Are Bathroom Issues A Sign Of Dementia? Why Trump Can't Escape Those Pooped Pants Rumors

Rumors started swirling everywhere on January 29, 2026, that President Donald Trump accidentally soiled his pants while holding a press conference in the Oval Office. As evidenced in a video obtained by Forbes, reporters were abruptly rushed out of the room after the president ceremoniously signed an executive order for the "Great American Recovery Initiative," leaving no time for questions. Later, many began theorizing online that there was a noise that sounded like someone passing gas, right before Trump's staff hastily cleared the room.

Unfortunately for Trump, this isn't the only rumor about his health circulating. Many of his unhealthy habits reportedly have staffers more worried than ever about his longevity. And while Trump is adamant that his mind is still working at an optimal level, bragging about his cognitive test results and even giving a reason as to why he feels he won't develop Alzheimer's like his late father, Fred Trump, it's been widely suggested that he might already be experiencing some symptoms of dementia — especially after famously mixing up Iceland for Greenland several times during a speech in Davos. 

While the speculation about Trump's supposed bathroom issues is nothing more than that, speculation, it certainly begs the question: Is there a direct correlation between incontinence and dementia? According to a study done by Robert L. Grant of Kingston University and St. George's, University of London, and published in PLOS Medicine in 2013, the short answer is yes. The study concluded that patients with a dementia diagnosis are three times more likely to also experience urinary incontinence and four times more likely to deal with fecal incontinence.

According to Founder & CEO of Be Light Care Consulting and Speech-Language Pathologist Adria Thompson, there are a couple of reasons why a dementia patient might be dealing with incontinence issues. "It's not always because they have a physical issue with their muscles," Thompson advised in an Instagram video, as part of a larger series she did for Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month. "There's a type of incontinence that's called functional incontinence. Basically, it can be related to cognitive impairment because actually going to the bathroom is a complex series of steps," she explained. She was also careful to clarify that one can be "incontinent of bowel or bladder," hence all the rumors about Trump accidentally defecating in his pants.

Meanwhile, in November 2025, a physical therapist made an Instagram video, claiming that he believed Trump was wearing a leg bag meant to collect urine from a catheter underneath one of his pant legs. "No matter the reason, it's a sign of clear physical and/or cognitive decline," the therapist declared.

It's also entirely possible that Trump's rumored incontinence stems from a gastrointestinal issue. As you may recall, for many years, Trump used the late Dr. Harold Bornstein, a gastroenterologist, as his personal physician. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a gastroenterologist is a specialist who can diagnose and treat various digestive system issues and conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease — both of which can cause incontinence if left untreated.