Thursday, December 13, 2018

Does Trump abuse Adderall?



(I've expanded this post considerably since original publication.)

I'm not sure how I feel about Noel Casler's claim that Trump snorts Adderall. Casler is working here as a stand-up comedian, and I prefer not to receive this kind of revelation from a stand-up comedian. I mean, it's one thing when a comic riffs on the news, but it's quite another thing when a comic says "I saw it with my own eyes." If you make a statement like that, don't go for the laugh.

Newsweek was not able to confirm Casler's claimed work history. On the other hand, Tom Arnold says that Casler did, in fact, work on Trump's show. Arnold also says that Mark Burnett can verify that Trump abuses Adderall. We now must wait patiently for Arnold to show proof, if he has any.

Trump does sniff the sniff we associate with a certain type of drug user. When asked if Trump used cocaine, Carrie Fisher answered "Absolutely." Fisher had no first-hand knowledge, of course, but she certainly had the ability to recognize the symptoms.

In my view, cocaine never quite seemed like Trump's drug of choice -- too addictive, too overwhelming in its effects -- but Adderall? One can't easily dismiss the idea. Even Trump's fans must be telling themselves: "Yeah, that would explain a lot."

In a previous post, I noted that Trump has used the services Michael Jackson's controversial doctor, Steven Hoefflin, one of the strangest medical men to be found outside of the Hammer film library. Writer Diane Dimond once accused Hoefflin of over-prescribing various substances, a claim with Hoefflin has denied. Someone supplied Jackson with the drugs that killed him -- and one of those drugs, apparently, was Adderall. (This bizarre story claims that Jackson sold Adderall!)

Dr. Bornstein -- remember him? -- has been accused of over-prescribing medication. I have no way to confirm or disconfirm that allegation; hit the link and come to your own conclusion.

Kurt Eichenwald has written about Trump's amphetamine abuse, and Hope Hicks confirmed that Trump did have a problem -- in the past. From an earlier Cannonfire post:
According to Eichenwald, the amphetamine problem began with an endocrinologist named Dr. Joseph Greenburg, who diagnosed Trump as having a "metabolic imbalance" -- an imprecise term that could mean many different things.
The medical records and interviews with former officials with the Trump Organization reveal that Greenberg gave Trump a prescription for amphetamine derivatives in 1982 to treat his metabolic problem; the records show that Trump continued taking the drugs for a number of years and the former officials said that Trump stopped using them in 1990 at the latest.
The amphetamine derivative was Diethylpropion or tenuate dospan (the brand name). This drug quickly becomes addicting. It's hard to believe that Trump could have taken it for years without developing a crippling habit.

Abuse of this drug leads to sleeplessness, paranoia, hyperactivity, delusions, poor impulse control. Sound familiar? I've just offered a pretty fair summary of Trump's whole act.
Henry Hurt's Trump bio states that Trump's weight issues prompted him to consult Greenburg. From Hurt's book:
Donald was so delighted with the results that he started recommending Dr. Greenberg’s treatments to his brother Robert, various friends, and celebrity acquaintances such as Diana Ross. The diet drugs, which he took in pill form, not only curbed his appetite but gave him a feeling of euphoria and unlimited energy. The medical literature warned that some potentially dangerous side effects could result from long-term usage; they included anxiety, insomnia, and delusions of grandeur. According to several Trump Organization insiders, Donald exhibited all these ominous symptoms of diet drug usage, and then some.

’The first thing I would do when I got to the office in the morning,” recalled one former vice-president, “was to go see Norma Foerderer and ask her, ‘Is this a Dr. Greenberg day?’ If she said yes, I would do everything I could to stay out of Donald’s way.’”
It does seem noteworthy that at least three doctors associated with Donald Trump have been accused of over-prescribing drugs.

Let's get back to Casler. He is certainly wrong about one thing: Trump can read. He does not read for pleasure, but he can do it. I know this for a fact because I have a relative who ran a teleprompter for Trump during the 2016 convention. (If memory serves, the same relative also ran a teleprompter for Hillary on one occasion.) It's very obvious when Trump is using a teleprompter.

Maybe Casler was waxing hyperbolic for comedic effect. That's why I'd like to see a serious interview with this dude. One thing's for sure: Trump often acts like someone with a substance abuse problem. Amphetamines frequently turn users into impulsive, motor-mouthed jerks. We all saw his performance with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

3 comments:

Mr Mike said...

One of those days for Trump.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GeI5ke0BENw

Gus said...

The problem here, is that I suspect Trump has exhibited all these symptoms from the time he was first able to talk as a small child. Still, as you say, it would explain a lot if any of these accusations were true.

Anonymous said...


Trump seems to have a number of different psychological issues other than Malignant Narcissism. One of these is Attention Deficit Disorder, which could explain how he was introduced to Adderall which is commonly prescribed to treat ADD. His reading difficulties with word recognition could be from Dyslexia. Google "Chris Hayes Trump Teleprompter" and you'll get three different segments showing how Trump misinterprets a word then does a little verbal riff to cover and correct himself. Hayes compares it to an improvisational musician who hits a wrong note and then changes his tune to best integrate that wrong note into the song.

chum'sfriend