The heinous attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13th reminds us that the answer to the age-old questions raised above remains elusive and unpredictable. The same is true for determining the course of cognitive decline--especially in the absence of comprehensive medical evaluations no matter a person's age.
As a gerontologist and director of a graduate program in gerontology at CUNY, Brooklyn College in the 1980s, and later director of a gerontology training program at Marymount Manhattan College, the cognitive and physical capabilities of older adults have been the focus of my career. Estimates of the abilities of the elderly have often suffered from ageism, with the overemphasis on physical appearances.
For example, in 1984 eighty-one-year-old South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond ran for reelection. His 44-year-old opponent, Melvin Purvis, made age his key issue in the campaign. Strom Thurmond won by a landslide. And at age 100 he was still strumming along in Congress. Less than two years after the Senate race Purvis died of a heart attack at age forty-six--confirming that appearances can be misleading.
Undoubtedly, Melvin Purvis seemed overwhelmingly physically more vigorous and energetic than octogenarian Strom Thurmond. Similarly for the superior physical appearance of Donald Trump in the June 27, 2024 debate with Joe Biden. But which candidate is actually healthier?
Although the media is currently focussing on signs of possible cognitive impairment in Joe Biden, similar concerns have been expressed about Donald Trump. According to psychiatrist Dr. Lance Dodes "There is overwhelming evidence that Donald Trump is suffering from dementia"--a disease his father Fred Trump suffered from. Further support for Dr. Dodes' assessment is Donald Trump's rambling and sometimes incoherent rants in his acceptance speech at the RNC convention on July 18, 2024. And Commentators have sounded an alarm that given Donald Trump's love for fast foods--and one particular choice at the top of his list--he may be a few Big Macs away from a life-threatening medical crisis.
Much has been documented about the notorious medical coverups in the White House by past presidents. That's why in the current critical presidential contest between two elderly candidates exhibiting some cognitive decline, we should demand independent comprehensive medical examinations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden with full public disclosure.
The recommendation of many Democrats for damage control to distract from Biden's poor performance in the debate is unacceptable. The public deserves facts on the health of both candidates--and needs them now.
Bernard Starr, PhD, Professor Emeritus CUNY, Brooklyn College is founder, and for 25 years the managing editor of The Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics and co-author of the Starr-Weiner Report on Sex and Sexuality in the Mature Years.
(Article changed on Jul 19, 2024 at 12:07 PM EDT)
