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ADHD & Trump’s Behavior: Trouble Learning
A.B.O.U.T. Behavior #10 : Trouble Learning
For one year, my weekly blog will address recent utterances or actions of Mr. Trump that highlight his severe, under-treated, hyperactive, adult ADHD. I do not intend to comment on his politics or policies, except as directly shaped by ADHD. My observations and analyses do not imply that all people with ADH behave like Mr. Trump, not that ADHD is Mr. Trump’s only mental health issue.
Mr. Trump’s tweet about Ambassador Yovanovitch amidst Friday’s impeachment hearings displayed multiple features of his ADHD: impulsive blurting, emotional dysregulation, contradicting himself (having proclaimed two days earlier that he was not even going to watch the hearings), and taking information out of context (attributing her presence to countries “going bad” when they were gravely troubled before her arrival). However, I will focus on how this example demonstrates the troubles with learning displayed by many with ADHD.
Several times during both the Mueller and the Ukrainian impeachment investigations, Mr. Trump has publicly lashed out at those testifying. Many have heard these comments as attempts to coerce or intimidate the speakers. As Ambassador Yovanovitch carefully pointed out, while she felt intimidated, she was not sure of the intent of the president’s utterances.
