“Compabolization.” You’ll likely hear that term pop up quite a bit in the coming months.
President Trump often bends the truth for his own favor, a fact even many of his supporters recognize. It seems the advice to “take Trump seriously, not literally” is more applicable now than ever.
But, it appears things are changing. Some might call this tendency to recast the truth a sort of “honest lie,” where Trump seems to genuinely believe his own statements, even when they’re clearly off the mark. It’s like when someone spins a tale that provides no tangible gain. For instance, lying to evade a speeding ticket doesn’t quite fall into this category.
Confusing stories often come from misplaced memories, which we all experience from time to time. However, these recollections can seem so vivid and detailed that people, even those who hear them, might mistakenly believe them to be entirely true.
This phenomenon is particularly evident among the elderly, and can serve as an early warning sign for dementia. The day one overhears such a fabricated story can be the moment the reality sets in—if a loved one needs help, the quirky lapses and odd behaviors become impossible to ignore.
For Trump, the moment of revelation—or perhaps denial—arrived on July 15th when he recounted a lengthy anecdote about his uncle, John Trump, a professor at MIT. He claimed his uncle taught him about “nuclear, chemistry, and mathematics” and mentioned Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, while discussing his intelligence.
While it’s true that Trump’s uncle was an MIT professor, much of this narrative is clearly inaccurate. John Trump didn’t have degrees in those fields; he specialized in electrical engineering and physics. Also, Kaczynski never attended MIT—he graduated from Harvard instead.
Moreover, it’s highly improbable that Trump could have received such advice or stories from his uncle. Kaczynski was revealed as the Unabomber only after his arrest in 1996. However, Trump’s uncle passed away in 1985, making it impossible for them to have had such a conversation.
Seeing Trump in this confused state is disconcerting. It invites a rethinking of various unsettling moments as suddenly everything starts to make sense.
Another early sign of potential dementia is grappling with mathematical concepts. Take a look at his attempts to outline drug pricing cuts—he claims reductions of “1,000%, 600%, 500%, 1,500%.” It’s baffling nonsense; after all, a 100% reduction would mean drugs were free. Despite having a degree from Wharton, Trump seems out of touch with basic percentages.
Similarly, he recently implied that President Obama and his FBI director, James Comey, were involved with Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested in 2019. The confusion surrounding past events appears to be a recurring issue for him, even noting he doesn’t remember appointing Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve amidst a string of other small but telling errors.
I’ve opposed Trump since he descended the escalator in 2015. Yet, I want to step back from purely partisan critiques for a moment. I understand how hard it must be for his supporters. Watching someone you admire grapple with dementia, especially after a personal tragedy, can be one of the most difficult experiences—whether they are a loved one or the president.
But when the time comes, these issues must be addressed head-on. And in the context of the president, it becomes even more critical.
If you prefer not to label this as dementia, that’s your choice. Yet, it’s evident that the president—responsible for critical life-and-death decisions—struggles with reality, having vivid memories of events that are becoming increasingly unclear. This isn’t a medical diagnosis, but rather something we can all observe. Even those of us who have voted for Trump multiple times can’t ignore these facts.
While it’s important to acknowledge that President Biden may also have his own issues, his team is efficient in managing them. Trump, however, lacks such oversight. One has to wonder if aides like Pete Hegseth or Christy Noem would dare to contradict him or resign.
With this lack of independence among Trump’s advisors, the solutions remain murky. But I believe the first step involves his most loyal supporters recognizing that, just as Biden’s supporters did, they need to face the reality that their leader has issues.
Donald Trump exhibits all the signs consistent with dementia. If it were a neighbor, a parent, or even a family friend, it would be easy to notice. Let’s not turn a blind eye simply because he holds the office of president.
