To read the full text of the podcast and the links to thequoted materials, please see: https://erm76.substack.com/p/donald-trump-cognitive-exams-the
We’re taking a different tack with this week’s podcast.We’ll be covering a main story and concluding with short briefs about other news events that will be part of later podcasts.
Main Story: President Trump and his self-reported ability to accurately complete a cognitive exam.
President Trump has, like other presidents, undergonemedical exams that end up as news stories. But with Trump, he has a tendency to focus on the cognitive tests he’s taken as part of his overall medical exam. For example, after one such test, he wrote in Truth Social that he’s in “perfect” health and “aced” the test.
What’s novel about Trump taking the tests and publiclyposting the results is his self-praise for passing them. What’s sad and insulting is his further use of the results as a platform to degrade and berate others.
President Trump’s behavior patterns mirror his otheractions. It’s a show of bravado that he’s smarter and knows more than anyone else.
Some News Stories to Watch
1 The Court struck down the Louisiana voting map for racialgerrymandering. Essentially, according to the Court, you can’t gerrymander or create voting districts to ensure the equitable representation of underrepresented groups. But it’s okay to gerrymander strictly for political purposes.
2 Trump as King. We’ve talked about the banners, each with apicture of Trump’s face, on public buildings.
3. President Trump destroyed the White House’s East Wing onhis own volition, with the intent of building a large ballroom.
4. Trump’s second term has been called the vengeance tour.
5. USAID programs saved millions of lives. But estimatesindicate that over 10 million individuals may die during Trump’s presidency, because of his cuts.
Notes:
* https://geriatrictoolkit.missouri.edu/cog/MoCA-8.3-English-Test-2018-04.pdf