Jon StojanOn September 5, 2024, Paul Lebon, a celebrated author with 11 bestsellers, will release Saddled with Neurosyphilis, Shunned by Family: The Capone-Like Demise of Donald J. Trump. This provocative work is a revision of his earlier publication, Syphilis Ate Al Capone’s Brain-Is Syphilis Eating Trump’s Brain? The updated version, LeBon delves deeper into the parallels between notorious gangster Al Capone and former President Donald Trump. He suggests the devastating effects of neurosyphilis may have impacted both figures’ mental conditions.
LeBon compares Capone’s and Trump’s erratic behaviors in the context of their respective declines. Both tend to be depicted as loud, flamboyant individuals who craved the public’s adoration, led corrupt enterprises, and had a penchant for tawdry women. Capone contracted syphilis as a young man, and eventually metamorphosed into neurosyphilis 20 years later when he was an inmate in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. The neurosyphilis eroded his cognitive abilities and eventually left him a shell of his former self. The author hypothesizes that Trump’s bizarre behavior over the past two decades can indicate a similar affliction—a result of his lascivious, womanizing lifestyle during the 1990s.
In the 1990s, Trump frequently appeared on various media outlets, where he often made crude and misogynistic remarks. For example, in a 1998 interview with Howard Stern, Trump compared avoiding sexually transmitted diseases to surviving the Vietnam War. “Fighting STDs is my personal Vietnam. I deserve the Congressional Medal of Honor.” In the early 2000s, he gained fame with “The Apprentice”, where appeared as a sober, respectable soft-spoken business executive.
During the 2012 re-election campaign of President Barack Obama, Trump instigated the bizarre theory that Obama was not American-born, but was born in Kenya. That was the first sign of Trump’s mental instability. Fast forward to 2016, during his presidential campaign, where Trump showed frequent outbursts and aggressive rhetoric. “Throughout the campaign, Trump continually showed unreasonable behavior. He derided his political opponents, even mocked a handicapped journalist and displayed and exaggerated a sense of victimhood” LeBon remarks.
Throughout his presidency, Trump’s mental state continually declined, ultimately culminating in his claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and his incitement of the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.
Trump’s behavior continued to deteriorate and mirrored Al Capone’s. The author shares a particular instance that exemplifies such acts. During his hush money trial, Trump complained about the cold in the courtroom despite it being the middle of summer. “Just like how Capone shivered uncontrollably and sucked his thumb while in Alcatraz,” adds LeBon.
The renowned author’s extensive knowledge of organized crime and his layman’s study of neurosyphilis inspired him to draw parallels between Capone and Trump. Adding to this theory, are the widely publicized concerns of hundreds of psychologists who urged the former president to undergo mental health evaluations during his time in office. “I just took it a step further and applied my understanding of how syphilis progresses to suggest that Trump’s unpredictable behavior might have a medical explanation,” he adds.
LeBon injected the book with humor, making it an engaging read despite its thought-provoking subject matter. Throughout the narrative, he provides thoughtful hypotheses, explaining the cumulative effects of neurosyphilis. As a late-stage manifestation of syphilis, it can cause severe neurological damage, leading to symptoms such as confusion, memory loss, mood swings, and a breakdown of cognitive functions and eventually death as in the case of Capone. After being released from Alcatraz Prison on humanitarian grounds because of his mental deterioration, Capone returned to his Miami Beach waterfront mansion, where he died of heart failure as a result. Coincidentally, Capone’s mansion sits a mere 54 miles South of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate.
Capone’s condition deteriorated to the point where he became childlike and dependent. This is a fate that LeBon believes Trump is experiencing at the present. The author’s understanding of this disease makes his arguments all the more convincing.
LeBon is a true Renaissance Man. He had a successful career in the travel and sales industries after earning a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and later an MBA. His diagnosis of Early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2011 forced him to pivot. It led him to dedicate his life to Catholic mission work in Cuba, where he helped to arrange visits by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. His work with the Diocese of Havana, made such an impression on Fidel and Raul Castro that he was invited to be the first ever American patient treated at a Cuban clinic that specializes in Ahlzeimer’s and Parkinson’s. This has empowered him to outlive his original life expectancy of five to seven years.
It’s significant to note that the multitalented man has authored books that explore controversial and politically charged themes. His previous works include An Outpouring of the People’s Love: The Last 24 Hours of JFK’s Life, Liar Liar Cruz on Fire and Scent of a Liar Starring Ted Cruz. These books tackle complex subjects with a mix of humor, insight, and thorough research, much like Saddled with Syphilis, Shunned by Family: The Capone-like Demise of Donald J. Trump.
Paul LeBon shares a message to readers: “I hope to open your mind and your thinking, helping you see the potential consequences of unchecked power and the deterioration that can follow by drawing from history, medical research, and public records. My goal as an author is to encourage critical thinking and hopefully initiate these meaningful conversations that could shape our nation’s future.”