Donald Trump losing mental clarity just like Joe Biden? Expert says ‘former US president is hyper-aware that…’

Months after targeting his former rival, Joe Biden, for his growing age and mental acuity, Donald Trump is now under a similar scrutiny for his mental sharpness. The former US President's manner of public speaking, gaffes, and out-of-context references are now the subject of scrutiny, according to Timothy O’Brien, author of TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.

In an interview with The Guardian, Donald Trump's biographer underlined that the billionaire politician has been questioned about his repeated mistakes and unusual references in his public speeches.

Change in Trump's speech pattern

Highlighting the gradual change in Donald Trump's speech patterns in public appearances, O’Brien said that the 78-year-old is “hyper-aware” that people have observed his mistakes on public forums. He also added that Donald Trump's actions are now a reflection of someone who's “very troubled and very desperate” as he tries to give complex explanations for his bizarre comments.

“The reason he’s now offering these convoluted explanations of his speech patterns in his public appearances is because he’s hyper-aware that people have noted that he’s making even less sense than he used to. What we’re seeing now is a reflection of someone who’s very troubled and very desperate,” O’Brien told The Guardian.

The biographer opines that Trump is trying to cover up his noticeable changes in speech patterns with “convoluted explanations.” In the past few weeks, Trump has raised eyebrows about his cognitive ability with frequent mentions of Hannibal Lecter, garbled words, and incomplete thoughts.

On one occasion, Trump talked about his preference for being electrocuted over dying in a shark attack while discussing electric boats at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Jennifer Mercieca, author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, has a different opinion. She believes that Trump views his meanderings and speech gaffes as a strength, publicly belittling his advisers who advise him to avoid them.

“He sees himself as unscripted, not teleprompted, and a freewheeling conversationalist. He wants to be able to feed off the crowd. Another part of it is that his brain is not well-disciplined and it might also just be that he’s unable to maintain a thought and carry it through to his logical conclusion,” The Guardian quoted Mercieca.