COLUMN: When the President’s Mind Is Falling Apart and No One Dares to Say So

When the Frontal Lobes Fail

What Gartner describes is particularly troubling. He refers to a form of dementia that affects not so much memory as the frontal lobes—the part of the brain that acts as a brake system, preventing us from acting impulsively and filtering our thoughts before they become actions. “The frontal lobes are the brain’s brakes. They’re what keep us from acting,” explains the psychiatrist. “Part of his brain is deteriorating disproportionately, so he’s losing his brakes, and this is someone who has always been impulsive and has always acted aggressively.” Imagine for a moment: a man already known for his impulsiveness, his aggressiveness, his tendency toward provocation—but this time without any filter, without any control mechanism. A Trump without any restraints. The White House has confirmed that the president suffers from chronic venous insufficiency—hence the swollen ankles—and that his frequent handshakes cause bruises on his hands. But these physical explanations may mask a far more troubling reality.

Restraints. That’s the word that haunts me. We all need brakes. That’s what makes us civilized beings, capable of living in society, of not giving in to every impulse. And when those brakes fail in an ordinary person, it’s already a tragedy. But when they fail in the President of the United States? It’s a potential catastrophe. A ticking time bomb whose countdown no one knows.

The Paradox of Hyperactivity

And yet, Trump never stops. That is precisely the paradox that makes diagnosis so difficult. He sleeps little, is constantly on the move, holds meeting after meeting starting first thing in the morning, and delivers endless speeches. “He wears us all out; he wears the whole world out,” observes Dominique Simonnet, a political scientist specializing in the United States, in an interview with La Dépêche du Midi. This hyperactivity could be interpreted as a sign of vitality, but experts see it more as another symptom. Restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and incessant digressions—all of this may be a sign of a brain that is compensating, struggling, and desperately trying to maintain a facade of normality. At 79, Trump is already the oldest president in American history. By the end of his term, he will be 83—an age at which, statistically, the risks of cognitive decline skyrocket.

I think of those moments when we watch a loved one grow older. At first, we tell ourselves it’s just fatigue. Then you start to notice the repetitions, the forgetfulness, the confusion. But the person keeps moving, keeps talking, keeps pretending that everything is fine. And we, out of love or denial, pretend to believe it. Except that in this case, it’s not our grandfather. It’s the President of the United States. And collective denial is no longer an option.

When the Ego Becomes a Threat

Even without mentioning dementia, Trump’s narcissism reaches levels that raise questions. “What we can see is that he exhibits a very high, almost obsessive level of narcissism,” says Dominique Simonnet. This obsession with himself, this constant need to be the center of attention, this incessant return to the 2020 election that he lost—all of this reveals a personality in which the ego has taken over completely. “To reach this level of power, one needs a nearly pathological level of narcissism,” the political scientist continues. The problem is that this character trait, combined with possible cognitive decline, creates an explosive cocktail. A man who thinks only of himself, who cannot tolerate any contradiction, who lives in his own reality—and who, on top of that, is gradually losing his ability to control himself. The threats against The New York Times over an unfavorable poll, the cancellation of a diplomatic invitation out of sheer spite, the racist remarks about Somalis—all of this is no longer mere provocation. It is pure disinhibition.

I’ve always viewed narcissism as a defense mechanism—a suit of armor to protect an inner fragility. But when that armor cracks, when the veneer shatters, what’s left? A naked, vulnerable, dangerous man. And that man has access to the nuclear codes. The thought makes my blood run cold.

When Loyalty Becomes Omerta

The U.S. Constitution provides for a mechanism: the 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, allows a president to be declared unfit to perform his duties. In theory, the vice president and key cabinet members can petition Congress to initiate the process. But in practice? “In Donald Trump’s case, those closest to him are almost absolutely loyal to him. If his condition were to deteriorate, everything suggests that it would first be concealed rather than made public,” warns Dominique Simonnet. American history is rife with examples where a president’s health has been concealed. Woodrow Wilson, who suffered a severe stroke in 1919, was unable to govern for months—and it was his wife, Edith Wilson, who managed day-to-day affairs behind the scenes. Secrecy has always been preferred over transparency when it comes to power. And today, with a fanatical Trumpist inner circle ready to do anything to protect their leader, the risk of a cover-up is even greater.

Loyalty. That word sounds so noble, so beautiful. But it can become so toxic when it turns into blindness. Being loyal doesn’t mean lying to protect someone. It means having the courage to tell the truth, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts. And right now, no one has that courage. No one.

When History Repeats Itself

The Woodrow Wilson case is not an isolated one. Franklin D. Roosevelt was already seriously ill at the 1945 Yalta Conference—he would die two months later. Some historians believe that his health affected the negotiations with Stalin, with major geopolitical consequences for the postwar period. Ronald Reagan, during his second term, was already showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which would be diagnosed a few years after his presidency. How many important decisions were made by a man whose brain was beginning to deteriorate? We will never truly know. The 25th Amendment was created precisely to avoid such situations. But it has never been used to remove a president from office against his will. Never. Because the political cost is too high. Because the president’s inner circle has every interest in maintaining the status quo. Because, deep down, the American system is not designed to handle a president who refuses to admit his own decline.

History teaches us, but we never learn. We repeat the same mistakes, generation after generation. We hide, we lie, we pretend. And meanwhile, the world keeps turning, decisions are made, and the consequences pile up. Until the day it’s too late.

When Everyone Pretends Nothing Is Wrong

The most troubling aspect of this situation is the collective denial. The media are covering it, of course, but always with kid gloves—using “maybes” and “some experts suggest.” The Republicans remain silent or look the other way. The Democrats speak out, but without really pressing the issue, as if they were afraid of appearing mean or opportunistic. And the general public? It’s getting used to it. We get used to everything—that’s a well-known fact. We’re getting used to 3 a.m. tweets, incoherent statements, and geopolitical threats tossed out as casually as ordering a pizza. “Everyone acts as if it’s normal,” observes an expert interviewed by France Info. And perhaps that’s what’s most frightening. This normalization of the abnormal. This gradual acceptance of the unacceptable. As if, after seeing Trump slip up time and again, we’d come to think it was just “his personality.” Except that now, it’s no longer just his personality. His mind is failing him. And that isn’t normal. It never will be.

I remember that quote from Hannah Arendt about the banality of evil. How the worst horrors can become ordinary, acceptable, normal. Here we are. We’re watching a man lose his mind live on TV, and we just shrug. “That’s Trump,” people say. As if those two words explained everything, excused everything. But no. No, no, no. This isn’t normal. And I refuse to get used to it.

When Mental Health Becomes a Global Issue

The stakes extend far beyond U.S. borders. Trump threatens to annex Greenland, hints at military intervention in Venezuela, calls NATO alliances into question, and negotiates (or doesn’t) with Russia over Ukraine. Every decision, every statement has global repercussions. What if these decisions are made by a man whose cognitive abilities are deteriorating? European allies are worried but silent. No one wants to upset the U.S. president. No one wants to risk a diplomatic crisis. So they keep a low profile, hope it will blow over, and wait for 2028. But 2028 is only two years away. Two years during which Trump will be 80, then 81. Two years during which his condition could continue to deteriorate. Two years during which the entire world will be at the mercy of the decisions of a man who, according to experts, is “losing his inhibitions.” Dr. Gartner puts it plainly: “As he becomes confused about what’s going on, he also becomes aggressively uninhibited, acting impulsively and erratically.” Impulsive. Erratic. Aggressive. Three adjectives that should never describe a sitting president.

I think of my children. Of their future. Of the world we’re leaving them. A world where a man whose mind is failing may decide to start a war, break alliances, and destroy the geopolitical balance that has been built up over decades. And I feel powerless. We are all powerless in the face of this machine that keeps turning, unperturbed, indifferent to our anxieties.

When Silence Becomes Complicity

So this is where we stand. A 79-year-old president whose cognitive decline, experts say, is accelerating. An inner circle that will always choose to conceal rather than reveal. A political system paralyzed by fear and self-interest. And we, citizens of the world, are powerless spectators of this impending disaster. Dr. Gartner is right to sound the alarm. Dominique Simonnet is right to highlight the risks of a cover-up. But who is really listening to them? Who is ready to take action? The truth is, no one wants to be the one to say, “The emperor has no clothes.” No one wants to be the one to force the world to face this uncomfortable reality head-on. So we carry on. We pretend. We hope everything will be all right. But deep down, we know. We know that something is wrong. We know that time is running out. We know that every passing day brings us closer to a potential catastrophe. And yet, we do nothing.

I end this column with a sense of vertigo. As if I were standing on the edge of a precipice, watching the world slowly tumble into the abyss. I’m afraid. Afraid for us, afraid for our children, afraid for this fragile planet that doesn’t deserve to be ruled by a man whose mind is crumbling. But beyond the fear lies anger. Anger at this complicit silence, at this collective cowardice, at all those who know but remain silent. History will judge us. And it will not be kind.

Signed, Jacques Provost