Donald Trump is showing signs that correspond with his family history of dementia, according to Fred Trump III, the former president’s nephew.
The “warnings signs” are evident, Fred Trump III said during an interview on The Dean Obeidallah show on Friday, accusing the former president of spewing “craziness” and failing to stick to the script during campaign appearances.
“I know what I saw in my grandfather. I know what I saw in Donald’s older sister, my Aunt Maryanne,” Fred Trump said.
“I just, I know the warning signs from both of my grandfathers,” he added. “Donald’s cousin, John Walters had dementia. It runs in the family. I’m not happy about it.”
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
Fred Trump III is the brother of psychologist and author Mary Trump, and the eldest son of Donald Trump’s late older brother, Fred Trump Jr. He has emerged as another vocal critic of the former president from within his own family.
In July, Fred Trump III endorsed his uncle’s rival for the White House, Kamala Harris.
And in a memoir which came out the same month, All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way, the former president’s nephew accused Trump of musing aloud about whether people with disabilities would be better off dead instead of causing expenses for their caregivers.
The comment came as a shock, Fred Trump writes, because his own son William was diagnosed as an infant with a rare seizure disorder that has caused significant cognitive and physical damage.
Donald Trump has said that he supported Fred Trump III, contributed to a fund to support William, and introduced the family to officials from the National Institutes of Health who might offer assistance.
“I helped him so much, more than anyone else in his life, and this is the thanks I get. I even set up [a] meeting with NIH and top doctors in the country talking about his son, who is disabled,” Donald Trump said in a statement to The Washington Post, accusing fellow family critic Mary Trump of convincing Fred to write his book.
The issue of age and mental ability has been central during the 2024 presidential race as numerous Democrats questioned whether Joe Biden had the mental fitness to win before he stepped down from his reelection campaign.
