--- title: "Journalist Says Trump Suffered “Severe Memory Problems” During Extensive Interviews" description: "The writer of a new Donald Trump biography said the ex-president couldn't remember him on their second meeting." date: "2024-06-21" modified: "2024-06-21" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/trump-biographer-severe-memory-problems" categories: - "Brain" - "Health & Medicine" - "Neuroscience and Brain" tags: - "Cognition" - "donald trump" - "memory" - "politics" --- # Journalist Says Trump Suffered “Severe Memory Problems” During Extensive Interviews ![The writer of a new Donald Trump biography said the ex-president couldn't remember him on their second meeting.]() *Ex-President and convicted felon Donald Trump thanks supporters after meeting with Senate Republicans at the National Republican Senatorial Committee offices in Washington, DC, June 13, 2024. (Photo by Allison Bailey / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) \Image: Photo by ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images\* A journalist who spent hours interviewing Donald Trump for an upcoming book about "The Apprentice" said there were times when the ex-president couldn't remember him — even though they'd already met. In multiple TV hits promoting his forthcoming book "Apprentice in Wonderland," *Variety* co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh told fellow reporters that Trump seemed to have some cognitive issues during his time with the former president. Speaking to *MSNBC*'s "Morning Joe," which is hosted by [former Trump friend Joe Scarborough](), Setoodeh said that his time getting to know the former "Apprentice" host post-presidency makes his comments about [President Joe Biden's own alleged cognitive issues]() all the more ironic. "Trump had severe memory issues," the *Variety* editor said. "As the journalist who spent the most time with him, I have to say, he couldn't remember things, he couldn't even remember me." Recalling that the second of six times he met Trump in 2021, Setoodeh said that although they'd spoken for an hour just a few months prior to their second meeting, the former president admitted that he didn't recognize him. "He had a vacant look on his face, and I said, 'Do you remember me?'" the reporter recounted. "And he said 'no' — he had no recollection of our lengthy interview that we had, and he wasn't doing a lot of interviews at that time." https://www.twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1802696036302868803 In another interview, this time with *CNN*'s Kaitlan Collins, Setoodeh affirmed the impressions from a [recent *CNBC* report]() about CEOs who were "not impressed" by Trump's "meandering" train of thought. "He goes from one story to the next," the reporter said. "He struggles with the chronology of events. He seems very upset that he wasn't respected by certain celebrities in the White House." Setoodeh added that although it was [never exactly easy to interview Trump](), the situation seems to have gotten worse after he left the White House and relaunched his rematch with Biden. "There were some cognitive questions about where he was and what he was thinking," the biographer said, "and he would, from time to time, become confused." Far be it from us to offer [unschooled armchair diagnoses]() about the mental states of people we only know via celebrity, but Setoodeh's remarks don't inspire confidence. Then again, neither are those about the [person currently occupying the Oval Office](), either. **More on cognition:** [*Scientists Discover That When You Don't Sleep, You Turn Into a Bigtime Dumbass*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()