Hey, Would Anyone Like to Discuss Donald Trump's Health Issues?

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump appeared to drift off during a televised Cabinet meeting. As cameras focused on him, he seemed to fall asleep mid-session. Though the gathering revolved less around major policy matters and more around the now-routine spectacle of officials competing to lavish praise on him, the moment still raised questions about why even these flattery-filled events cant keep him alert.

Only a short time ago, the possibility of a president displaying signs of cognitive decline was treated as a national crisis. During Joe Bidens presidency, every slip or hesitation drew frantic coverage and self-reflection from reporters who claimed to have missed clear warning signs. Yet much of the media now appears reluctant to apply the same scrutiny to Trump, despite showing similaror worsesymptoms.

This week, The Atlantic published a lengthy piece by Jonathan Lemire describing an increasingly insulated Trump, noting he has sharply reduced speeches, public appearances, and domestic travel compared to his first year in office. The article portrays him as distracted, detached, focused on issues voters dont prioritize, and largely unwilling to confront the nations challenges. Still, the analysis stops short of saying what the details strongly imply: the president seems exhausted, frail, and mentally diminished.

Recent incidents reinforce that impression. Trump has struggled to recall key decisions, such as his pardon of former Honduran president and convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernndez, and even appeared unsure about which part of his body had recently undergone an MRI. Despite this, the broader press has hesitated to treat these moments with the seriousness they once demanded of Biden.

Some outlets are beginning to break from that pattern. The New York Times has cautiously pointed to Trumps advanced age and flagged concerns about his healtha move that prompted an angry post from Trump on Truth Social. The Guardian went further, expressing disbelief that a president who routinely struggles to finish sentences has largely escaped the intense examination Biden faced.

Even when Trumps lapses are acknowledged, the focus rarely turns to the consequences. As The Atlantic briefly noted, Trumps absence from governing leaves a power vacuum increasingly filled by loyalists who enable, rather than restrain, his most extreme impulses. Within the administration are officials accused of abusing their authority, mishandling crises, and embracing hardline nationalist policies while operating with little oversight.

Warnings of this dynamic long predated Trumps return to office. Watching Trumps rally at Madison Square Garden before the 2024 election, The New Republics Matt Ford described it as a revival of the darkest impulses in American politicsa movement eager to use federal power for punitive and divisive ends. Those concerns now appear prophetic: with Trump disengaged, his most aggressive allies have freer rein than ever.

Whatever criticisms may be leveled at Bidens team, his administration was not dominated by figures intent on exploiting government power to sow chaos, intimidate communities, or promote extremist messaging. Today, however, Trumps fading attention and increasing confusion coincide with an executive branch crowded by ideologues acting without restraint.

The presidents apparent declineand the unchecked actions of those surrounding himwould once have been treated as a national emergency. Yet somehow, the story now struggles to break through. At the current pace, it seems entirely possible that during his next State of the Union address, Trump may either nod off or simply wander away from the podium.

Author: Lucas Grant