AI was used to examine a decade of Trump’s speeches, here’s what the analysis found
Many people have speculated about US President Donald Trump's declining health across his second term in office, yet new research comprising analysis of his speeches has offered illuminating evidence of potential cognitive changes, and AI was key to the discovery.
While the official doctor for the White House remains confident that Donald Trump is in great condition – suggesting even that his cardiovascular age is 14 years younger than his chronological age suggests – there have been signs across the last few years that some have taken to reflect a decline in health.
Trump can seemingly be seen falling asleep during press conferences, and both his posts on social media and declarations in public appear to be more 'unhinged' than you'd usually expect from the president.
A new review conducted by the New York Times has revealed the staggering changes that have occurred within Trump's speeches, however, and how they potentially reflect equal changes in the president's cognitive health.
How Trump's speeches have changed
One of the biggest shifts in Trump's speeches from 2015 – when he began his journey to the presidency – to now is the increase in 'all-or-nothing' words, as these have become 19% more frequent compared to a decade ago, and even 5% more than 2024.
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These include things like 'always', 'never', 'everything', and 'totally', and suggest a lack of nuance in both his approaches and views of what are often complex situations and relationships in the political world.
Trump is also notably more crude than both his 2015 and 2024 self, with him using nearly 15 swear words for every 10,000 words, increasing from 14/10,000 in 2024 and just 6/10,000 a decade ago.
The Times also used AI-assisted metrics to evaluate that Trump rambles and engages in 'confusing digressions' 2.5 times more frequently right now compared to his rallies in 2016, although his vocabulary remains between a fourth and fifth grade level, compared to the average of eighth grade for other presidents.
How does this inform his cognitive health?
While the results themselves are shocking enough, what is most important is how reflective they are of potential cognitive decline, with many of Trump's ongoing behavioral developments associated with things like Alzheimer's disease.
The increase in curse words, for example, is commonly associated with age-related disinhibition – especially considering the contexts where Trump is swearing on a more frequent basis – and the same is true for his tendency for all-or-nothing statements, as these align with the black-and-white thinking that doctors point towards within advancing age.
Trump himself is also seemingly unaware of the significance of his own risk of cognitive decline, as he recently bragged about passing the Montreal assessment – an Altzheimer's test – by arguing that "nobody can do this, but I can. You know why? Because I'm a freaking genius!"
He has stated that he's the only president that 'agreed' to take cognitive tests – of which he has passed three so far – yet the sheer nature of having to take them in the first place is a warning sign for some, especially considering Trump's status as the oldest living president at this stage of his second term.