Shadowing Practice: Trump photographed with “dementia face” - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Speaker 1st. A viral image of Donald Trump is making the rounds online.
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Speaker 1st. A viral image of Donald Trump is making the rounds online.
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It's become the latest source of questions about his health and what is happening behind the scenes at the White House.
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Now, take a look at this image showing a sort of slack jawed Trump with what is sometimes known as dementia face.
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Now, before we go any further,
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I want to be very upfront with everybody and establish something that I think is important.
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Nobody can diagnose dementia from a photograph.
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We can't diagnose Parkinson's from a picture.
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We can't really diagnose any neurological condition from a single frame captured of Donald Trump in his limo.
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That's not really what this is about.
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This is about the political problem that this raises for Donald Trump,
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because this picture is not going viral in a vacuum.
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If this were the first weird image,
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strange physical appearance, first question about Trump's health and he otherwise was confidently presenting as healthy as he claims to be,
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nobody would really care.
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But that's not what's going on.
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This photograph is landing in the middle of this growing pile of questions
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that the White House keeps insisting everybody should ignore a president who tells us he's in perfect health,
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put out a very concerning,
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unusual medical report at 11 p.m after his third physical in 13 months,
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not looking particularly healthy, not even looking particularly healthy for a lot of the circumstances,
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including the best health care anybody can get or any of that stuff.
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He insists that he's perfect and that everything we and yet everything we see raises different sorts of questions.
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He's bragging about cognitive tests that he thinks are intelligence tests.
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And we've got the ankles and the hand bruising.
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And I'm not going to repeat all of it endlessly,
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but we have an environment here where after years of claiming Biden didn't know where he was,
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Biden's got dementia, Biden's confused,
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Biden can't can't govern, can't do anything.
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Trump all of a sudden has a growing list of health issues and problems,
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questions around his health.
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And he appears with this slack jawed look
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that sometimes this is what can sometimes happen to people as they age and particularly when they have dementia,
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is that they lose muscle tone in the muscles required to hold the mouth shut.
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You might not think of it,
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if you sort of just put your,
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your, your face at rest to keep the mouth closed,
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that does actually require some muscle.
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And sometimes you see that ability diminish in people with dementia.
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So this image comes out and it's another sort of medical mystery.
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And the questions are starting again.
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Was this taken out of context?
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What explains this?
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We have it happening at the exact same time as the delayed medical report.
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And when you zoom out,
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you see that the explanations we get for stuff never really satisfy and make us go,
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okay, yeah, that's, that's what that is.
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That makes sense.
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We were told the bruising on both hands is from shaking hands and taking aspirin.
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Trump doesn't shake hands with his left hand,
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so it doesn't really make sense.
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We're told you shouldn't be speculating.
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You shouldn't be asking questions.
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This is not right.
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And then this image appears.
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They made health, age and virality a central part of their political brand and a central attack against Joe Biden.
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So then we have to be able to hold them to the same standards.
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Now, I think it's also important to mention Republicans established this standard.
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They said even back before Biden was president,
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when it was Biden versus Trump,
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Trump running for re-election in 2020,
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they said Biden has the facial expression of dementia,
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which is what we're talking about here.
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Biden is making verbal mistakes,
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many of which were Biden stutter.
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Biden, we need more transparency from Biden's doctors and there are all these signs of aging.
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And what the primary issue around presidential health is that it's the most important thing.
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We need to know that the president is healthy.
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If you apply the same standard to Donald Trump,
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you have to come away concerned.
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And they told us Americans have a duty to scrutinize the health of every candidate and every president.
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If that applied to Biden,
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it has to be applied to Donald Trump as well.
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It's called consistency.
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And I want to try to be consistent now in being as charitable as I think Trump deserves.
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Maybe this photograph is nothing.
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Maybe the photograph was taken sort of at a weird moment or the angle made Trump look confused.
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And I don't know, maybe there's a completely ordinary explanation.
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Maybe he was chewing a piece of saltwater taffy and it was getting stuck to his teeth.
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And I don't know.
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It looked like his mouth was hanging open in what some people call dementia face.
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It's possible.
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But when you combine the image with the administration's obsession with controlling information about Donald Trump's health,
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it's hard to assume there's nothing here.
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I start with we've got to think about what this is rather than let's not even think about it
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because it's probably nothing.
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The picture doesn't prove dementia.
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I think if anybody's out there diagnosing because of this picture, it's a mistake.
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But the story is the administration is insisting
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and they have for 10 years with propaganda documents that Trump is in perfect health.
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And every couple of days,
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something new happens that makes us say what on earth is going on.
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Corporate media will not touch it.
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They are terrified.
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They are terrified of getting sued.
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They are terrified of negative attention and they just aren't going to do it.
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And so it's left to others to ask these questions.
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And, you know, there were many of us saying about Biden,
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he shouldn't run for reelection.
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This is not only a one way thing.
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It's just to what degree does the evidence support concern?
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I said Biden shouldn't run for reelection and he didn't.
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I thought it was a mistake and it ended up in a disaster.
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And even after Biden's disastrous June 27th debate performance,
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when I said the pressure has built,
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he's not going to be able to stay in.
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Some in my audience were angry saying,
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David, you shouldn't say that you've got to just stick with it.
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But I always tell it to you like I see it.
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And this picture in and of itself is not dispositive and it doesn't allow us to make any particular diagnosis,
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but it does add to the growing list of areas of concern.
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And importantly, we don't know what's going on until there is genuine transparency.
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And I don't know if we will ever get that until it's too late.
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These questions are not going to go away.
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Okay.
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Most scams do not feel random.
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Scammers may know your name,
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your city, a relative where you work,
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and suddenly the message that you get sounds a lot more believable.
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And a lot of that information is found online
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Scammers and spammers can't bother you if they can't find you.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This video presents a unique opportunity for IELTS speaking practice as it delves into a current event with significant political implications. Engaging with the content allows learners to explore complex themes and vocabulary surrounding health and perception in politics. By listening to the speaker articulate their thoughts and opinions, you can enhance your own speaking skills through shadow speaking techniques. Shadowing the speaker will not only improve your English pronunciation but also help you familiarize yourself with the rhythm and intonation of native speakers.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Here are some key structures and expressions used in the video that can enhance your speaking abilities:
- “Nobody can diagnose dementia from a photograph”: This structure highlights the use of negative forms and general truths. Practice using similar phrases to express your opinions.
- “This is about the political problem that this raises”: This phrase illustrates the use of relative clauses. Understanding how to insert additional information will enrich your speech.
- “Appears with this slack jawed look”: The verb appear followed by the preposition with is an essential construction for expressing observations or evaluations. Practice this structure in varying contexts.
- “Questions around his health”: The phrase questions around indicates ongoing discussion or concern. It's useful for framing dialogue about controversial topics.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice your speaking skills, pay special attention to the following tricky words and expressions:
- Dementia: This word can be difficult due to its pronunciation. Focus on the stress placed on the second syllable: de-MEN-tia.
- Slack-jawed: This compound adjective requires smooth linking between the two elements. Make sure to articulate both parts clearly.
- Bruising: The ‘-zing’ sound can pose a challenge. Practice emphasizing the ending to improve clarity in your speech.
Incorporating these elements into your shadow speech practice will undoubtedly enhance your overall proficiency. Use this video as a resource to not only grasp the political nuances discussed but also improve your English speaking skills effectively.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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