President says he’s in “excellent health” — and the White House doctor agrees.
But behind the scenes, a prominent Republican advisor is raising red flags, claiming Donald Trump may be showing signs of mental decline serious enough to stop him from finishing another term.
Remember all the buzz back in April after Donald Trump’s much-talked-about health checkup?
According to Dr. Sean Barbabella, Trump shows “robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and general physical function,” adding that “his active lifestyle continues to contribute significantly to his well-being.”
The exam involved 14 specialists and included a neurological screening that looked at Trump’s reflexes, motor skills, sensory responses, mental state, and even mood indicators like depression and anxiety.
Now 78, Trump remains the oldest person to ever be sworn in as president — and unlike many in politics, he doesn’t smoke or drink. The report also noted that he stands at 6’3” and weighs just over 220 pounds, meaning he’s shed about 25 pounds since his last term in office. His cholesterol levels have improved too, according to the Associated Press.
Aside from some minor sun damage and scarring on his right ear — a reminder of the assassination attempt during his July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — doctors say there’s nothing to worry about.
Urging Americans to pay close attention
But if you ask Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, there’s plenty to be concerned about. In an exclusive interview with Times Radio, Wilson voiced serious worries about Donald Trump’s health, pointing to recent behavior that he believes could signal cognitive decline.
Now, he’s urging Americans to pay closer attention.
“He is incoherent,” Wilson told Times Radio. “His inability to articulate any thought or position without constant asides, constant lapses, the verbal aphasias he is experiencing at various points.”
Wilson has tracked Trump closely since 2015, and believes the former president is showing clear signs of decline.
“I can tell you the man you’re watching today is not the Trump of 2015, nor is he the Trump of 2020,” he continued. “He’s not even the Trump of 2024.”
And when it comes to Trump potentially finishing out another term? Wilson didn’t hold back:
“Whether he makes it through four years is an open question.”
Despite recent medical reports clearing Trump both physically and mentally, Wilson remains skeptical — warning that test results don’t always reflect what’s really happening in someone’s day-to-day behavior.
“There are an awful lot of professionals in the world who are looking at the same set of behaviors and saying, ‘This is what we see in early dementia cases’… this is what we see when there is a cognitive decline.”
Raised questions
Wilson also stressed that passing a cognitive screening doesn’t mean someone is free from age-related issues:
“The ravages of age and ill health,” he said, could still be catching up with the 78-year-old president.
Trump’s April 2025 health report may have quieted some critics, but for people like Rick Wilson, it raised more questions than it answered.
Veteran journalist Timothy L. O’Brien echoed that sentiment during an appearance on MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime. He revealed that Trump is deeply “haunted” by the thought of experiencing the same cognitive decline his father Fred Trump did in his later years.
O’Brien — who has also followed Trump for decades — said the ex-president’s recent musings about serving a third term aren’t just political posturing.
Trump, he said, is driven by “either self-aggrandizement or self-preservation,” and while he might dream about staying in power forever, “I don’t think he’ll actually pursue another term.”
The shift
Trump’s April health report marked a shift from his typical approach to medical disclosures. During his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, health updates were brief and vague, often delivered as glowing one-liners with little detail. But this time around, the release was far more specific — and perhaps strategic.
During the 2024 election cycle, Trump had been under pressure to release a full medical report. He had repeatedly promised to do so, but instead leaned on past letters from his physicians, including Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him following the 2023 assassination attempt.
One note from Dr. Bruce Aronwald, released on November 20, 2023 — the same day President Biden turned 81 — stated that Trump was in “excellent” health as of September 2023. However, it offered no test results or specifics.
In October 2024, Trump’s campaign communications director Steven Cheung defended the decision to withhold full details:
“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.”
Cheung also took a swipe at Trump’s then-opponent, Kamala Harris:
“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.”
The campaign even recirculated the results of Trump’s 2018 cognitive screening from his first term — a document frequently cited by Trump allies when questions about mental sharpness arose.
But from 2018 to 2025, no other cognitive test results were made public. Dr. Jackson, who served under both Obama and Trump, remained one of Trump’s most vocal supporters regarding his health.
The issue isn’t whether Trump can pass a test — it’s whether the test tells the full story. And as Wilson sees it, the real signs of decline are playing out in public view.
