Donald Trump Experiences Significant Cognitive Decline, Reduction In Linguistic Sophistication, Expert Says

Donald Trump is reportedly experiencing significant cognitive decline and a reduction in linguistic sophistication.

Many noticed that the president has inferior vocabulary. Based on a 2016 analysis, Trump speaks at a fourth-grade reading level. He has the lowest score and the worst vocabulary compared to the 14 presidents before him. However, this wasn’t the case for Trump decades ago.

According to Stat’s Sharon Begley, Trump’s on-air interviews in the 1980s and the 1990s showed that the POTUS was articulate and he used sophisticated vocabulary. He also inserted dependent clauses into his sentences without losing his train of thought and could even string sentences into a polished paragraph. However, at present, his vocabulary has become simpler.

Ben Michaelis, a psychologist in New York, confirmed the changes in Trump’s speaking skills.

“There are clearly some changes in Trump as a speaker,” Michaelis said before adding that there was a “clear reduction in linguistic sophistication over time” and that the POTUS is now using “simpler word choices and sentence structure. … In fairness to Trump, he’s 70, so some decline in his cognitive functioning over time would be expected.”

John Montgomery, a psychologist in New York City and adjunct professor at New York University, shared the same observation. He agreed that Trump’s speaking skills have undeniably declined.

“It’s hard to say definitively without rigorous testing,” Montgomery said. “But I think it’s pretty safe to say that Trump has had significant cognitive decline over the years”

The changes in Trump’s speaking skills could also be strategic to appeal to certain types of people. According to Georgetown University linguist Jennifer Sclafani, speaking this way made Trump more relatable and authentic.

“Trump's speech is appealing to many because it contrasts with the rehearsed style of other candidates,” Sclafani explained. “When Trump speaks in public in a more conversational style, like in a victory speech or in a debate, he appears to many as a more relatable because he speaks in the way we all do in everyday life.”

Meanwhile, Trump recognized his wife Melania in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2020. The POTUS said that Melania reminded him before his remarks that “your first duty and your highest loyalty is to the American citizens.” His revelation received a lot of applause from the audience.