Speeches are becoming increasingly confused Is Trump now falling into the Biden trap?
Donald Trump's speeches are getting darker, angrier and longer. This is the conclusion of an analysis of his speeches from 2016 and 2024. Now the discussion about Trump's age is flaring up.
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- Trump is making more and more claims that aren't even true. He also appears to be increasingly confused.
- Former Trump employees are also noticing this.
- The New York Times then analyzes his speeches over the last few years.
- Now the question arises: is Trump getting too old?
After the TV debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, viewers "went crazy". At least that's what former President Donald Trump claims. But there was no audience at all. The debate took place in an empty hall.
According to theNew York Times, such misrepresentations of Trump have become more frequent recently. He rambles, repeats himself and jumps from one thought to another. Some of them are difficult to understand, some are unfinished. The renowned newspaper has carried out a computer analysis of Trump's speeches.
His speeches during the 2016 and 2024 presidential election campaigns were compared, and the analysis shows that Trump's speeches now last an average of 82 minutes, compared to 45 minutes in 2016. He also uses terms such as "always" and "never" more frequently. Some experts believe these findings are a sign of his advanced age, as they tell the NYT.
Is Trump getting too old?
Trump also makes claims that seem to be pulled out of thin air. About gold, sharks and his own "beautiful" body. He also seems confused. For example, he is happy about "a great day in Louisiana" after spending the day in Georgia. Just last month, Trump spoke as if he was running against President Joe Biden - five weeks after the latter withdrew from the presidential race.
Is Trump getting too old? This question is coming up more and more frequently. Especially since Joe Biden left the campaign stage.
The fact is: with Biden's withdrawal, Trump is the oldest presidential candidate in history at 78. If he wins, he would be the oldest president ever in the USA.
However, it is not only Trump's age that has changed in recent years, but also his manner of speaking. According to the New York Times, it has become darker, sharper and angrier.
An analysis by the newspaper shows
- The average length of his speech at rallies rose from 45 minutes (2016) to 82 minutes (2024).
- The use of terms such as "always" and "never" increased by 13%.
- Negative words are now used 32% more frequently than positive ones, compared to 21% in 2016.
- The frequency of swear words increased by 69%.
A study by "Stat", an American news agency that primarily deals with health issues, came to a similar conclusion.
At the level of a fourth grader
The "NYT" analysis also shows that Trump speaks at the level of a fourth grader, but that the level of complexity of his speeches has remained relatively constant in recent years.
It also says that Trump talks more often about the past. Especially about the 1980s and 1990s. For example, he quotes fictional characters from this period such as Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs" - he means "The Silence of the Lambs", of course. And he asks where the presenter Johnny Carson is, saying that he should return to television. However, he died in 2005.
Trump also refers to historical events as if they had just taken place. For example, Trump asked his supporters whether they remembered the landing of Charles Lindbergh in New York, who had actually landed in Paris in 1927, almost 20 years before Trump was born.
Even when it comes to modern technology, Trump sometimes uses words that are so out of date in 2024: "Most people have no idea what a phone app is," he says. And this in a country where 96 percent of people own a smartphone, the NYT continues.
Concerns about his age have increased in recent weeks. This is shown not only by the NYT's analysis, but also by other surveys: a majority of Americans think he is too old to be president. His critics have repeatedly tried to turn the issue around.
Former employees notice changes in Trump's speeches
Some who have known Trump for years tell the newspaper that they have also noticed a change in his speaking style. "He's not competing at the level he was eight years ago, no question," said Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director and former Trump ally. "He's lost a step. He's lost the ability to formulate powerful sentences." It goes on to say, "You can like Trump or hate Trump, but he's been a very effective communicator," Scaramucci said.
Sarah Matthews, Trump's former deputy press secretary, said the former president had lost his edge. "I don't think anyone would say that Trump is the most polished speaker, but his recent speeches seem more disjointed, he rambles even more and has some pretty noticeable moments of confusion," she said. "When he was running against Biden, maybe that didn't stand out as much."
Trump dismisses all concerns
Trump, for his part, dismisses all concerns. He says he has passed all cognitive tests. He also recently complained at a rally: "I speak for two hours without a teleprompter and if I lose just one word slightly, it's: 'He's cognitively impaired'."
Steven Cheung, communications director for Trump's campaigns, also calls him "the strongest and most capable candidate" and dismissed claims that he has deteriorated with age. "Trump has more energy and stamina than anyone in politics and is the smartest leader this country has ever seen," he said in a statement.
So far, his campaign has refused to release any of Trump's medical records, pointing instead only to a one-page letter released by his former White House doctor in July, when he was shot. It states that Trump is "doing well".
Experts do not know whether it is due to age
Experts say that it is difficult to judge whether the changes in Trump's speaking style could indicate typical signs of ageing or poor health. "It can change as you get older, that's normal," Bradford Dickerson, a neurologist at Harvard, told the NYT.
According to Dickerson, however, there are also "red flags" when a person's language changes significantly relative to how they used to express themselves. These changes can indicate cognitive problems, especially if they occur in a short period of time.
However, others who have spent time with Trump in private emphasize that they have not noticed any difference.
So whether his dark and angry speeches are related to age is debatable. He has always had an unmistakable speaking style that captivated his supporters, even if critics accused him of being unrealistic.
Trump himself, however, is certain: "I'm never wrong", at least that's what he said recently in Wisconsin.