perseveration, which is something Trump suffers from generally and is a sign of deteriorating cognitive function.
Perseveration
Perseveration according to psychology, psychiatry, and speech-language pathology, is the repetition of a particular response regardless of the absence or cessation of a stimulus. It is usually caused by a brain injury or other organic disorder. Symptoms include "lacking ability to transition or switch ideas appropriately with the social context, as evidenced by the repetition of words or gestures after they have ceased to be socially relevant or appropriate", or the "act or task of doing so", and are not better described as stereotypy.
Once he chooses a word (no matter how odd or inappropriate the word might be), he can't stop returning to that word. The same thing happens with ideas. He harps endlessly on a word or an idea, even in the most inappropriate circumstances.
I have said all along that he shows signs of dementia. His father's Alzheimer's started manifesting its early signs around age 70, and I think that is what we are seeing with Trump.
Don't forget how often we have seen him wander off in confusion in a way that strongly suggests sundowning. BTW, his lack of inhibition and impulse control in public also suggest dementia. He has always been a malignant narcissist and an a-hole, but he could pretend to be relatively normal in public, but now, with all the cameras in the world focused on him, he can't even pretend when to do so would benefit him.
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