Forensic Psychologist Says Trump Appeared 'Raging, Confused, and Unraveling' in Televised Speech
Key Takeaways
- •Dr. John Paul Garrison analyzed public footage of Trump’s recent White House Correspondents' Dinner speech and described concerning behavioral patterns.
- •The article states that Garrison did not personally examine Trump or issue a formal medical diagnosis.
- •Garrison pointed to Trump’s comments about Don Lemon as an example of remarks he found confusing and difficult to interpret.
- •Garrison said Trump appeared to have trouble speaking clearly and following prepared remarks even while using a teleprompter.
- •The analysis comes as public attention remains focused on the age, stamina and communication styles of national political figures.

President Donald Trump appeared "raging, confused, and unraveling" during a recent live television speech, according to Dr. John Paul Garrison, a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist who analyzed what he described as signs of decline and "strange behavior" during the "somewhat unusual" address.
Garrison, who specializes in body language, has released numerous videos documenting what he calls "President Trump's mental decline, his strange brain glitches [and] his odd behaviors." He has argued that those behaviors have been getting "progressively worse." In his latest analysis, posted on YouTube, Garrison said the same patterns were visible during Trump's speech at the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner. His comments were based on public video footage and behavioral observations; the article does not state that he has personally examined Trump or issued a formal medical diagnosis.
Garrison began by highlighting a section of the speech in which Trump repeatedly attacked the intelligence of former CNN host Don Lemon, saying Lemon has "the lowest IQ on television." During that portion of the remarks, Trump said, "But I know what I'm saying," a comment Garrison said he could not "figure out what on earth that's in reference to or what it's supposed to mean."
"I think that we are hearing internal thoughts out loud. I think there's a lot of confusion," Garrison said. "So this is concerning on a couple of levels. One is that he's saying things that make no sense. And two, he seems unaware that he said it."
Garrison then pointed to several moments in which Trump appeared to struggle to speak clearly. He cited one uncommon instance in which Trump seemed to correct himself after noticing he had slurred a word, something the psychologist said Trump "frequently does not" manage to do. Garrison also said Trump showed clear signs of difficulty speaking even while using a teleprompter, a detail he treated as notable because prepared remarks generally give speakers a fixed text to follow.
"He cannot get full sentences out. He gets distracted mid-sentence," Garrison said. He added: "Now, Trump is someone who does tend to go off script a little bit, but he's rambling more. He's mumbling more to himself."
According to Garrison, Trump's slurring became more pronounced as the speech continued. By the halfway point of the address, he said, Trump's verbal stumbles were becoming more frequent as he struggled "to keep his energy up."
Garrison later focused on Trump's remarks about Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, saying Trump displayed additional signs of "agitation" and "anger." He also said Trump was "very mean-spirited throughout a lot of this." In the same section, Garrison said Trump appeared to have difficulty trying to "make sense" of the material he was supposed to deliver, a task Garrison said Trump had previously handled well in public remarks.
"See, there was supposed to be a joke in there, but he couldn't get to the punchline. He's struggling to make sense of what he is supposed to say," Garrison said. "And historically, he's somebody that could talk off the cuff a little bit. He might make a joke out of what they're talking about. And he does that a little bit here, but in general, he's getting lost and then just meandering. He understands it to a degree, but there is an underlying thread of confusion about the different lines he's delivering."
The analysis comes amid continued public scrutiny of the age, stamina, and communication styles of national political figures, especially during high-profile televised appearances where scripted remarks, ad-libs, and audience reaction can all shape how a performance is perceived.
Garrison concluded that Trump's performance showed multiple troubling signs.
"We saw someone who was raging, impulsive. His judgment was bad. There were so many problems throughout the speech. He was confused so many times. I do not think he knew half the time what he was reading. And unfortunately, I think that this is only going to get worse. I think in the next 6 to 8 months, we're going to see a dramatic change in the way that he presents based on everything that we saw today and everything we've been seeing for the past few months."