Journalist Ramin Setoodeh, who spoke with Trump six times for his new book, claims that the former president “had a vacant look on his face” trying to remember him during a follow-up interview.
Donald Trump’s cognitive health is making headlines again. This time, the concern comes from an author who interviewed him extensively for a new book.
Ramin Setoodeh, the editor-in-chief of Variety, wrote the book Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass. In an interview, Setoodeh expressed concern about Trump’s memory, noting that Trump struggled to recall their previous conversations despite having met several times.
During a June 17 appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Setoodeh said he began interviewing the former president for his book in 2021. He added that he spoke with Trump, now 78, six times.
“Donald Trump had severe memory issues,” Setoodeh remarked. “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.”
Setoodeh said that they spoke for an hour in May 2021. When they met again a few months later for a follow-up, Trump had a “vacant look on his face” and apparently did not remember their initial discussion. Setoodeh noted that the former president wasn’t doing many other interviews around that time.
The author sees it as crucial for the public to understand Trump’s mental state. “I think the American public really needs to see this portrait of Donald Trump,” Setoodeh continued, “because this shows what he is like and who he is and who he has always been.”
In response, Trump’s 2024 communications director Steven Cheung denied the claims, saying, “President Trump was aware of who this individual was throughout the interview process, but this ‘writer’ is a nobody and insignificant so of course he never made an impression. After recognizing the importance of The Apprentice and its cultural impact, this ‘writer’ has now chosen to let Trump Derangement Syndrome rot his brain like so many other losers whose entire existence revolves around President Trump.”
Interestingly, just days before Setoodeh’s comments surfaced, Trump had mixed up the name of his former White House physician while reminiscing about his cognitive test results from 2018, referring to Dr. Ronny Jackson as Ronny Johnson.
After Trump’s stint on The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015, he was elected president in 2016. NBC had declined his suggestion to have his daughter, Ivanka Trump, replace him as the host.
Setoodeh’s book explores how Trump transitioned from reality TV stardom to the Oval Office. The insights provided in Apprentice in Wonderland offer a closer look at Trump’s journey through the worlds of entertainment and politics.
