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Donald Trump recently made headlines when a reporter humorously highlighted a slip-up during an interview about his health. On television, the reporter remarked, “In the course of the interview, Trump seemingly forgot the word—believe it or not—Alzheimer’s. He struggled to recall the term while trying to use it in a sentence.”
The context of this moment unfolded as Trump spoke about his father, Frederick Trump, in an interview with New York magazine. He mentioned that his father had lived to the age of 93 but experienced Alzheimer’s disease in his later years. Trump recounted, “He had one problem, at a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting, what do they call it?” At this point, Trump reportedly gestured to his head and turned to his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, for assistance.
Leavitt prompted him with the term Alzheimer’s, to which Trump responded, “Like an Alzheimer’s thing. Well, I don’t have it… I don’t think about it at all. You know why? Because whatever it is, my attitude is whatever.”
Trump went on to assure the publication of his good health, emphasizing that he’s in “great shape” and pointing out that his mother and her family lived well into their 90s. The reporter then touched on concerns about marks seen on Trump’s hand, which Trump explained were “only from shaking hands.”
To further address these concerns, Trump had his lead physician, Captain Sean Barbaella, present to confirm his explanation. Barbaella affirmed, “Absolutely, I’ve seen the president shaking hands for over an hour.” Trump then displayed his other hand, noting it was “perfect.”
The reporter then laughed as she reflected on Trump’s defensive statements and shared an influx of footage of him appearing to “fall asleep” in various interviews. In the interview, he said: “It’s boring as hell. I have to sit back and listen and I move my hand so that people will know I’m listening. I’m hearing every word, and I can’t wait to get out.”
White House officials also told the magazine: “It’s not dozing, sometimes if he’s thinking about something – and I made that mistake at first too – he adopts a post. He leans back or leans forward a little bit, and he either closes his eyes or looks down – because he often takes notes in his lap.”
The press secretary also added that he is “actively listening”.