Trump can’t remember the word ‘Alzheimer’s’ when describing his dad’s health problems

President Donald Trump couldn’t remember the word “Alzheimer’s” while trying to describe his father’s health problems, a new report reveals.

During a lengthy interview about his health with New York Magazine, Trump, 79, struggled to remember the term while speaking about his father, Fred Trump, who died in 1999 at 93. Trump told the outlet his father had a “heart that couldn’t be stopped” and almost no health problems — except for one.

“At a certain age, about 86, 87, he started getting, what do they call it?” Trump asked, pointing to his forehead and looking toward White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Alzheimer’s,” Leavitt replied.

“Like an Alzheimer’s thing. Well, I don’t have it,” Trump added.

open image in gallery

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that destroys cognitive skills, including thinking and reasoning, according to the National Institute on Aging. An estimated six million Americans over the age of 65 may have the disease.

Trump repeatedly emphasized he’s in “perfect” health as New York Magazine pressed him on the issue. They were joined in the Oval Office by two doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and his press secretary.

“These are two doctors,” Trump told New York Magazine. “And by the way, I don’t know them, they’re not my best friends. They’re respected doctors that practice out of Walter Reed. And they happen to be taking care of me for anything — but I don’t need any taking care of because I’m in perfect health.”

At one point, Trump turned to the doctors in the room and asked: “Real fast, is my health perfect?”

“Your health is excellent, sir,” replied Colonel James Jones, a physician’s assistant with a PhD in health science.

open image in gallery

Questions about Trump’s physical and mental health have mounted after he became the oldest president to be sworn into office at 78 years old (while former President Joe Biden was sworn in at the same age, Trump was older by about five months).

Trump will turn 80 on June 14.

One issue that has drawn concern is the bruising on Trump’s right hand, which has been repeatedly photographed throughout the last year. Dr. Sean Barbabella, Trump’s physician, has attributed it to frequent hand-shaking and aspirin intake.

Trump was also pictured with bruising on his left hand last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. At the time, Leavitt claimed the bruise formed after Trump “hit his hand on the corner of the signing table.”

open image in gallery

Trump also raised eyebrows in October after he told reporters he got an MRI but did not initially reveal why or what part of his body was imaged. The White House later said Trump underwent “standard” cardiovascular and abdominal checks, and that the results were “perfectly normal.”

But when asked about the scan, Jones told New York Magazine that Trump didn’t actually get an MRI. “We did a computerized tomography exam of his chest and his abdomen. It’s MRI-like,” he said.

“And not for any reason,” Trump interjected. “It’s because the machine was sitting there, I’m sitting right next to it.”

“The reason for the imaging, as routine as we stated, is that any patient his age could have things, and we ruled them out,” Jones added. “The story should be about the fact that the results were, uh, perfect. They did not demonstrate any problems.”

The White House also revealed last year Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that occurs when blood vessels in the leg are damaged, causing blood to pool and swelling.

Some have also questioned Trump’s mental fitness and erratic behavior, according to New York Magazine. The outlet reports these concerns have particularly mounted in the last month, as Trump called for the U.S. acquire Greenland (and even mistakenly referred to the territory as Iceland).

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told NBC News in November the president’s “mental capacity” should be cause for concern.

“I think the mental capacity, again, ranting, you know, crazily at midnight on Thanksgiving about everything else, there are reasons for us to be concerned. This is a guy that randomly says the airspace over Venezuela is closed. He's ruminating on if you could win a nuclear war,” Walz said.

For his part, Trump frequently boasts that he has “aced” cognitive tests while in the White House.

“I've taken now three cognitive tests. I've aced every single one of them,” the president claimed last month.