Donald Trump is perhaps the most reported and watched person in the world, and health experts have wondered whether he has a condition hiding in plain sight.
The president’s high engagement and energy levels, as well as his habits of interrupting, impulsively tweeting and fast forwarding through films, have raised a question: Does he have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
There has been a lot of debate in recent years as to how many people have the condition and how much attention spans have been reduced by access to the internet. But, according to insiders and medical experts, Mr Trump has been exhibiting high energy, a lack of focus and impulsiveness in his career going back to the Seventies.
This will not be a conclusive argument as we do not have access to Mr Trump’s medical records. And it is also not suggestive that the condition would impair his ability to be president – as ADHD may only alter his working methods.
Read also: What is ADHD and how can it affect your life?
Here is what we do know.
Does Donald Trump have ADHD?
There has been no official word
It’s important to note that Mr Trump has never said he has the condition and all reports have been speculation. In addition, no Trump family member has ever gone on record to say he has it.
Presidents are all subject to health examinations, which are often (but not necessarily) made public and there has never been anything reported to say that he has ADHD. The tests look at blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, heart rate and weight, and do not examine mental attributes or abilities.
The 78-year-old will undergo his next annual medical exam in April. He does not drink or smoke but does enjoy fast food. A 2018 physical suggested he was in “excellent” health but for his weight, saying golf was his main source of exercise. The exam did not mention anything about him having ADHD.
His actions have been in line with common symptoms
“Symptoms of ADHD involve your ability to pay attention to things (being inattentive), having high energy levels (being hyperactive) and your ability to control your impulses (being impulsive),” says the NHS.
From that definition, it is fair to say that the 45th and 47th president has certainly shown symptoms, from his “Did I say that?” condemnation of Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator,” to his late-night working allowing him only four to five hours of sleep.
Aides have said that Mr Trump has difficulty concentrating on the finer details of policy, and some staff have admitted that policy documents were removed from his desk during his first term and the president simply forgot about them.
The Guardian reported that Mr Trump didn’t have enough patience for all 92 minutes of Jean-Claude Van Damme action film Bloodsport and asked his son to fast forward, so he was left with a “relentless 45-minute supercut of broken bones and knuckle sandwiches”.
Then there was the time he either fell asleep while tweeting or got distracted and ended up pressing send on a message that read: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe.”
He has admitted to having a short attention span
Politico has put together a list of Mr Trump seeming to admit to having a short attention span. “My attention span is short,” he said in the 1990 book Surviving at the Top.
“Well, I mean, I have an attention span that’s as long as it has to be,” he told Time in 2015.
In Think Like a Champion, a 2009 book, he said: “I always try to keep two wavelengths going at once, which prevents brain cramps and reminds me that I’m destined for success.”
Maybe another one of his wavelengths was suggesting that this was bad advice as the previous year he had said in Never Give Up that it was important to think about one thing only.
“In this age of multitasking, this is a valuable technique to acquire,” he had said.
People who know him have said he shows symptoms
Several sources in a Politico article have said that Mr Trump exhibits ADHD symptoms.
Mr Trump’s biographer Michael D’Antonio has said that he found over eight hours of interviews with him that he had trouble getting him to concentrate.
“I think he’s definitely got attention deficit disorder,” he said.
Tony Schwartz, the ghost writer for the president’s 1987 book The Art of the Deal, said the president has “no attention span” while Trump Tower project manager Barbara Res said “he was so distracted” during negotiations and “he really couldn’t stay focused”.
Jack O’Donnell, one of Mr Trump’s 1980s casino executives, said he would need to talk at a much faster speed when trying to engage him. “[His] attention span was so small it was almost impossible to have a strategic conversation with him,” he said.
What are the symptoms of ADHD?
According to the NHS, symptoms of ADHD can be categorised into two types of behavioural problems:
In children, this may present as:
- Having a short attention span and being easily distracted
- Appearing forgetful or losing things
- Appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions
- Being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
- being unable to concentrate on tasks
- Excessive physical movement or talking
- Acting without thinking
In adults, this may present as:
- Carelessness and lack of attention to detail
- Continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones
- Poor organisational skills
- Inability to focus or prioritise
- Continually losing or misplacing things
- Forgetfulness, restlessness and edginess
- Difficulty keeping quiet, and speaking out of turn
- Inability to deal with stress
- Taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others – for example, driving dangerously
Inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing) Hyperactivity and impulsiveness
Medical experts have said he is likely to have ADHD
Journalists have approached doctors to weigh in on this subject, who have said the POTUS probably does have the condition.
Dr George Sachs, a psychologist and founder of a medical centre, told the HuffPost: “The reason Donald Trump can't stay on message is that his brain actually does not support this way of processing information. Now imagine you are running for president when every day is overloaded with input from all sides.”
Dr John Kruse said: “[Mr] Trump has displayed symptoms for years that indicate he robustly fills the full official criteria for ADHD.
“In a multitude of settings, since childhood, Trump has displayed hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive symptoms, that have caused distress and dysfunction, and that were excessive for someone of his age and his background.”
He listed 18 symptoms of ADHD present in Mr Trump, including his distractedness, inability to listen, tendency to blurt out answers and his difficulty in waiting for his turn.
Having ADHD does not mean that he would be a lesser president
Those in the know have stopped short of saying that having ADHD would harm Mr Trump’s ability to be president – and have instead suggested it does have its advantages.
“It doesn’t mean he isn’t really smart – it just means he’s not at his best when he’s asked to dwell on a topic,” said Mr D’Antonio.
Dr Sachs said: “For some adults with ADHD, this way of processing information allows for more spontaneous and creative ideas. Perhaps this is why many successful entrepreneurs have Adult ADHD.”
He added: “Donald Trump could very well benefit by having an ADHD specialist at his side.”
Dr Kruse added that after Mr Trump’s shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania he “had the presence of mind to turn the event into a victorious photo-op” alongside his apparent demand for his shoes.
