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Reigniting a debate around Donald Trump’s health and cognitive sharpness, the US President appeared to struggle to recall the word “Alzheimer’s” while discussing his late father’s health, even as he said he was not worried about the neurological disease that destroys memory and thinking skills.
Speaking off the cuff about his family’s medical history in an interview with New York Magazine, the 79-year-old paused mid-sentence while referring to his father Fred Trump’s illness, struggling to remember the term “Alzheimer’s”, as he stressed that he does not have it and that his health is “perfect”.
Trump said 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.
Leavitt replied, “Alzheimer’s.”
“Like an Alzheimer’s thing. Well, I don’t have it,” Trump added.
When asked whether the possibility of a hereditary link concerned him, Trump dismissed the idea. “No, I don’t think about it at all,” he said, adding that his outlook on life shaped his response to such concerns.
Fred Trump, a prominent New York real estate developer, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the early 1990s and lived with the condition for several years before his death in 1999 at the age of 93. The President has previously acknowledged his father’s diagnosis and has often cited it while discussing genetics, longevity and his own emphasis on cognitive testing.
Details from the interview spread rapidly on social media, drawing sharp reactions. Critics questioned whether the hesitation was a simple verbal lapse or indicative of broader cognitive issues, while supporters dismissed it as a common pause in unscripted speech.
The episode comes amid heightened focus on the mental acuity of senior political leaders in the United States. Trump, now the oldest person to serve a second term as President, has repeatedly rejected concerns about his fitness, insisting he is in “excellent” physical and mental health and frequently boasting about having “aced” cognitive assessments.
During the interview, Trump underscored his stamina, claiming he feels “the same as I did 40 years ago.”
The White House moved swiftly to downplay the concerns. Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement that the President remains in “perfect physical and cognitive health,” citing what he described as the work ethic of a “superhuman president”. Press Secretary Leavitt added that Trump routinely works late into the evening and outpaces much of his staff.
A few weeks ago, after a cognitive test, Trump posted on Truth Social: "The White House doctors have just reported that I am in 'PERFECT HEALTH,' and that I 'ACED' (meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my cognitive examination, something which no other president, or previous vice president, was willing to take.
The scrutiny over the US President's health intensified in recent months after a series of public moments -- from stumbling while boarding Air Force One to appearing to doze off during long Cabinet meetings, unexplained bruising on his hands, swelling in his ankles, and a brief disappearance from public view -- triggered widespread online speculation. At one point in August, “Trump Is Dead” trended on social media, prompting the White House to personally reassure people that Trump was alive.
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Published On:
Jan 28, 2026
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