Overlooked clip shows Trump exhibiting ‘potential seizure activity’: clinical psychologist
An overlooked video clip recorded during the RNC midterm convention this week appears to show President Donald Trump exhibiting “potential seizure activity,” according to Georgia-based clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. John Paul Garrison.
At 80 years old, Trump has faced mounting questions regarding his physical and mental health, with onlookers observing a number of potentially troubling symptoms in recent months, including apparent facial drooping, severe bruising and swollen ankles. Some medical experts, including Bruce Davidson, a prominent clinical professor of medicine at Washington State University, believe Trump may have suffered a stroke.
Analyzing footage from this week’s RNC midterm convention in a video published Friday, Garrison first noted what he described as a “very strong, involuntary jerk that moves [Trump's] entire body,” though clarified that his observations were merely his own opinions, and not a “psychological evaluation.”
“I've shown many times that his arm has a tendency to spasm now, and this is what we call myoclonus, an involuntary jerk that happens very quickly,” Garrison said.
“What that means is there is some abnormal activity somewhere in his motor nervous system. There are a wide variety of neurological conditions that cause myoclonic activity, but as you can see, this is distinctly involuntary.”
In the clip, Trump can be heard criticizing Democrats for having “voted against proof of citizenship,” and, as noted by Garrison, Trump’s entire body and raised arm jerks abruptly to his left for a brief moment.
“You can even hear it in his voice,” Garrison said. “It pushed him so hard that you can actually hear it when he said 'against.'”
Skipping ahead in the RNC footage, Garrison later flagged what he said “appears to be potential seizure activity.”
In the clip, Trump is seen standing with his arms by his sides as balloons fall around him in what Garrison described as a “highly stimulating situation.”
“There's [a] right arm jerk, quickly followed by him baring his teeth, and if you watch right here, you see his mouth droop to the right,” Garrison said.
“Now, something simple like myoclonic activity shouldn't go through the body in that way, that's something more complex, that's more consistent with seizure activity because you're seeing it spread. And the smile he had before is completely gone.”
Garrison’s analysis is consistent with remarks from Davidson, the aforementioned clinical professor of medicine, who in January said that he believed Trump suffered a “stroke on the left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body.”