When my mother was in the early and mid stages of dementia

[Ex Lurker]

She would alternate between confusion and relatively normal. Sometimes she would go days or even a few weeks when it seemed like nothing much was really wrong. Then she'd have another setback. Her mental state could also vary within a single day. Mornings were typically hard for her. By afternoon she was often more stable. I recall one incident when she didn't know who I was. A few hours later we were having a conversation like nothing ever happened. There's also behavior called "Showtiming," where the person with dementia can get it together for a little while for something important, like a doctor's appointment, only to have a meltdown afterward.

As time went on, the lucid moments were fewer and further between. But even up to a few weeks before her death, if you caught her on a good day, she could carry on a conversation for at least a few minutes. .

My reason for saying all this is to say Trump's ability to navigate a press conference semi coherently doesn't say much about his overall mental status. You'd have to see him over time in various situations. The only people who have the overall picture are his innermost circle and they're doing their damndest to obfuscate.

[Aussie105]

1. Hard to tell. (No, not really.)

Zombie Trump currently moves and talks like he is heavily under the influence of . . . a series of 'stabilizers' (whatever they are).

Perhaps his time out was needed to get the mix right, so the cameras wouldn't see him at his low point?

But the OP is right, dementia can come and go - my 81 year old wife drifts in and out of her dementia, quite relaxed and polite now whereas she has had confused rage episodes in the past.

Sad - but at least she isn't in charge of important things, like which US cities need to have war declared on them next.