1,355,132 views Premiered on 20 Sept 2025 The Daily Beast Podcast

Dr. John Gartner, former Johns Hopkins professor and co-host of the podcast ‘Shrinking Trump,’ joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to deliver a chilling diagnosis: Donald Trump is showing signs of dementia layered on top of malignant narcissism. Drawing on decades of clinical expertise, Dr. Gartner explains how Trump’s declining language, erratic gait, and disturbing anecdotes point to brain deterioration that makes him not just unpredictable but uniquely dangerous in office. Coles presses him on how Trump’s narcissism compares to King Charles’ public persona, whether his cabinet and family are retreating from his volatility, and what it means when a leader with nuclear codes also displays symptoms of mini-strokes and confabulation. From Hitler’s psychology to Bill Clinton’s benign narcissism, this episode explores how power amplifies paranoia, cruelty, and decay—and asks the starkest question of all: as Trump weakens physically and mentally while tightening his grip on authority, how far can Trumpism go before it breaks America?

You can watch the conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_IWsfLb2xA