A Republican advisor has claimed that President Donald Trump may be showing signs of mental decline serious enough to prevent him from finishing another term in office.
Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project political action committee, expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s health in an exclusive interview with Times Radio. He described the president’s recent behavior as troubling and possibly indicative of cognitive deterioration.
“He is incoherent,” Wilson said. “His inability to articulate any thought or position without constant asides, constant lapses, the verbal aphasias he is experiencing at various points.”
Wilson, a longtime Republican strategist who has followed Trump closely since 2015, added, “I can tell you the man you’re watching today is not the Trump of 2015, nor is he the Trump of 2020, he’s not even the Trump of 2024.”
He also cast doubt on Trump’s fitness for a full term in office, saying, “Whether he makes it through four years is an open question.”
Although Trump has reportedly passed both physical and psychological assessments, Wilson warned that these results might not reflect his current condition.
“There are an awful lot of professionals in the world who are looking at the same set of behaviours and saying, ‘This is what we see in early dementia cases’… this is what we see when there is a cognitive decline,” Wilson shared.
He emphasized that passing a cognitive test does not rule out age-related health problems. “The ravages of age and ill health,” he said, may still be affecting President Trump.
Wilson’s observations come two months after President Trump’s medical reports were released to the public, which included detailed findings from a broad panel of specialists.
Throughout his political career, Trump has controlled the timing and content of his health disclosures. While past elections were accompanied by brief statements and general endorsements of his fitness, full documentation has been rare.
This latest report departs from that approach. It has drawn attention not only because of what it contains but also because of the individuals and history connected to its publication. The conversation around Trump’s health now extends well beyond the exam room.
In 2024, at 78 years old, President Trump became the oldest major-party nominee in U.S. history. This followed President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, positioning Trump as the senior candidate in the general election.
This development renewed focus on his physical and cognitive fitness as he sought a return to the White House. On April 11, 2025, less than three months into his second term, Trump underwent his annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. Sean P. Barbabella, the president’s attending physician, supervised the evaluation and later compiled the findings into a memorandum addressed to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. The report, dated April 13, described a comprehensive exam.
The exam included standard lab diagnostics, urinalysis, and assessments from 14 different medical specialists. It also confirmed a full neurological screening, which evaluated Trump’s mental status, motor skills, sensory responses, reflexes, and emotional indicators such as depression and anxiety.
“President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” Dr. Barbabella stated. The report also stated that his urinalysis was normal.
In addition to the clinical findings, the report remarks on the president’s daily schedule, which includes meetings, public appearances, media availability, and regular participation in golf. The assessment concludes that the president remains fully fit to carry out the duties of Commander-in-Chief.
The memo also listed several longstanding medical conditions that remain under control. These included high cholesterol, seasonal allergies, a previous COVID-19 infection, rosacea, actinic keratosis, benign skin growths, diverticulosis, and a non-cancerous colon polyp.
Trump’s ongoing treatment regimen was outlined as well. According to the report, he currently takes rosuvastatin and ezetimibe to manage cholesterol levels, aspirin for cardiovascular protection, and mometasone cream to treat skin inflammation when needed.
Unlike previous election-year statements that offered broad declarations of health, this memo sticks to specifics. “His active lifestyle continues to contribute significantly to his well-being,” stated Dr. Barbabella’s report. “The President has consented to release the physical exam findings to the public.”
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump declined to release a comprehensive medical report, despite public calls for transparency and repeated promises to do so. Instead, his campaign pointed to earlier letters from his physician and from Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him after the July 13, 2023 assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
One statement released by physician Bruce Aronwald on November 20, 2023, coinciding with former President Biden’s 81st birthday, declared that, as of September 2023, Trump was in “excellent” health. Aronwald’s note did not reference any tests or specific treatments.
On October 12, 2024, Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung issued a statement defending the decision.
“President Trump has voluntarily released updates from his personal physician, as well as detailed reports from Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him after the first assassination attempt. All have concluded he is in perfect and excellent health to be Commander in Chief,” it read.
“He has maintained an extremely busy and active campaign schedule unlike any other in political history, whereas Kamala Harris has been unable to keep up with the demands of campaigning,” Cheung added.
The campaign also circulated Dr. Jackson’s earlier assessments from his time as White House physician, including the 2018 cognitive screening. That result was frequently cited by Trump and his allies, particularly during moments when his opponents’ mental acuity was questioned.
No new cognitive exam was publicly reported between 2018 and 2025. Dr. Jackson, who served as White House physician under both Presidents Obama and Trump, was long regarded as one of Trump’s most vocal defenders on matters of health.