Two or three years ago, I remember writing an answer speculating about the health of Russian president Vladimir Putin. I argued that his badly swollen and puffy face could indicate a serious health problem and that he may be undergoing steroid treatment for cancer.
I then explained the invasion of Ukraine as the last hurrah of a man who knew his time on earth was limited, gambling his nation’s future on the war…
…and I was wrong. Because he didn’t die. Three years into the war and Putin’s face no longer appears swollen, his hands no longer tremble and he walks briskly like an otherwise healthy man in his seventies.
The same thing happened with former US president Joe Biden — I saw a lot of people speculate that he was in the “end stages” of Alzheimer’s disease. When Kamala Harris took over in 2024, there was even a rumor that Biden might die before the November elections. And he didn’t. In fact it’s March 2025 and he’s still alive. That’s the thing with predictions, isn’t it? To ‘assume’ makes an ‘ass out of u and me’. If my auntie would have had balls she’d have been my uncle. But if doesn’t get anyone anywhere.
It took Fred Trump senior well over a decade to die of Alzheimer’s disease. He lived to be 93. Donald Trump turns 79 this June. No doubt his health is declining, and has for a while. But wishful thinking never rid the world of anyone.