One of Donald Trump’s relatives reportedly forgot people they’d known for decades. Another was said to have walked off mid-transit without warning. A third faced an illness that ended a promising career before the age of 45.
Across several decades, three members of President Donald Trump’s family faced serious health challenges. They were characterized by cognitive decline, sudden medical complications, or struggles culminating in premature death. While the details of these cases differ, they collectively shed light on broader patterns within the family’s medical history.
Members of the Trump Family pose for a group portrait during Easter Sunday events at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, April 16, 2006 | Source: Getty Images
The full account, gradually revealed through interviews, documents, and personal recollections, outlines a timeline that spans from the mid-20th century to recent years. It includes both close blood relatives and others intimately connected to the family. This timeline begins with a life-threatening emergency that occurred during Donald’s childhood.
President Donald Trump during a discussion with reporters in Washington, D.C. on January 30, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
Mary MacLeod Trump: Post-Childbirth Complications
Shortly after the birth of her youngest son, Robert Trump, Mary MacLeod Trump experienced a severe medical emergency. She began hemorrhaging and was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent an emergency hysterectomy.
Mary and Fred Trump attend the PAL dinner in May 1987 | Source: Getty Images
According to her daughter, Maryanne Trump Barry, the situation quickly worsened. Mary developed peritonitis, a serious abdominal infection, and had to undergo four operations in roughly two weeks. At the time, Maryanne was an adolescent and recalled her father, Fred Trump Sr., coming home to deliver the news.
Ivana, Fred, and Mary McLeod Trump at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in May 1988 | Source: Getty Images
He told her that her mother wasn’t expected to live but added that she should still attend school as usual and that he would call if anything changed. Fred Sr., a board member at Jamaica Hospital, used his influence to contact a surgeon at Columbia University Medical School.
Mary Trump, her son Donald Trump and his wife Melania on February 27, 2000 | Source: Getty Images
He retrieved the specialist himself using his car phone, a rare convenience at the time. While Mary ultimately survived, the ordeal left her with lasting health concerns. Despite her fragile condition, Mary resumed her role in the household, managing a large family of five children and continuing her volunteer work.
A portrait of Mary Trump and her two daughters | Source: Getty Images
She was also described as the figure around whom family occasions revolved. Donald would later describe her as having a flair for the dramatic, calling her a source of his own sense of showmanship.
Donald Trump embraces his mother Mary Trump at the opening of the first Galleries Lafayette on September 28, 1991 | Source: Getty Images
In 2014, he publicly shared a piece of her advice on social media, tweeting, “Great advice from my mother: ‘Trust in God and be true to yourself.’ – Mary MacLeod Trump.” Years after his mother’s health struggles, his father would begin to show symptoms consistent with dementia.
Mary Trump and her children Elizabeth Trump Grau, Donald Trump, and his wife Melania Knauss in January 1999 | Source: Getty Images
Fred Trump Sr.: Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Behavioral Symptoms
Fred Trump Sr., a real estate developer and hospital board member, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease several years before the 1990s. His symptoms became increasingly noticeable to those around him during that period.
Donald Trump’s father Fred Trump Snr. on January 22, 1988 | Source: Getty Images
According to his grandson, early signs of cognitive decline appeared in the 1980s. Fred Sr. would sometimes exit his limousine and begin walking away without explanation, a behavior that eventually became familiar to the family.
