Trump mocked online after confusing think tanks with literal buildings or tanks: 'Full-blown dementia'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump reignited concerns about his cognitive health during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, after making a bizarre remark suggesting he believes think tanks are literal buildings, or even tanks, designed for people to think in. 

His rambling statement quickly went viral, sparking widespread mockery and renewed speculation about possible dementia. Critics also pointed to his apparent confusion and verbal incoherence as troubling signs of mental decline.

Trump makes baffling remark about 'think tanks'

During a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday, July 22, President Donald Trump made a baffling remark that reignited concerns about his mental fitness.

While discussing various topics, including trade policy, Trump appeared to suggest that "think tanks" are physical structures, possibly even literal tanks, where intellectuals are "paid to think." 

“He has these think tanks. They build buildings for people who think. It’s really not thinking. It’s a little bit of a combination of thinking. It’s something you sort of have or don’t have..He ought to raise interest rates,” Trump said in a rambling statement.

The incident fueled renewed fears about a potential decline in Trump’s cognitive abilities following his latest puzzling remarks. 

Earlier this month, concerns over Trump’s cognitive health intensified after a mental health expert highlighted signs of significant deterioration.

Dr John Gartner, a former part-time professor at Johns Hopkins University, told radio host Dean Obeidallah that Trump’s mental decline is clearly “visible,” especially when compared to his past performance.

“Basically, what we see in the classic signs of dementia, which is gross deterioration from someone’s baseline and function,” Gartner explained. “That’s very important because one of the areas that we can most visibly see this is in his verbal productions. And, if you go back and look at film from the 1980s, he actually was extremely articulate.”

He added, “He was still a jerk, but he was able to express himself in polished paragraphs, and now he really has trouble completing a thought, and that is a huge deterioration.”

Gartner also pointed to Trump’s shrinking vocabulary: “His vocabulary has deteriorated, but also he’s starting to show very specific signs of phonemic paraphasia, for example, where he routinely can’t say an English word so he substitutes a non-word that is easier to pronounce and sounds like it.”   

As an example, he cited a recent instance where Trump confused “Harvard” with “Harlem,” suggesting the president now relies heavily on “loose associations” to form ideas. “It’s really an example of what we call tangential thought, where he goes off on loose associations,” Gartner said. “So, Harvard sounds like Harlem. Harlem, now he gets into a whole thing about Black voters.”

Internet says 'fascinating mind' Trump has

Donald Trump’s comment quickly sparked a wave of confusion and ridicule on social media, with users on X (formerly Twitter) questioning whether the president's alleged dementia was resurfacing.

One user wrote, “Trump thinks that ‘think tanks’ are actual tanks... Am I following this? Or is his dementia rubbing off?”  

Another asked, “Does… does he think think tanks literally work out of tanks?”

A third joked, “Think tanks = tanks for people that think. Fascinating mind, Donald Trump has.”

A different user chimed in, “Now he’s calling himself an ‘intellect’ and I knew he was about to include himself! Dementia is no joke. #Trump is deranged.”

Another declared, “Trump is in full-blown dementia.”

One person commented, “Trump has had dementia for some time, and it’s obviously getting worse. He will continue to deteriorate before our eyes. And it won’t be pretty.”

Someone else quipped, “Omg. His brain can only process language in the literal sense. Think tanks = a tank where people think. Asylum claims = people from a mental institution. Stealth planes = aircraft that are completely invisible. What kind of cognitive impairment is this?”

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online