Trump's SNL Hosting Gig May Have Hinted The Start Of His Cognitive Decline

President Donald Trump has often boasted about being the pinnacle of intellectual health. According to the real estate mogul himself, a cognitive test he took in 2025 proved that his brain still functioned at a high level. But even before then, Trump had also claimed he passed another cognitive test in 2018 during his first run as president. However, there have been too many moments that made everyone question Trump's test results. After all, his occasional rambling speeches and lapses in memory certainly don't display the mental prowess he enjoys bragging about.

What's more concerning is that Trump might've been showing signs of his cognitive decline even before his first presidency. When he hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live" in 2015, the commander-in-chief was far from the worst guest the show dealt with. Cast members remembered Trump as a pretty laid-back, but somewhat distant, host who kept to himself. The only time they had problems with the New York native was when he had to practice his lines. "At the table read, he was having a little bit of trouble reading," cast member Beck Bennett told the Daily Beast. Pete Davidson once told a similar story, sharing that Trump asked to improv because of his difficulty reading. In hindsight, the cast might've just been witnessing the start of Trump's cognitive decline, which might've only gotten more noticeable after becoming president.

It hasn't just been "Saturday Night Live" cast members and former aides sounding the alarm on president Donald Trump's mental decline. Medical experts have also claimed that Trump's shown concerning signs of cognitive impairment. Some point to the change in his speech patterns over time as possible proof of his condition, noting that he was much more verbally coherent in his 40s than he'd be in his much older years. Although cognitive decline of some sort is pretty common with old age, one specialist believed Trump exhibited symptoms of a more serious health condition. Psychologist Dr. John Gartner, who's been critical of Trump's cognitive ability since his first presidential run, theorized "The Apprentice" host was feeling the early stages of dementia. But not just because of Trump's deteriorating verbal skills. 

In Gartner's mind, Trump's physical movements were also giving away the true state of his health. "Some of the more evidence that we've been talking about recently has been his psychomotor performance, that we're seeing a deterioration in his motor performance, which also goes with dementia because with dementia there's a deterioration of all faculties, all functions," Gartner said on the podcast "Shrinking Trump" (via The Mirror). Naturally, reports that Trump isn't as healthy as he claims to be have been shot down by the president himself. But Gartner's convinced Trump's condition will only get worse, and the head of state's constant cognitive blunders may have proven him right.