Speculation over the declining health and stamina of President Donald Trump is producing new conspiracies, most recently in the wake of a "bizarre" weekend text message Q&A with CNN, The Independentreports.
In addition to increasing incidents of Trump's slurring his words, giving low-energy speeches and hiding bruises on his hands with mismatched makeup, observers have noticed a new development that points to other health concerns.
In what appeared to be a text message interview on CNN Sunday, "State of the Union" host Jake Tapper initiated a Q&A session using pre-written questions — and answers — which appeared on the screen.
For example, in response to Tapper's question asking 'What happens if Hamas tries to hold on to power in Gaza?' Trump responded by writing: “Complete Obliteration!”
Another question asked if Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is correct to question Hamas’ sincerity because the terror organization has not addressed demands that it disarm under the plan, Trump replied: “We will find out. Only time will tell!”
Tapper continued a visual presentation of "purported text messages from the president," closing with a question about how Trump believes the now six-day government shutdown will end. According to Tapper, Trump replied: “Good, we are winning, and cutting costs, big time!”
And though the CNN host did not explain how these texts' authenticity were verified, close observers noted that Trump, though a fan of social media, "is not known to be a frequent user of his phone’s text message capacity."
The president also, says The Independent, "eschews email and other written forms of communication and during his first term, he openly complained when attorneys working for his administration took notes during meetings."
This "unconventional" use of text messages to respond to a journalist's questions, The Independent notes, only sparks more curiosity about Trump's declining health, marked by recent episodes of slurred speech, difficulty walking, and a notable cut back in public appearances.
Trump, who turns 80 in July, is the oldest sitting president in United States history. According to YouGov, Americans are more likely to say he is suffering a cognitive decline and less likely to say he is not (49 percent vs. 33 percent).
A majority of Americans, 59 percent, think Trump is suffering a modest or significant physical decline, while only 25 percent think he is not experiencing any physical decline.
"If a patient presented to me with the verbal incoherence, tangential thinking and repetitive speech that Trump now regularly demonstrates, I would almost certainly refer them for a rigorous neuropsychiatric evaluation to rule out a cognitive illness," said Richard A Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry and the director of the psychopharmacology clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College.