when an old persons mind stops being challenged it dims.
I hadn't thought of it that way and you're definitely on to something. He never has to think about anything. Plus everybody around him is a yes man and it's the emperor's new clothes every single day. He could say "poop stain real estate forward" and they'd all smile and agree. He doesn't even have to use his noodle to grift or do corruption. GOP SCOTUS put him above the law so he can do or say whatever he wants without a worry about the courts.