Donald Trump fans fear dementia as 'catheter' spotted in his trousers
A peculiar bulge in Donald Trump's trousers has sparked wild online speculation that it might be linked to a severe form of dementia.
The odd protrusion was noticed in the leg of his trousers during an appearance in the Rose Garden.
One sharp-eyed Twitter user suggested, "Appears Trump is wearing a catheter," as they shared the viral images of Trump's leg that caused a stir on Monday night.
Another speculated: "Foley catheter. Urinary incontinence is a symptom of late stage Prefrontal Temporal Dementia."
This tweet quickly racked up over 7,000 likes, reports the Mirror US.
Frontotemporal dementia is characterised by abnormal protein clumps within brain cells, thought to impair their function significantly.
This condition can result in alterations to personality, behaviour, and communication abilities, including language and speech.
Incontinence in individuals with this type of dementia may be due to a range of symptoms such as disinhibition, compulsive actions, distractibility, and reduced self-awareness.
A Foley catheter is used to drain urine from the bladder into an external collection bag.
The intrigue began with a tweet asking, "What's going on here?" accompanied by four zoomed-in photos of Trump from behind, highlighting the mysterious lump, which garnered over 17,000 likes. This comes shortly after another unusual bump was spotted on his leg at a recent UFC event.
While some have outlandishly guessed the lump could be a brace, the circulating images seem to distinctly suggest the presence of a catheter.
Social media is buzzing with conjecture over the state of President Trump's health, with claims circling around potential neurological issues.
What are the Trump health fears theories?
In one instance, a social media user posited the theory: "It's long been suspected he's had one or more brain events-if that's the case, the brace is likely for drop foot," adding further that "He's clearly wearing a catheter in the photo below, which also tracks, since bladder control often becomes unpredictable after neurological damage. Which would explain the fascination with Hannibal Lecter, the asylum rhetoric, and a slew of other bizarre behavior."
During Trump's attendance at the UFC championship fight in New Jersey, some observers speculated whether he might have a catheter fitted.
One observer stated emphatically: "Trump is absolutely wearing a Foley catheter. It's a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg. That line down his pants? Not a crease. It's tubing. Every step he takes sounds like the sloshing of a warm Capri Sun," alongside a picture that was shared.
Comments continued with others indicating, "Leg braces. And it appeared as though he had a catheter in as well," yet the true nature of what appeared on Trump's leg remained unclear, possibly an unusual fold in his trousers. Meanwhile, individuals derided the speculation with remarks like "Wrinkles in his pants? Drrrr," while another simply disregarded the conversation, saying, "Wrinkles in the suite? Who tf cares?"
What is the online speculation about Trump?
Despite ongoing speculation about Trump's health, his physician, Captain Sean Barbabella, gave him a clean bill of health following his first annual physical, with no mention of any medical devices such as catheters or leg braces.
In April, Trump underwent an exhaustive five-hour physical examination at Walter Reed in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was deemed to be in "excellent cognitive and physical health". The comprehensive check-up included blood work, a cardiac examination, ultrasounds, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), on which he scored a perfect 30 out of 30, according to Dr. Barbabella.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Trump returned to the White House after a weekend retreat at Camp David in Maryland, where he was spotted inspecting a construction project on the White House lawn. Photos of the encounter went viral, with observers noting his unusual stance as he chatted with workers while standing on a wooden board laid across the grass.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
More than 2.8m people in US identify as trans, including 724,000 youth, data shows
More than 2.8 million people now identify as transgender in the US, including an estimated 724,000 youth, according to a new data analysis that is the largest of its kind to date. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Williams Institute used federal surveys and data from state health agencies to identify the size and demographics of the trans population in each state. The analysis, shared with the Guardian and released on Wednesday, documented thousands of trans youth living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The findings counter Donald Trump's aggressive efforts to deny the existence of trans minors, as his administration removes references to trans people across federal agencies and widely erodes protections and programs for LGBTQ+ communities. The report builds on federal data collection efforts that the White House is now eliminating. The authors warn their study could be the last comprehensive portrait of the nation's trans population for a decade or more as trans people are erased from vital US surveys, including health reports and crime data analyses. The Williams Institute primarily relied on 2021 to 2023 data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys and records disclosed by state health agencies. Some of the key findings include: 1% of the total US population aged 13 and older identifies as trans, including 0.8% of adults (more than 2.1 million people) and 3.3% of youth ages 13 to 17 (roughly 724,000 people). Young adults ages 18 to 24 are significantly more likely to identify as trans (2.72%) than those 35 to 64 (0.42%) and those aged 65 and older (0.26%). Of the 2.1 million trans adults, 32.7% (698,500) are trans women, 34.2% (730,500) are trans men and 33.1% (707,100) are trans non-binary people. The trans populations are fairly consistent across regions, with 0.9% of adults in the west, midwest and north-east identifying as trans, compared with 0.7% of adults in the south. Minnesota had the highest rate of adults who identify as trans (1.2%), and Hawaii had the highest rate of trans youth (3.6%), though the ranges were similar across states. 'Trans people live everywhere and are represented in every state,' said Dr Jody Herman, senior scholar of public policy at the Williams Institute and co-author of the report, noting the total US trans population was larger than the individual size of more than a dozen states. 'This is a substantial population that has unique concerns and barriers to getting their needs met, and lawmakers need to keep that in mind.' The Williams Institute, a leading LGBTQ+ policy research center, has published national trans population counts since its 2011 report, which was the first of its kind as state-level data on gender identity became available. The estimates are considered the best available data and were cited by the US supreme court in its recent majority opinion upholding Tennessee's ban on trans youth healthcare. The quality and sources of the researchers' data have improved from one report to the next, the researchers said, making it difficult to assess changes over time. But the researchers noted that its overall estimates of trans adults have remained relatively steady, while the latest data shows how younger people are now significantly more likely to identify as trans than older groups. There are many factors contributing to youth identifying as trans at higher rates, including that younger people are more likely to answer these kinds of survey questions, said Dr Andrew Flores, Williams Institute distinguished visiting scholar and associate professor of government at American University. 'Younger people are growing up among other younger people who already hold more accepting attitudes toward LGBT and transgender people more broadly,' said Flores, a report co-author, citing increasingly visible signs of support, such as student walkouts in Florida in protest of anti-trans policies. 'In this generation, they might be more willing and safe to identify that they are transgender, because they don't see as much of a harm or threat as older generations.' While some conservatives and anti-trans advocates have presented a reported rise in trans youth as a 'social contagion', suggesting youth are copying their peers, 'The growth comes as people are now in an environment that allows them to fully express who they are,' Flores said. Shifting language also affected generational differences, he said, noting how older groups were more likely to identify as lesbian or gay while younger people are more likely to identify as bisexual or pansexual. And while older trans people are more likely to identify as men or women, younger trans people more frequently identify as non-binary. The report also found that the race and ethnicity of trans people was largely similar to broader US demographics, with Indigenous, Latino and multiracial adults slightly more likely to identify as trans than other groups. The Trump administration, which has widely attacked data collection efforts across government, has moved to remove trans identity questions from two critical CDC behavioral health surveys and from Department of Justice surveys on crime victimization and sexual violence. The US Census Bureau has also taken steps to exclude gender identity from multiple surveys, according to the former director who resigned in February. Those efforts followed Trump's day-one executive order 'restoring biological truth' to the government, which suggested that trans identity was 'false' and directed the state department to deny trans people accurate passports. The data loss will make it impossible for the Williams Institute to continue its analyses in their current form, and even if the next administration restored the surveys, the public would still be losing up to 10 years of data, which would be a devastating erosion of knowledge, the researchers said. 'We didn't really have decent national data until around 10 years ago, so we just very recently got a grasp on how many people identify as trans in the US and what their characteristics are,' said Herman. 'For these data sources to just suddenly disappear, it is a major setback. The population is not going to go away, we're just not going to know more about them than what we have from our current sources.' The data has frequently been cited by journalists, school boards, public health experts, civil rights lawyers, advocates fighting discriminatory legislation and lawmakers expanding trans rights. The researchers had hoped federal data could help illuminate how trans people were moving within the US as some have fled red states due to anti-trans laws, but that will be hard to track without national surveys, they said. 'In some policy circles, they say if you can't be counted, you don't count,' Flores added. 'And for members of the LGBTQ+ community, to be able to see numbers that reflect their lived experiences is quite important.' Imara Jones, founder of news organization TransLash Media, said there was no easy fix for the loss of national data backed by federal resources. 'It is meant to erase, and that erasure is meant to have real-world impacts, making it harder for people to be who they are.' Flores said the institute and others were discussing ways to fill the gaps and continue data collection without the federal government: 'We're not just going to close up shop. We're going to try to find a way to keep telling these stories and be persistent.'
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Weight loss drugs: how will you be affected by the Mounjaro price rise in the UK?
Eli Lilly, the US manufacturer of the weight loss jab Mounjaro, has said the price will rise by 170% in the UK. From September, the price of the drug will increase with a month's supply of the highest dose rising from £122 to £330. The change comes as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on drugmakers to increase their prices for Europeans so that they can make them more affordable for Americans. We'd like to hear from people who use Mounjaro and how the change in cost might affect them. Have you explored switching to a different medication? Are you worried you will have to stop and might put weight back on? You can tell us how the new price of Mounjaro will affect you by filling in the form below, or messaging us. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. Contact us on WhatsApp at +447766780300. For more information, please see our guidance on contacting us via WhatsApp. For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop service instead. If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
US allows emergency authorizations of animal drugs to fight screwworms
CHICAGO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials gave the Food and Drug Administration the power to quickly authorize veterinarians and farmers to treat or prevent infestations of a flesh-eating livestock pest with animal drugs that may be approved for other purposes or available in other countries, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday. No cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed in the U.S. for decades. However, the Trump administration and livestock ranchers anticipate infestations that could reduce the nation's cattle herd and lift beef prices, already at record highs. Screwworm, a parasitic fly that eats livestock and wildlife alive, can infest any warm-blooded animal. Last month, the pest was found in Mexico about 370 miles from the U.S. border, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to indefinitely halt imports of Mexican cattle. The best method to fight screwworm is by breeding sterile flies that reduce the mating population of wild flies. However, experts say many more sterile flies would be needed beyond the current production capacity to slow screwworm's spread in Latin America. It can take a year or more to build facilities to increase sterile fly output. Cattle ranchers may need quick access to screwworm drugs in the meantime, and there are no FDA-approved drugs for screwworm in the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services said it allowed the FDA to issue Emergency Use Authorizations that permit the use of animal drugs not formally approved to treat or prevent screwworm. The FDA did not immediately respond to a question about whether drugmakers have already sought emergency authorizations. "The risk to human health in the United States remains very low, but the potential future threat to animal populations and the food supply chain requires proactive action," the FDA said. When HHS declares that an emergency use authorization is appropriate, the FDA can allow unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of medical products to tackle serious or life-threatening diseases, if no alternatives are available. In 2020, HHS allowed the emergency use of drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. If screwworm is found in U.S. animals soon, an important part of the response would involve using drugs in ways that are not in line with their label directions, Tristan Colonius, chief veterinary officer for the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said during a webinar last week. This could allow veterinarians and ranchers to access products more quickly, rather than waiting for a longer FDA review process. Colonius said the FDA was assessing literature reviews of products that were approved for other uses to determine what may be effective against screwworm. The agency also wants products with specific approvals for screwworm, he added. The FDA has been looking at foreign markets where screwworm has been endemic to see whether drug companies will bring products to the U.S., Colonius said. In May, cattle producers' group R-CALF USA asked the FDA to allow ranchers to feed ivermectin, opens new tab to livestock, as a precaution against the potential return of screwworm. The USDA has successfully used the anti-parasite drug to control the northern movement of cattle fever ticks, another pest that can be fatal to livestock, according to R-CALF. The USDA said on Friday it would spend up to $750 million to build a facility in Texas that produces sterile flies. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not say when the plant would open but previously said such a facility would take two to three years to build.
