Military historian Antony Beevor said that President Donald Trump is showing increasing signs of dementia. He remarked that Trump’s inner circle is totally incapable of controlling him. These comments came during an interview published by The Times as Beevor promoted his new book on Rasputin and the fall of Russia’s Romanov dynasty.
Beevor, known for his histories like Stalingrad and Berlin: The Downfall 1945, criticized Trump’s recent remarks about NATO allies and the war in Afghanistan. He called them utterly outrageous. In the interview, Beevor mentioned that Trump’s claim about NATO troops staying a little off the front lines during the conflict shocked the U.S. military. He added that it was a good thing because it served as a wake-up call for the American military.
Trump’s comments about allied forces drew criticism in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Trump should apologize for what he termed insulting and frankly appalling comments. He pointed out the 457 British service members who died in Afghanistan. NATO invoked its collective defense clause after the September 11, 2001, attacks when allied forces joined U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
A Reuters report on the dispute noted that junior British minister Stephen Kinnock called Trump’s remarks deeply disappointing. He highlighted casualty figures from several NATO nations during the Afghanistan mission, including British, Canadian, French, and Danish troops.
In The Times interview, Beevor stated that mending Washington’s relationship with NATO might take years. He predicted that it would require at least two more administrations before things could return to anything resembling normal. He noted that the damage is serious.
Beevor also addressed domestic politics in the United States by discussing the dangers associated with Trump’s leadership. He said there are several dangers, one being the increasing signs of dementia and the inability of his entourage to control him.
Beevor described an exchange he claimed occurred between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2019 G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Only the two leaders and their interpreters were present. Beevor noted that Trump boasted about his support for Israel, and that Putin joked the country should be renamed after Trump. “Trump thought about this for a few moments quite seriously, then said, ‘No, I think that would be going a bit far,’” Beevor recalled.
Beevor argued that modern international relations have become unusually dependent on the decisions of one leader. He said, “I don’t think anybody has had as much centralized power as Trump.” He compared this situation with earlier times when U.S. presidents needed sustained bipartisan support for major wartime decisions.
The interview came as Beevor discussed his book, Rasputin: And the Downfall of the Romanovs. Publishers describe it as an examination of how myth, scandal, and court politics weakened the legitimacy of Tsar Nicholas II’s government in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. The publisher’s listing shows a hardback publication date of March 10, 2026.
Beever joins a chorus of medical professionals who believe the president has shown signs of dementia, which his father suffered from. However, he has not been diagnosed with the condition and continues to claim he is in great health.
