Donald Trump slurs speech during Jerusalem announcement, sparking health speculation
Change in pronunciation seems particularly to affect 's' and 'th' sounds
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Questions have been raised around why Donald Trump slurred his speech during an address announcing the US would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The change in the President's pronunciation seemed particularly to affect "s" and "th" sounds, and appeared to worsen in the closing stages of the address.
It led viewers to suggest the President may have suffered a medical problem.
The 71-year-old did not appear otherwise impaired and following the speech immediately moved over to a table and signed a declaration.
A White House official told CNN Mr Trump was "perfectly healthy".
They added: "He's been working in meetings all day and in fact is still here working now."
In the footage Mr Trump can be seen adjusting his mouth a number of times.
Speech pathologist Michael de Riesthal told the broadcaster the US leader was "working hard to speak" as though he was "having a denture fall or some other alternative explanation".
While Mr Trump completed the majority of his address without any noticeable divergence from his normal speech patterns, footage appears to show him making the adjustments from about four minutes in.
His deputy press secretary, Raj Shah, told The Los Angeles Times: "His throat was dry. There’s nothing to it."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments