Is President Trump Mentally Fit? A Look Back at His Unusual Behavior During 2025

President Donald Trump, 79, drew fresh scrutiny in 2025 after a series of public moments that critics describe as erratic or confused and defenders reject as routine gaffes. Over 11 months back in the White House, examples ranging from odd tangents to apparent nodding off have renewed debate about his cognitive fitness and capacity to carry out presidential duties.

Notable Incidents

In mid‑July Trump told a detailed anecdote claiming his late uncle, Professor John Trump, had taught Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) at MIT. That account is factually impossible: John Trump died in 1985 and Kaczynski was not publicly identified until 1996, and Kaczynski did not study at MIT.

Later that month, during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump abruptly switched topics to an unprompted two‑minute tirade about "windmills," claiming without evidence that wind turbines make whales "loco" and kill large numbers of birds. Scientific comparisons show turbine mortality is small relative to other human‑caused sources such as collisions with power lines and predation by domestic cats.

In September, at a meeting with senior military officers, Trump spent an extended period criticizing his predecessor's steadiness on stairs, offering a rambling monologue that observers cited as another example of unfocused public remarks.

Across the fall and early winter, several other moments attracted attention: the president appeared to doze in meetings on multiple occasions (including the Oval Office and a cabinet meeting), said he had an MRI but could not recall which body part was scanned, and mixed up countries in a discussion about a peace deal. In December he used inflammatory language about Somali immigrants and made controversial remarks about filmmaker Rob Reiner.

White House Response

The White House has vigorously defended Trump. A spokesperson told the Guardian his "mental sharpness is second to none," and former White House physician Ronny Jackson has described him as the "healthiest president this nation has ever seen." Press office statements have called portions of media coverage "garbage" and accused outlets of political bias.

Political And Public Reaction

Speculation about Trump’s fitness is likely to remain politically salient. The Daily Beast reported Democrats plan to make cognitive fitness a campaign issue ahead of the next midterms. Public‑opinion polling in November showed eroding confidence in institutions and low approval for the president: a Pew Research Center survey found 56% of U.S. adults say they have some or a lot of trust in national news organizations (down 11 points from March 2025), a Gallup poll reported a 36% approval rating for Trump (his lowest of the second term), and a YouGov poll found roughly half of Americans said he was too old to be president.

Work Schedule And Visibility

Reporting by the New York Times found that Trump’s public days often begin around noon and end about 5 p.m., with a roughly 39% decline in official appearances compared with his first term. The White House says not all presidential meetings are listed on daily schedules given to the press.

“There has never been anything like it,” Trump said in a December address, asserting his administration had delivered more positive change than any government in U.S. history.

Whether these incidents represent normal political bluster, age‑related decline, or isolated lapses remains contested. The year’s record of public moments, however, has made the question of Trump’s mental and physical fitness a continuing focus of media coverage, political debate, and public concern.