Forensic psychiatrist fears Trump’s 'changes in gait' may signal a form of 'dementia'

25 March 2024

Consumers of right-wing media, including Fox News, have been inundated with commentary on 81-year-old President Joe Biden's mental acuity, many of which conflate his occasional gaffes (the result of a speech impediment he has fought hard to overcome) with senility while depicting the 77-year-old Donald Trump as youthful and energetic.

But Fox News and Newsmax hosts typically ignore Trump's gaffes, including a speech in which he confused former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

Meanwhile, Salon's Chauncy DeVega has written a series of articles on Trump's mental state, and some of the medical professionals he has interviewed have even alleged that he is showing signs of dementia.

For an article published on March 25, DeVega interviewed Dr. Elizabeth Zoffman, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia. And she shared her observations about Trump.

According to DeVega, "The former president appears to be suffering from behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia, Dr. Zoffman concludes, and needs to be evaluated by neurologists who specialize in the condition."

Zoffman told DeVega that the things she is observing with Trump include "changes in speech patterns with many fewer and simpler words" and "difficulty pronouncing words" as well as "frequent repetition of words and phrases as if his mind is stuck in a loop."

The forensic psychiatrist also told DeVega that she is noticing "changes in movement and gait" and "changes in judgment and impulse control."

"My clinical experience and these collected observations are congruent with the diagnostic criteria for behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia (FTD)," Zoffman told DeVega. "People presenting with such a cluster of observations should undergo expert assessment. This diagnosis is often largely based on external observations and collateral reporting from others close to the person."

Zoffman added, "Early in the disease, the individual may be aware of changes, but as frontal lobe deterioration progresses the capacity for self-awareness diminishes."

Read Chauncey DeVega's full report for Salon at this link.

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