Donald Trump is “haunted” by the prospect of facing the same cognitive decline that affected his father, according to a pointed analysis shared on MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime.
Timothy L. O’Brien, senior executive editor at Bloomberg Opinion, joined the program’s second-ever episode to unpack Trump’s recent comments about wanting a third term in office, something barred by the U.S. Constitution.
O’Brien, a long-time Trump observer, said the former president is largely driven by either “self-aggrandizement” or “self-preservation,” and suggested that while Trump might fantasize about staying in power indefinitely, he doubts he’ll actually pursue another term.
“He’d love to live until he’s 300,” O’Brien joked. “And he’d probably like to be president for 200 of those years.”
But at 78, Trump is not immune to the passage of time. “What struck me, watching that clip, was just how much Donald Trump has aged,” said O’Brien. “When we talk about what might stand in the way of a third term, yes, there are voters, and yes, the 22nd Amendment, but there’s also the reality that he turns 79 in June.”
Though the Constitution bars anyone from being elected president more than twice, O’Brien said Trump’s health, especially his fear of mental decline, is a more pressing issue, per The Washington Post.
“He lives in fear of following the same path his father did, from dementia to Alzheimer’s,” he said. “It’s a burden he’s carried for a long time.”
Fred Trump, a successful real estate developer, died in 1999 at age 93 after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s. He had first been diagnosed with dementia in 1991 but continued to work well into his decline. “He came into the office every day until the day he went to the hospital,” recalled family friend Richard Levy.
O’Brien noted that Donald Trump rarely addresses the topic, in part because of the political risk. He has repeatedly mocked former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, making any public acknowledgment of his own concerns tricky. But, O’Brien added, those close to Trump have noticed the signs.
“Compare him now to Trump 1.0, the speech is more slurred, the posture is slouched, the energy seems drained,” O’Brien observed. “I question how much genuine enthusiasm he has left for the job, beyond the fact that it keeps him out of prison and in the spotlight.”
Trump’s nephew, Fred C. Trump III, echoed similar sentiments in an interview last year with People, saying he’s seen signs of mental decline in his uncle that feel eerily familiar.
“Like anyone else, I’ve noticed the shift,” said Fred, 61. “And I see it unfolding in a way that’s very similar to how my grandfather declined. Anyone claiming dementia isn’t in the Trump family is ignoring the truth.”
