Decades ago, President Donald Trump’s style of speech was quite different than it is today.

In contrast to the ‘tortured syntax’ now common in his responses, Trump was once far more articulate, often using well-structured sentences and ‘sophisticated vocabulary,’ according to a new analysis.

Experts say the ‘striking and unmistakable’ differences may fall in line with the expected cognitive decline that comes with age, and could even be strategic – but, some suggest neurodegenerative disease could also be to blame.

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In contrast to the ‘tortured syntax’ now common in his responses, Trump was once far more articulate, often using well-structured sentences and ‘sophisticated vocabulary,’ according to a new analysis

WHAT'S CAUSING IT? Experts say the changes observed in Trump’s spontaneous answers may be linked to the cognitive decline of the aging brain; Trump is now just weeks shy of his 71st birthday. And, the phenomenon could be related to stress or fatigue. Some experts even suggest that a neurodegenerative disease could be behind the issue. Recent studies have linked changes in spontaneous speech to the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, according to STAT. Advertisement

In the analysis, STAT News compared President Trump’s responses during 2017 Q&A sessions with on-air interviews over the last few decades, and asked experts to weigh in.

This revealed that the US president has become increasingly ‘linguistically challenged,’ according to the report.

‘His language difficulties could be due to the immense pressure he’s under, or to annoyance that things aren’t going right and that there are all these scandals,’ neuropsychologist Sterling Johnson, of the University of Wisconsin, told STAT.

‘It could also be due to a neurodegenerative disease or the normal cognitive decline that comes with aging.’

During interviews in the 1980s and 1990s, Trump’s unscripted responses were far more polished and coherent, the report notes.

In a 1992 session with Charlie Rose, for example, Trump is quoted as saying, ‘Ross Perot, he made some monumental mistakes.

‘Had he not dropped out of the election, had he not made the gaffes about the watch dogs and the guard dogs, if he didn’t have three or four bad days – and they were real bad days – he could have conceivably won this crazy election.’

By comparison, the report points to a recent example, in which Trump told press at the White House: ‘There is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign, but I can always speak for myself – and the Russians. Zero.’

Experts say the ‘striking and unmistakable’ differences may fall in line with the expected cognitive decline that comes with age, or could even be strategic. Trump is pictured during an interview with host David Letterman on December 22, 1987

Now, it’s common for Trump’s responses to contain repetition, incoherent train-of-thought sentences, and even missing words, according to STAT.

The changes observed in Trump’s spontaneous answers may be linked to the cognitive decline of the aging brain; Trump is now just weeks shy of his 71st birthday.

And, the phenomenon could be related to stress or fatigue.

TRUMP'S SPEECH, THEN VS NOW In the analysis, STAT News compared President Trump’s responses during 2017 Q&A sessions with on-air interviews over the last few decades, and asked experts to weigh in. In a 1992 session with Charlie Rose, for example, Trump is quoted as saying, ‘Ross Perot, he made some monumental mistakes. ‘Had he not dropped out of the election, had he not made the gaffes about the watch dogs and the guard dogs, if he didn’t have three or four bad days – and they were real bad days – he could have conceivably won this crazy election.’ The report also points to an example from this year: ‘People want the border wall,’ Trump said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. ‘My base definitely wants the border wall, my base really wants it — you’ve been to many of the rallies. ‘OK, the thing they want more than anything is the wall. My base, which is a big base; I think my base is 45 percent. You know, it’s funny. ‘The Democrats, they have a big advantage in the Electoral College. Big, big, big advantage. ‘The Electoral College is very difficult for a Republican to win, and I will tell you, the people want to see it. They want to see the wall.’ Advertisement

Regardless of the cause, however, experts were in agreement that some form of decline had taken place, STAT reports.

‘I can see what people are responding to,’ Dr Robert Pyles, a psychiatrist in Boston and a Trump supporter, told STAT.

While the expert noted a ‘difference in tone and pace,’ he also explained, ‘What I did not detect was any gap in mentation or meaning.

‘I don’t see any clear evidence of neurological or cognitive dysfunction.’