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The Atlantic: Trump's Repetitive Speech Is a Bad Sign
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/09/trump-harris-debate-cognitive-decline/679803/-paywall-
If the debate was a cognitive test, the former president failed.
By Richard A. Friedman September 12, 2024, 6 AM ET
Specifically, the debate serves as an evaluation of the candidates’ mental flexibility under pressure—their capacity to deal with uncertainty and the unforeseen. Just to be clear: Although I am a psychiatrist, I am not offering any specific medical diagnoses for any public figure. I have never met or examined either candidate. But I watched the debate with particular attention to the candidates’ vocabulary, verbal and logical coherence, and ability to adapt to new topics—all signs of a healthy brain. Although Kamala Harris certainly exhibited some rigidity and repetition, her speech remained within the normal realm for politicians, who have a reputation for harping on their favorite talking points. By contrast, Donald Trump’s expressions of those tendencies were alarming. He displayed some striking, if familiar, patterns that are commonly seen among people in cognitive decline.