MIAMI – Colombian President Gustavo Petro lives with Asperger’s syndrome, the president’s brother recently told a Colombian reporter.
Juan Fernando Petro told Caracol TV’s Los Informantes that the president was diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental condition on the autism spectrum as a teenager.
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“My dad took us to the psychologist and the psychologist said that we had autism syndrome,” he said in Spanish during the interview. “There are times when we can be with 10,000 people, but suddenly we are not there, even if we are there physically. In Gustavo’s case, it is even more intense than mine.”
The president had yet to confirm or deny the report. The condition’s symptoms include problems expressing empathy, having a preference for a strict schedule, and having restricted interests.
According to the On The Spectrum Foundation, Elon Musk and Greta Thunberg have publicly confirmed their diagnosis, and Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are very likely to be on the spectrum.
The president was also dealing with the possibility of his son Nicolas Petro, 37, going to prison after the Colombian police arrested him on July 29 for money laundering and illicit enrichment.
Nicolas Petro’s ex-wife Daysuris “Day” Vásquez told the Colombian news magazine Semana in March that he had accepted donations for his father’s presidential campaign from people with “a dark past.”