Citing the “reasonable” and “essential” concerns about the president’s health, scores of healthcare and mental health professionals are urging the doctor carrying out Donald Trump’s medical checkup Friday to also examine his neurological health.
The self-described “very stable genius” is set to receive the evaluation by Dr. Ronny Jackson, a Navy rear admiral, at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
Citing Medicare guidelines for patients over 66 years of age, the experts say (pdf) Jackson “should include an evaluation of the 71-year-old president’s neurological health, including cognitive and mental health functions.”
Absent such an health assessment, “the American people will not have a clear understanding about the health and well-being of the President,” the medical experts write.
They go on to cite “increasing concern” about Trump’s mental capacity, including his
- Declining faculties for complex thought, rambling speech, difficulty completing a thought;
- Episodes of slurred speech;
- Failure to recognize old friends;
- Frequent repetition of the same concepts;
- Decreased fine motor coordination;
- Difficulties reading, listening, and comprehending;
- Suspect judgment, planning, problem solving, and impulse control;
- Markedly declining vocabulary in recent years, with over-reliance on superlatives.
They also underscore the importance of Jackson carrying out the evaluation of Trump’s mental health and neurological functioning (and making appropriate referrals) by pointing out that an expert group tasked with assessing a president’s neurological status—as former President Jimmy Carter proposed—has not yet materialized.
Urging Jackson to perform this evaluation, they write, “The health of the President relies on it—as do American lives and the safety of our nation.”
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