Trump ghostwriter asked to explain president's new habit of slurring: 'We don't know, it might be early dementia'

Appearing on MSNBC's "AM Joy" on Sunday morning, the ghostwriter of Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal" was asked about the president's new habit of slurring his words and what it says about his current state.

After sharing clips of the president having trouble speaking when addressing the country on the killing of Iranian military head Qassem Suliemani, host Joy Reid asked author Tony Schwartz if he had ever seen Trump have that much trouble speaking.

"So, the slurring, I've noticed it," host Reid began. "A lot of other reporters have noticed it as they posted about his speeches. He seems to be slurring more and more. did he speak that way when.."

"Oh, my gosh, no," Schwartz interrupted. "That is a dramatic shift. He was reasonably articulate when I knew him. He was -- first of all, he was not -- his nervous system was not so intensely aroused and activated as it is right now. The more activated you become, the harder it is to speak clearly and simply."

"I think this is a man who is so in fight-or-flight all the time, that it's influencing him," he continued. "I also think it might be -- we don't know about this -- but it might be a function of his age. It might be early dementia, all of those are possible and you have to throw in ADD that he can't keep track of what's on his mind and so he gets ahead of it and loses the words."

"His father had suffered from dementia," host Reid pressed. "Was it about at the age he did now?"

"His father didn't get dementia yeah until significantly older than Trump is now. Alzheimer's technically is what he had, but same net result," the author replied.

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