"As part of the discussion about Donald Trump's lack of fitness for the presidency, some have argued that his linguistic capacities have worsened, suggesting significant cognitive decline. In interviews in the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Trump speaks in complete sentences, using mature vocabulary and expressions. There aren’t the endless digressions that make his current mode of expression a kind of vocal fantasia. America has certainly never experienced a commander in chief who expressed himself in this fashion. In public, at least. However, the distinction between public and private speech is key here, so I am unconvinced that his current speech patterns can be analyzed as evidence of dementia. Instead, they’re characteristics of casual speech as it has always existed. It is easy to forget how much casual speech in general differs from writing. We tend to imagine our speech is tidier than it often is. The complete sentences and logical throughlines of writing are a stylization of speech, rather than a mirror image. Take this famous Trump utterance from July 2016. ..."
NY Times (Video)
GQ: It’s Officially Fair to Question Donald Trump’s Mental Fitness - Jan. 8, 2018 (Video)
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