Editorial: How Long Can This President Continue to Serve?

Talk of removing an “unfit” President by invoking the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been swirling lately as President Trump, 79, has exhibited increasingly erratic behaviors and marked signs of aging difficult for the general public to ignore only a year into his second four-year term.

The 47th President has recently displayed numerous signs of possible stroke, confusion about his spate of recent MRIs and cognitive tests, multiple instances of phonemic paraphasia, fits of dozing off during official presidential events, and alarming flashes of anger aboard Air Force One. 

In addition to carrying out the complete and unexpected destruction of the White House’s historic East Wing, the President has posted grossly inappropriate memes on social media, issued ostensible death threats against political opponents, and asked American military leaders to deploy U.S. troops to American cities to be used as “training grounds.” 

While many of his supporters laud his “authentic” bluntness in speech and social media postings, Mr. Trump’s increasing lack of inhibitory control presents more possible signs of advancing dementia and loss of executive function. 

Here are a few examples:

• Instead of offering Americans any sort of “thanks” on Thanksgiving day last week, he posted to social media threatening, hate-laced, far-right rhetoric calling for rounding up unwanted populations for "removal" from the United States. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” Mr. Trump wrote, using language embraced by the European far right. “Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long!”
• In a Nov. 21 Atlantic article, writer Tom Nichols describes Trump’s recent “outbursts” as unprecedented in scope as the Commander-in-Chief evoked the death penalty for members of the U.S. Congress who had posted a video telling U.S. military service members not to follow illegal orders (something required by the Uniform Code of Military Justice when orders are patently illegal). “Donald Trump seems to have lost control over the one thing every person, and especially those with immense power, should always maintain control over: himself…. the outbursts of this past week are different, and were likely triggered by Trump’s panic over the release of files about his former friend, the dead sex offender Jeffery Epstein.”
• When asked about difficulties with enforcing the Israel/Iran ceasefire in a June 24, 2025 press gaggle, the President – referring to decision-makers in each country – said sharply before the cameras, “They don’t know what the fuck they’re doing!” Most news outlets censored his statement.
• In the White House State Dining Room at a White House Faith Office luncheon on July 24, 2025, Trump cursed before religious leaders as he seemingly departed from his prepared remarks to inaccurately recount having been criminally indicted five times during the Biden administration (it was actually four times). “I think I got indicted five times, impeached two times. All bullshit, right?” he said.
• On the campaign trail in the key swing state of Pennsylvania just weeks before the presidential election last October, Mr. Trump digressed for 12 minutes to discuss golf pro Arnold Palmer taking showers with other golfers whom Trump claimed admired Palmer's supposedly large dick. “When he took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, ‘Oh my God. That’s unbelievable,’ Trump said with a laugh. “I had to say. We have women that are highly sophisticated here, but they used to look at Arnold as a man,” PBS reported.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt has also acknowledged Mr. Trump has been medically diagnosed with Chronic Venus Insufficiency (CVI), a circulatory disease causing blood to pool in his ankles and heightening the President’s fall risk. 

The President, now past the current life-expectency for males in the United States (at 78.4 years), however, does not seem to be altering his junk food diet to improve his circulation and heart functioning, raising questions about his longterm health. "Donald Trump continues to enjoy a diet heavy on fast food, including burgers, fried chicken, and Diet Coke," the Economic Times reported in February. "His love for these foods is part of his public persona. While he claims good health and high energy levels, medical professionals are concerned about his diet and lack of exercise affecting his stamina."

The president’s day-to-day decision-making has also been scattered and unfocused, while his executive functioning appears to be declining rapidly. Seemingly no one – including the President’s top advisors – has any idea what the nation’s Chief Executive plans to concern himself with from one day to the next.

In diplomacy and trade policy, the President's reversals, shifting attentions, and outrageous provocations – such as calls for annexing the friendly nations of Denmark and Canada – have played into foreign adversaries’ hands, jolted allied nations, and stymied the American economy so much that he appears to have sought to prevent the issuance of quarterly U.S. GDP and monthly American jobs reports that could reflect poorly on his presidential performance. 

President Trump also appears to be exhibiting an over-the-top form of gold timophilia, or acquisitiveness, by surrounding himself in the Oval Office with gold filigree, and accepting a Boeing 747-8 luxury jetliner as a “gift” worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the Qatari government. The “Flying Palace” features nine bathrooms, five galley kitchens, and a “highly opulent interior” with plentiful gold accents throughout. All this while he forges ahead as project manager on his architectural vision for the construction of a 90,000 square-foot gold-accented ballroom where once stood the East Wing.

By the time the ball room is completed – if such a thing should ever happen – will the President be aware of what he has done?

By Christopher Jones