U.S. President Donald Trump looks at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as they speak with the media at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport on the day of the opening of a temporary migrant detention center informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
During Joe Biden's four years in the White House, MAGA Republicans repeatedly questioned his physical and mental fitness. Donald Trump often described Biden as "Sleepy Joe," insisting that unlike the then-president, he was in excellent health and had a very high IQ.
Yet Trump isn't known for having a healthy lifestyle. In April, Newsweek reported that he weighed 224 pounds, and he is known for heavy consumption of fast food (including McDonalds and KFC) and Diet Coke.
In an article published on July 3, Salon's Brian Karem reports that MAGA insiders, behind closed doors, are expressing concerns about Trump's health — but are afraid to say so publicly.
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"Donald Trump's latest activities have even some in his administration worried about his physical and mental health," Karem explains. "Mind you, no one wants to talk about it openly — though there are a few who will spend the holiday break speculating. A member of Trump's team bluntly told me, 'I'd lose my job if I talked about this publicly. Or worse.'"
Karem continues, "The causes for concern, according to a couple of members of Trump's circle, are his recent lackluster public appearances, his gait, his apparent befuddlement, his propensity to govern via Truth Social postings, his sloppy attire and his lack of engagement at the White House with others."
Trump, during his first presidency, was known for rambling during press conferences. But GOP insiders, according to Karem, fear that his mental state is getting worse.
"The time to question Trump's sanity might just be in our rearview mirror, as is the time to say that we're in a constitutional crisis," Karem laments. "The Constitution has been shredded, and Trump is openly cheering its destruction. His sanity looks long gone, and that doesn't bode well for the country since there's absolutely no chance the sycophants in his Cabinet will invoke the 25th Amendment. The Democrats only wish they had that decent of a chance to get him impeached and convicted."
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Karem argues that Trump "acts like" he is "insane" at times, but other times, "does not."
"Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill promises to spend billions on his favorite masked ICE officers, who will act as his private army, and on detention facilities that are de facto concentration camps," Karem warns. "That isn't necessarily the work of someone suffering a mental decline; it could just be the work of a conniving authoritarian. And that, at the end of the day, is the greatest cause for concern as we celebrate our nation's birthday: Are we in the grip of a president suffering from dementia, or is he a conniving dictator, or is he both? The answer may be as ugly as the question."
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Brian Karem's full article for Salon is available at this link.