⬅ Donald Trump: Family Medical History

Refer to the book by Trump's psychologist niece, Mary L. Trump, for a solid argument that much of Trump's behavior can be explained by the abnormal personalities and dynamics in his family 1. Details of the Trump family's medical history are compiled here → SEE BELOW.

• Trump's father died with Alzheimer disease at age 93. His mental status was in decline for at least seven years before then. Mary Trump describes him as "a high-functioning sociopath" 1a.
• Tump's mother died at age 88, having endured a lifetime of medical challenges, including major gynecological hemorrhage, early surgical menopause with consequent severe osteoporosis, and life threatening trauma during a physical assault. She also had marked insomnia.
• Trump's older brother, Fred, died at age 42 from complications of alcohol abuse -- the specific cause is not clear.
• Trump's younger brother by two years, Robert, died in summer 2020 of undisclosed causes.
• Trump has children by at least three different women.
• Trump's son Barron, born in 2006, contracted covid-19 in 2020. His tall stature is obvious.

Much has been made of the longevity of Trump's parents, but they were far from hale. Furthermore, in clear physiological contrast with their son, neither was obese.

Trump claimed in 2011 that his father died at age 94 and his mother at 90 2. In reality, his father was 93 and his mother was 88.

Father (and paternal grandfather)

Trump's father, a real estate developer, died with Alzheimer disease at age 93 in 1998 3. (Obituary: 4) His mental status began deteriorating before his hip replacement in 1991; during that hospitalization he had clear sundowning 1b.

By contrast, in connection with his father's will, Trump testified in a deposition that his father had been "sharp as a tack" until just before he died 1c. Trump contradicted his testimony in 2019 by saying that in his father's "last few years he developed -- we probably think it was Alzheimer's" 5. Comment: Trump had ample motivation to lie about the amount of time that his father had Alzheimer disease. Trump stood to inherit more money from a late-life contested will of his father's -- if he could prove his father was mentally intact when he signed it 1d.

Trump's father had a tumor removed from his neck, near his ear, during a 1989 hospitalization 1e.

Trump's father was 6'1'', solidly built, and vain about his appearance. He wore a wig and colored his hair starting in the early 1990s -- often resulting in a magenta color 1f. Mary Trump describes Trump's father as "a high-functioning sociopath" 1a. This Trump was left fatherless at age 12, when his father, previously an owner of restaurants and brothels, died in the 1918 influenza epidemic 1g.

Trump claims longevity in his father's ancestors 5. In reality, this, of course, was not true for his father's father.

Mother

Trump's mother died at age 88 3, having endured a lifetime of health challenges.

In 1944 (circa age 32) she had a miscarriage and was warned against further pregnancies 1h.

In 1949, at age 37, nine months after delivering her final child, she was found unconscious at home, amid blood on the floor. She underwent emergency hysterectomy (with oophorectomy -- removal of the ovaries) after "doctors found that serious postpartum complications had gone undiagnosed." This led to an abdominal infection and further complications. At one point physicians said she would not live a day. She underwent two more operations over the next week and was in and out of the hospital over the next six months. 1i

Removing her ovaries at this young age led to osteoporosis and painful spontaneous fractures 1j 6.

In addition to her osteoporotic fractures, she broke more bones when mugged in 1991 (age 79) 7 8. Her head was driven into her Rolls Royce, causing brain hemorrhage and partial loss of sight and hearing. "When she hit the pavement, her pelvis fractured in several places, and ribs broke" 1k. She was admitted to an ICU with concerns for her life. "It was weeks... before her pain became bearable" 1k. For weeks afterwards at home, she slept on a hospital bed 1l.

Trump's mother was an insomniac wanderer who could be found in the morning in unexpected places in the home. "More than once, she ended up having to go to the hospital." For this problem she never received psychiatric help. 1m

During Thanksgiving dinner circa 1979, she had an episode of choking that required the Heimlich maneuver by her son, Fred 1n

Trump claims longevity in his mother's family, too 5.

Brother Fred

Prompted by an episode of "excruciating stomach pains" in 1978, doctors discovered Fred, then 39 years old, had a "faulty" mitral valve and a "dangerously enlarged" heart. He had a porcine valve replacement, followed by a long recovery.

He would never be well enough again to live on his own. His long history of alcohol use included "a few stints in rehab to dry out" but he had never stopped drinking. One physician told him "If you have another drink, it's going to kill you." But even open-heart surgery failed to deter him. 1n

Despite being just 42 years old, Fred's death certificate cites "natural causes" as his cause of death 1o. His ex-wife has said that "a heart attack" was the cause 1p. His mother recalled that in the "last few weeks he couldn't get out of bed" 1q.

In his final illness, an ambulance took him to Queens Hospital (not his usual hospital). No family went with him, and none went to the hospital when it was disclosed that his condition was grave 1r. Trump has subsequently shown signs of emotion when discussing Fred's fate 9 10. In reality, knowing that Fred was very sick in the hospital, Donald and his sister Elizabeth instead went to the movies. Soon after they returned home, news came that Fred was dead. (9:20pm) 1r.

Comment: Though far from clear, alcoholic cardiomyopathy could explain several features of this history. It causes cardiac enlargement which, in turn, can stretch the ring of the mitral valve and cause it to leak ("regurgitate"). If, as often occurs in mitral valve disease, Fred's heart had the "atrial fibrillation" arrhythmia, then the "excruciating stomach pains" could have been an embolism to an abdominal artery. End-stage liver disease seems less likely as the cause of death, because there is no report that he was confused or had other changes in mental status. Liver disease could certainly have contributed, however.

Fred, an airline pilot, was 6'2'' tall 1s. His other medical history included pneumonia, jaundice, and "despair" 1n.

In Trump's words, Fred "was an alcoholic. Died at a very young age, 43. ... Probably around college time he started drinking a little bit and then a little bit more and a little bit more. ... he also smoked." 5

Donald Trump has abstained from smoking and drinking throughout his life 11, a habit ascribed to Fred's influence 10 which also translated to a reborn "just say no" approach to combating addiction nationally 12.

Son Barron

Barron was born to a 35-year-old mother and 59-year-old father. The pregnancy was "beautiful" 13. At less than three months of age, his 5-foot 11-inch mother remarked: "He has long fingers and long legs" 13. As an infant, photographs show low-set ears 14. By age 14 photographs showed him to be considerably taller than his 6'2'' father 15, with his father describing him as "very tall" 16. A 2020 photograph shows a long lower-body segment, i.e. that much of his height comes from his legs 15.

Barron contracted covid-19 in October 2020, slightly after his parents did 17. He had few or no symptoms and recovered quickly 18 17 16.