Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist and niece of President Donald Trump, delivered stark warnings about her uncle’s mental state during a November 17 interview on The Daily Beast Podcast with Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles. The 79-year-old president, she claims, is exhibiting the same cognitive decline symptoms she witnessed in his father, Fred Trump Sr., who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
Fred Trump Sr. was diagnosed with mild senile dementia, according to medical records cited during the podcast. Reports indicate the elder Trump died at age 93 on June 25, 1999, after being hospitalized with pneumonia.
“There are times I look at him and I see my grandfather,” Mary Trump explained during the interview. She described observing the same look of confusion in both men, noting that the president does not always seem oriented to time and place, and his short-term memory appears to be deteriorating.
As the daughter of Donald Trump’s late older brother, Fred Trump Jr., Mary Trump has unique insight into the family’s medical history. She told Coles that both her grandfather and grandmother had dementia, establishing a clear pattern of the condition running in the Trump family. While acknowledging she is a clinical psychologist rather than a neuropsychologist, she said she possesses sufficient expertise to assess certain kinds of neurological disorders.
Mary Trump recounted watching Fred Sr.’s decline beginning in the early 1990s, starting with small lapses that escalated into larger ones. By the time the family began spending Easter at Mar-a-Lago to keep him out of public view, he was no longer recognizing people, including his granddaughter. She recalled standing with him when he stopped knowing who she was, describing a painful moment when her grandfather no longer recognized her.
The psychologist described a “deer in the headlights” look her grandfather often displayed during those years, which she now sees in the president. She told the podcast that the president’s lifelong impulse-control problems are also deteriorating. Mary Trump suggested this look reflects moments when her uncle appears unable to believe what he has said, as if he doesn’t know who he’s talking to or where he is.
Beyond cognitive symptoms, Mary Trump pointed to behavioral patterns she finds concerning. The president’s increasing obsession with wealth, which she characterized as pathological, mirrors her grandfather’s unraveling. She cited his grasping nature and desperate need to surround himself with excessively wealthy people, noting his alignment with mega-wealthy donors and cryptocurrency ventures.
Mary Trump also addressed the president’s treatment of his father during Fred Sr.’s illness. She described his behavior as despicable, saying he treated his grandfather like an annoyance and wanted nothing to do with him. Despite Fred Sr. never forgetting Donald, she said her uncle would leave the room, ignore him, and had no use for him whatsoever.
The psychologist suggested the president is battling with his mortality, appearing deeply uncertain and seemingly reckoning with the possibility that he may not be immortal after all. She argued that his defense mechanisms around preventing himself and others from knowing the reality about him are weakening, warning that all this deterioration is happening kind of at the same time.
Mary Trump is not the only family member raising concerns. Fred C. Trump III told People magazine that he sees a parallel decline, stating that like anyone else, he has seen his uncle’s decline in parallel with the way his grandfather’s decline was. He added that anyone claiming dementia did not run in the Trump family is simply not telling the truth.
When approached for comment on Mary Trump’s claims about the president’s mental acuity, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung offered a dismissive response. He told The Daily Beast that Mary Trump is a “stone-cold loser who doesn’t have a clue about anything.”
The interview adds to ongoing public discourse about presidential health and fitness for office, particularly as the demanding nature of the presidency requires sustained mental acuity and the ability to handle complex situations requiring quick decision-making. Questions about cognitive health in older political leaders have become increasingly common in recent years, with supporters and critics on both sides of the political aisle scrutinizing public appearances and communication patterns for signs of decline.
The president and his administration have consistently rejected suggestions of cognitive decline, maintaining that he remains fully capable of executing the duties of his office. The White House has not provided detailed medical records or independent neurological assessments addressing the specific concerns raised by family members.
