Donald Trump was mocked on Twitter on Monday night after he appeared to stumble his way through the National Anthem during his appearance at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia.

Twitter also debated whether Trump's fumble might be a sign of forgetfulness - and in turn, another sign that the 71-year-old might be developing dementia.

The public debate about Trump's mental health has intensified in the face of author Michael Wolff's assertion that the President is increasingly forgetful.

The Anthem was performed by the Zac Brown Band at Monday night's game. Trump placed his right hand over his heart and he was flanked by military members who saluted.

He appeared to be fine at the start, clearly mouthing along to 'say can you see, by the dawn's early light...proudly we hailed'.

Donald Trump appeared to not know many of the words to the National Anthem during the Zac Brown Band's performance of it at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia

Trump was flanked by military members during the game between the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide

He appeared to mouth certain words and phrases properly but at other points remained silent or appeared to mouth gibberish

At one point (not pictured) Trump appeared to give side eye to the camera that was trained directly on him for the duration of the Anthem

But then his mouth appeared to go awry. He uttered something at 'gleaming' and appears to correctly mouth 'stripes and bright stars'.

Otherwise, he either kept his mouth shut or appears to utter gibberish.

President 45 also appeared to give a quick side eye to the camera trained directly on him and at another point pats his chest while remaining silent.

The former businessman got back on track with 'red glare, The bombs bursting in air'.

He then sang along to 'gave proof through the night' before appearing to veer off again.

On 'wave,' when the Anthem crescendos before its last line and people generally start clapping, Trump gives an awkward smile.

He then states: 'For the land of the free, and the home of the brave' - but appears to preemptively say 'brave'.

Twitter was quick to take Trump - who has been a vocal critic of football players who do not stand for the National Anthem - to task for appearing to mumble his way through it.

Vigilant tweeters were quick to take Donald Trump to task for appearing to bumble his way through the National Anthem

Kasey Dixon wrote: 'Does @realDonaldTrump even know the words of the Star Spangled Banner? Sure doesn't look like it...'

Puppits said: 'Thought Trump looked ok until the camera close-up showed he clearly didn't know the words to the Star Spangled Banner'

Drew Gibson observed: 'When the camera panned to [Trump] he just had that mouth agape, thousand-yard stare going.'

Inderia Salter wistfully asked: 'Where is Obama?'

But tweeters also wondered whether Trump's botched Anthem singalong was more a sign of forgetfulness and early dementia.

Robert Murphy observed: 'I do not think that Pres Trump not knowing the words to the #NationalAnthem is a sign that he is unpatriotic. I think it is a sign that he has dementia, and has forgotten the words to a song that he knew most of his life.'

Jeremy Newberger wondered: 'Which is worse, Trump doesn't know the words to the National Anthem or Trump has dementia and can't remember the words to the National Anthem?'

Sarah Smile lamented: 'Trump doesn't know the words to the national anthem- sad, so sad. Dementia is no joke. #CFPNationalChampionship #realDonaldTrump'

The White House slapped down speculation that the president is 'unfit' for office last week after anecdotes in Wolff's bombshell book about the first year of Donald Trump's presidency raised new questions about the 71-year-old's mental competency.

Other tweeters debated whether Trump was displaying signs of forgetfulness and displaying early signs of dementia. The debate about Trump's mental health has intensified following author Michael Wolff's claims that Trump has becoming increasingly forgetful

'It's disgraceful and laughable. If he was unfit he probably wouldn't be sitting there, wouldn't have defeated the most qualified group of candidates the Republican Party has ever seen,' press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

A news report also revealed today that congressional Democrats invited a Yale psychiatrist to provide them with an assessment of president's cognitive state.

Author Michael Wolff claimed in a Thursday essay in the Hollywood Reporter that Trump is increasingly forgetful, repeating stories word-for-word inside 10 minutes and failing to recognize old friends.

The essay is based on his recently released explosive book, Fire and Fury, and includes other material.

To hide his failings from the public, Wolff claims the White House hatched a plan last fall to have interviewers submit their questions beforehand.

Trump's father, Fred, developed Alzheimer's in his 80s.

The fumbled Anthem came as Trump was jeered and booed by several protest groups that packed into an already crowded Atlanta, where the game is being held.

The Atlanta branch of the NAACP urged people to wear white to the game and to bring white towels to wave when the president enters the stadium.

The white is meant to mock the 'snowflake' insult that Trump supporters have made against those who oppose the president.

'We're going to make a snowflake turn into a mighty blizzard inside of Mercedes-Benz stadium when Mr. Trump comes,' Gerald Griggs, a vice president of the Atlanta NAACP, said at a news conference Monday.

Drew Gibson observed on Twitter: 'When the camera panned to [Trump] he just had that mouth agape, thousand-yard stare going'

Ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is pictured at center kneeling during the National Anthem before an October 2016 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He inaugurated the kneeling movement as a means to protest police brutality against African Americans

Body language expert says Trump looked anxious and acted 'unusual' during the National Anthem – and claims his behavior shows a lack of respect for the ceremony After strongly voicing his opinions about the sacredness of the National Anthem, President Trump was under intense scrutiny last night—but his nonverbal cues failed to fall into alignment with the feelings of reverence he has expressed in the past, body language expert Patti Wood noted. 'You're looking for a baseline of what's normal and a broader image of what he believes in,' Wood told the DailyMail.com. 'He's saying what he feels and believes—does he actually do the body language, the non-verbal message that say that as well?' The answer, according to the expert, was clear: 'He doesn't.' Wood admitted that the National Anthem was sung slightly differently than usual last night, since the chorus performed part of the song before everyone joined in. Still, she said, it was clear that Trump wasn't 'present' enough to realize when the anthem actually started. 'He doesn't put his hand up until the soldier next to him puts his hand up to salute,' Wood said. 'That is interesting, because he should be awake and aware enough to do that, and yet he doesn't do it.' Trump's failure to know when to start, she added, is even more noticeable because as a leader, he shouldn't be following others but initiating the movement instead. Cue: President Trump wasn't 'present' enough to know when the National Anthem started last night, body language expert Patti Wood noted The president, as many noticed, didn't sing the whole song, which Wood found especially interesting given how many times Trump has expressed his belief that the anthem is to be respected and honored. One of his mistakes, she said, was to go back and forth between singing a little and not at all, when he should have settled for either complete stillness or exhaustive singing. 'If I were his coach, I would say "OK, you're either going to be very solemn and still and not sing, which presidents have done, or we're going to do what he used to do in the past, which is to sing robustly,"' Wood said. In the past, she noted, 'his mouth would open very wide and you couldn't hear, but you would assume he was singing robustly'. But last night, Wood pointed out, Trump went back and forth between singing halfheartedly and never stood still. The expert also noticed self-comfort cues on the part of Trump, which suggest he was feeling anxious and attempted to soothe that feeling. One of these cues manifested itself when the president started swinging back and forth during the anthem. 'He has been doing this,' Wood said. 'I have seen it most remarkably in solemn occasions. He should be standing still and be grounded, and instead he's swinging back and forth.' The movement, she said, typically comes when people find themselves in uncomfortable situations, and can also be performed by children when they get impatient. 'You don't see it in somebody who's in political office, because they would have had to get rid of it to get there,' Wood added. Trump's hand movements also caught the expert's eye. At the beginning of the anthem, Wood pointed out, Trump patted himself on the chest, in what she described as a 'very unusual' move. 'He uses his hand across his heart to pat himself,' she said. 'He pats with the whole hand and with just the fingers moving to pat.' The move is unusual during the anthem, when people usually stand still or sing powerfully, she added. Instead, Trump's gesture, according to Wood, shows 'a need to comfort himself even during the National Anthem'. Another subtle detail caught Wood's attention—the position of Trump's hand and arm, which were horizontal. Looking at other photos and videos of past presidents and other officials during the National Anthem shows that they usually tilt their fingers upward slightly while placing their hand on their chest. Gesture: Wood also pointed out that the position of Trump's hand, horizontal instead of tilted upward and with his fingers spread apart, is unusual 'I think it happens subconsciously because you're honoring your country, and so it's an upward motion,' Wood said of the upward tilt absent of Trump's body language. The expert also noticed that the president's fingers were not close together during the anthem, when dignitaries tend to keep their fingers tight when the song is performed. 'He says the anthem is sacred and it's not being respected, so I'm looking for what would show the most reverence,' Wood added. Trump's facial expressions denoted a lack of sincerity, according to the expert. 'He has a look on his face through most of the anthem—his eyes are squinted and he has a scowl on his face,'she said. 'A lot of times when you're singing the National Anthem, you have this feeling of euphoria, reverence, positive uplifting, almost a transcendence that takes place. Instead, I see a scowl on his face.' The president's smile, which Wood said used to be 'the most beautiful, charismatic, large, magnanimous smile' during his presidential run, and to which she partly attributes his victory, appears to have lost its 'alpha confidence', she added. 'What I see now in this anthem is he puts a smile on but it's plastic, it stays frozen on his face when usually he would do it very large and it comes in a wave,' she said. 'When you see a sincere smile, the feeling is transferred to the person seeing it. Instead, you see the teeth and the jaw are really tight and the lips don't move in that full motion, and it's more pasted on. 'That tells me he knows he needs to smile at the end but he's not genuine. That was interesting to me because that's something he always had.' Overall, Wood believes the president was 'tense' during the anthem, and that his behavior was 'not normal'. 'I'm seeing a desire to comfort himself and an anxiety level in a situation where I've seen him be fine before, but not now,' she said. Source: Patti Wood, body language expert and author of Snap Advertisement

The organization also planned a 'Twitter storm' beginning at 6pm and continuing through to the end of the game.

The plan is to use the hashtag #AllTrumpsLies to highlight what they say are lies told by the president.

Another group, Refuse Fascism ATL, also demonstrated outside CNN's world headquarters near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the game was set to kick off at 8pm. The group planned to 'take a knee' there at 6.30pm.

Atlanta police stated earlier that they set up several designated areas for protesters and won't interfere with demonstrations unless protesters break the law.

Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities said last week that they've worked for months to develop security plans.

Earlier on Monday, Trump urged respect for the American flag and the national anthem at a farmers' convention on Monday.

Trump was there to deliver a partisan message about tax cuts and regulation-slashing to America's largest agriculture group.

TRUMP MET BY CHEERS AND JEERS AT GEORGIA-ALABAMA NATIONAL TITLE GAME President Donald Trump received a hostile welcome in Atlanta on Monday night where he was greeted by several groups of jeering protesters outside the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and local favorite Georgia Bulldogs. Adding further insult, Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough was caught yelling 'f*** Trump!' by cameras while walking from the locker room to the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Bulldogs took a 13-0 lead into the half. The president marched out onto the field with members of the military before the game began and stood to attention with his hand on his heart as the anthem played. However, Trump appeared to mumble his way through the words of the national anthem, with some on social media speculating he did not know them, while others added their voices to fears over his mental health. 'There's plenty of space for people to express their views and to protest, but we love our flag and we love our anthem and we want to keep it that way,' Trump said earlier at in Tennessee on the way to the game. The president stayed until half-time before leaving the stadium, while outside at a specially constructed stage, vocal Trump-critic Kendrick Lamar played a show for fans. President Donald Trump participates in the national anthem before Monday's title game between Georgia and Alabama A protester speaks out as others take a knee in protest of President Donald Trump, outside of CNN Headquarters, before Monday's national title game between Alabama and the local favorite Georgia Bulldogs People take a knee in protest of President Donald Trump, outside of CNN Headquarters, before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Alabama and Georgia is played inside Mercedes-Benz stadium Prior to the arrival of Trump the Atlanta branch of the NAACP urged people to wear white to the game and to bring white towels to wave when the president enters the stadium. The white was meant to mock the 'snowflake' insult that Trump supporters have made against those who oppose the president. 'We're going to make a snowflake turn into a mighty blizzard inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium when Mr. Trump comes,' Gerald Griggs, a vice president of the Atlanta NAACP, said at a news conference Monday. The organization also planned a 'Twitter storm' beginning at 6pm and continuing through the end of the game. The plan was to use the hashtag #AllTrumpsLies to highlight what they say are lies told by the president. It did not appear to have gained much traction and was not registering as a Twitter trend during the game. Another group, Refuse Fascism ATL, demonstrated against Trump outside CNN's world headquarters near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, taking a knee in solidarity with NFL players who have protested inequality and police brutality against minorities by refusing to stand during the national anthem. They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived pic.twitter.com/6XIr8YO5gO — Andy Scholes (@AndyScholesCNN) January 8, 2018 WATCH: Trump's motorcade gets tons of boos from fans as he arrives at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.#NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/JOazeCiJ8n — Remove Trump Now (@KaniJJackson) January 9, 2018 Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough yells “F— Trump” before tonight’s title game. pic.twitter.com/RhuhRyNFHh — Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 9, 2018 Advertisement

The Georgia Bulldogs Marching Band performs on field prior to the game presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Brian Robinson Jr, #24 of the Crimson Tide, walks out of the tunnel with Jonah Williams #73 during warm ups prior to the game

Crimson Tide cheerleaders perform during the game held in Atlanta, Georgia

However, he began talking about the 'great American flag' midway through.

'We are fighting for our flag. We want our flag respected. We want our flag respected,' he said twice. 'And we want our national anthem respected, also,' Trump added to whoops.

Trump waves to sports fans as he walks on the field before the game

Kendrick Lamar, the game's half-time performer, could also take the opportunity to rip the president after saying in October that Trump's election was a 'mindf***' and it is 'building the fire' for him.

A track Lamar released earlier this year, 'The Heart Part 4,' hits Trump as a 'chump' and claims that Russia is 'up to something'.

Trump said Monday afternoon in Tennessee that there's 'plenty of space for people to express their views and to protest.

'But love our flag, we love our anthem, and we want to keep it that way,' the president stated.

At a rally in Alabama last year, Trump issued a sharply worded warning to players who do not stand for the National Anthem.

The move was inaugurated by ex-49ers Colin Kaepernick during the 2016-2017 season as a means to protest police violence against African Americans.

'Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, "Get that son of a b***h off the field right now! He is fired. He's fired!"' Trump boomed at the rally held in September 2017.

His crowd applauded and chanted 'USA! USA!'

Trump boards Air Force One at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia following the game to travel to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland

We are fighting for our farmers, for our country, and for our GREAT AMERICAN FLAG. We want our flag respected - and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also! pic.twitter.com/16eOLXg6Fi — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2018