An expert Thursday warned that President Donald Trump's health has started to rapidly deteriorate as questions increase over his mental capacity and ability to lead, according to reports.
Dr. John Gartner, psychologist, psychiatrist, and a former assistant professor at John Hopkins Medical School, told British publication The i Paper that there have been increased concerns over the president's health and suggested signs of cognitive decline.
“The main way to diagnose dementia is that we see a deterioration from someone’s own baseline in these four areas: language, memory, behavior, and psychomotor performance,” Gartner said.
“He’s deteriorated since his last administration noticeably but now we’re seeing deterioration almost week over week. The rate of decline is accelerating,” Gartner said.
Trump has made several statements, including his mix-up over Iceland and Greenland, among other comments that have led to further unease around his health.
“The high-pressure job can also accelerate cognitive dysfunction,” Gartner added.
The White House has said that the 79-year-old president has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency — this can cause swollen ankles — and also stated that the president's frequent hand shaking has caused hand bruising.
And while medical professionals have cautioned against diagnosing Trump based on his family history or jumping to any conclusions around his health, the increased signs have drawn health experts to consider "the wider state of his health" as Trump pushes to threaten military takeovers and his "military adventurism" with Venezuela.
"While this form does not produce the same level of memory decay as Alzheimer’s, it does produce tremendous disinhibition of behavior because it’s the frontal lobes that are the brakes of the brain. So that’s what inhibits us from acting out,'" Gartner told The i Paper.
“Part of his brain [appears to be] deteriorating disproportionately so he’s losing the brakes and this is someone who was always impulsive and always acted out aggressively… Whilst he’s becoming confused about what’s happening, he’s also becoming aggressively disinhibited to act in impulsive and erratic ways," Gartner said.