A psychologist has raised the alarm over what he deemed a troubling “rate of deterioration” in U.S. President Donald Trump’s behaviour, following a series of explosive social media threats aimed at Iran.
Dr. John Gartner, a former professor at Johns Hopkins University, told The Daily Beast Podcast during a Monday livestream that Trump has been “showing signs of frontotemporal dementia since 2019.”
Gartner warned that Trump’s decline is now accelerating at such a pace that he is “not the same man he was four weeks ago.”
‘Disinhibited and aggressive’
“What is most disturbing for the world is that people with frontotemporal dementia lose all judgment, all inhibition, all ability to inhibit their behavior, and they become disinhibited and aggressive,” he said.
Gartner highlighted an expletive-filled Truth Social post by the 79-year-old president on Easter morning, in which he issued threats to target civilian infrastructure in Iran.
Trump wrote on Sunday:
Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F**kin’ Strait, you crazy b*stards, or you’ll be living in Hell—JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.
Gartner noted that frontotemporal dementia is principally a “behavioral problem” rather than a “memory problem”.
Second medical professional to raise concerns
Dr. Gartner is the second medical professional to suggest that Trump may be experiencing dementia following the post.
MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta wrote on X on Sunday:
Erratic. Can’t finish sentences. Often confused. Illogical train of thought. Word finding difficulties. Developing and worsening gradually over time. The President is exhibiting all the signs of dementia.
Erratic.
Can’t finish sentences.
Often confused.
Illogical train of thought.
Word finding difficulties.Developing and worsening gradually over time.
The President is exhibiting all the signs of dementia.
— Dr. Vin Gupta (@VinGuptaMD) April 5, 2026
The Daily Beast reported that it had approached the White House seeking a response. No official statement has been made regarding whether the president is experiencing any health difficulties.
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its sixth week, Trump’s threats have grown increasingly extreme, from ultimatums demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to warnings of “obliterating” power plants and bridges.
His expletive-laden Easter message, complete with “Praise be to Allah,” marked a new low in presidential rhetoric.
Whether these outbursts are the product of a calculated strategy or a deteriorating mind, the effect is the same: a commander in chief whose judgment is increasingly in question, waging a war that Congress never authorized, with consequences that will inevitably spiral far beyond the region.