Dementia Symptoms: Do President Trump, Clinton, Or Bush Show Any Signs?

Dementia is defined as a chronic disorder that affects thousands of Americans, but is it affecting any of our living presidents such as George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or Donald Trump?

Although many Americans were delighted to see George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at the inauguration of Donald Trump, there are some that are wondering if the former and present presidents have signs of dementia.

While many mentions of dementia in reference to Donald Trump, George W. Bush, or Bill Clinton are speculation, the accusations are usually an attempt to explain their odd actions, words, or general behavior.

As it appears, part of the reason dementia might be used as a reference is due to the commonality of the disease. For example, IB Times reported that dementia has overtaken heart disease as a leading cause of death.

In late 2016, data from the Office of National Statistics in the U.K. stated that over 61,000 people died from dementia and this included Alzheimer’s.

One of the main reasons a mental disorder like dementia causes death is due to the decline in physical agility that is a marker of the condition. This leads to patient injury and death because falling down often is associated with dementia.

There are a lot of treatments that attempt to delay or cure dementia, and sometimes what works is not expected. For example, the most recent studies about dementia on Google Scholar state that using a sauna is linked to reduced risk of dementia in men. Wort stated the following.

“Those who took a sauna four to seven times a week were 66 percent less likely to be diagnosed with any form of dementia and 65 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease than those taking a sauna once a week.”

There are also questions about whether certain medications can mask the signs of dementia. For example, there were accusations that there was a link between xanax and dementia. Nevertheless, according to a Forbes report from 2016, this xanax and dementia link was disproven.

Interestingly, the present and former presidents of America are often evaluated to see if they are showing symptoms of dementia. For example, a fan wrote in July 2016 a letter to the editor of Buffalo News that they were suspicious that Bill Clinton was showing symptoms of dementia after a public event.

There have also been accusations that former President George W. Bush has dementia. Express News reports that this was speculated after George W. Bush started dancing on the stage during a funeral for slain Dallas, Texas, police officers in July 2016.

At the time, opinions collected from social media about George W. Bush’s odd behavior included that he was using drugs, had a hangover, had been drinking alcohol, or was showing symptoms of dementia.

In addition to his son, former president George H.W. Bush is also speculated to have dementia. Radar Online reported in 2014 that George H.W. Bush saw Michelle Obama and did not seem to grasp who exactly she was. The former president was 90 years old at the time, and some media sources stated they thought he might be showing signs of dementia.

There have been multiple speculations about Donald Trump and his psychology in the year before his election as president, and dementia was one of the accusations from the public.

The Frisky wrote in September 2016 that it appeared Donald Trump was showing symptoms of dementia, and gave eight examples including his late-night “Twitter storms,” his lack of empathy, and generally getting facts or dates confused.

Despite the allegations that these former and current presidents have dementia, there are no official statements to confirm that George H.W. Bush, George Bush, Bill Clinton, or Donald Trump have been diagnosed with dementia or a related condition such as Alzheimer’s.

Regardless, the public may be quick to make snap judgments about a president having dementia because there is evidence that it is as common as heart disease. On the other hand, diagnosing a male president with dementia might be difficult because it is generally underdiagnosed in men.

Telegraph reported in mid-2016 that men are more likely to keep their memory sharp despite having dementia and instead tend to get diagnosed by their atypical symptoms.

Of course, part of the reason that Americans might be suspicious about a president hiding the fact that they have dementia is due to President Ronald Reagan.

It was revealed to the American public by his son and wife after he was president that the rumors were true, and Reagan was dealing with dementia symptoms as early as the third year of his eight-year presidency, according to Newsweek.

[Feature Image by Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images]