IS TRUMP IN COGNITIVE DECLINE?
The view from inside is that the president has been slipping
Seymour Hersh
Oct 07, 2025
Perseveration is a medical term used in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and speech-language pathology to describe a particular response such as a phrase that is repeated or a gesture that is inappropriate. It’s a symptom most commonly seen in patients who have PTSD, autism, traumatic brain injury, or dementia. I thought of the term, which I heard many times over several years when a close relative was experiencing the degeneration of dementia, while viewing President Donald Trump’s seventy-one minute speech to an estimated eight hundred US military leaders who were assembled, for reasons still not clear, at the order of Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard reserve major who is now the secretary of war, at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, on September 30.
After a rah-rah opening speech by Hegseth, the president delivered his usual mixture of personalized history and complaints—most notably, he has repeatedly claimed credit for solving international crises that he did not solve—that some of his close aides in the White House understand to be yet another sign of his increasing mental disorganization and inability to focus at high-level meetings.
Most significantly, I was told, Trump, always masterful in dealing with crowds, large or small, is no longer able to “read the room”—quickly size up the audience and let his instincts as a showman take over and get the audience engaged. It would have been refreshing, and perhaps unprecedented, for Trump to outline his views on foreign policy and give the assembled generals and admirals a chance to ask questions of their president. Instead, they got a reprise of Trump’s greatest triumphs. The president returned to one of his most misguided views—that of himself as a settler of wars. “I have settled so many wars since we’re here,” he said. “I’ve settled seven and yesterday we might have settled the biggest of them all,” referring to ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas. “Although,” Trump added, “I don’t know. Pakistan, India, was very big, both nuclear powers. I settled that.” There have been many newspaper reports from around the world disputing Trump’s accounts of the issues at hand, as well as his definition of what it means to “settle” a conflict.
seymourhersh.substack.com
He shows signs of over-reliance on ADHD medication as stimulants imo.
High doses or misuse of Adderall can cause a "paradoxical" effect where, instead of increasing focus, it impairs concentration and causes confusion. This happens because excessive amounts of the stimulant over-activate the central nervous system, disrupting the brain's delicate chemical balance.
Symptoms of excessive Adderall
Inability to focus is just one symptom of taking too much Adderall. Other signs of overstimulation or overdose include:
- Mental and psychological effects:
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Irritability and mood swings
- Restlessness and agitation
- Confusion and paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Physical effects:
- Rapid and irregular heartbeat
- High blood pressure
- Tremors or uncontrolled shaking
- Dizziness and headaches
- Nausea and stomach cramps
- Excessive sweating
- Rapid breathing
Why excessive Adderall impairs focus
Adderall works by increasing the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, which helps to regulate attention and behavior in individuals with ADHD. However, at high doses, this effect becomes counterproductive.
- Overwhelming dopamine: Excess dopamine can overwhelm the brain's reward system, leading to euphoria, irritability, and restlessness, rather than calm focus.
- Worsened brain fog: High doses can cause "brain fog" and "zombie-like" feelings, even in people who previously responded well to the medication.
- Intense anxiety: The heightened alertness can escalate into anxiety and panic, making it impossible to concentrate on a single task.
- Sleep deprivation: Insomnia is a common side effect of too much Adderall, and sleep deprivation alone can cause significant problems with concentration.
- Rebound and withdrawal: After the drug wears off, the brain's natural ability to produce dopamine is diminished, causing a "crash" with symptoms like extreme fatigue, depression, and poor concentration.
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