issues.
The ramp thing didn’t really raise many red flags – it was steep and no handrails. But he clearly has medical issues. The water thing has happened more than once, as well as the slanted leaning and slurring words. He for sure has serious issues.
I am just waiting for him to face plant in public.
LMAO @ “gingerly” !