It’s Time to Talk About Trump’s Mental Health

Watching Der Trumpenführer deliver his address last night was difficult. for several reasons.  First, the man spoke at largely a grade school level - perhaps for the sake of his ignorance embracing base - and came across as anything but presidential.  Second, I had the feeling that I was watching a modern day Emperor Nero who seemed oblivious to the manner in which he is tearing the social fabric of the country apart.  Trump has never been a good speaker.  What was amazing was that he was able to ploddingly read the teleprompter without veering off course into impromptu batshitery and/or a pro-white supremacist rant.  Anyone who has seriously observed Trump for some time should see that the man is mentally unstable - even some of his past acquaintances have observed his mental decline.  All of this makes the fact that he occupies the White House frightening as a column in the Washington Post observes.  Here are excerpts:  

How unstable and divorced from reality is President Trump? We’ve reached the point where the nation has the right and the need to know.

We’re not accustomed to asking such questions about our presidents. We don’t know how to even begin inquiring into a president’s mental health, so we rationalize aberrant behavior as being part of some subtle strategy. We say that Trump is cleverly playing to his base, or employing the “madman theory” of foreign relations, or simply being unpredictable to gain an advantage by keeping everyone off balance.

But if Trump were really playing three-dimensional chess, presumably he’d be getting things done. His approval ratings would be rising rather than falling. Allies in Congress would be expressing admiration rather than increasing dismay.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) hit a nerve Thursday when he saidthat Trump “has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence” needed in a president. . . . . . Corker said he feared that “our nation is going to go through great peril” and called for “radical change” at the White House. Democrats have been slightly more plain-spoken. Rep. Adam B. Schiff told CNN on Sunday that “I certainly think that there’s an issue with the president’s capability.” And fellow California Rep. Jackie Speier tweeted last week that Trump “is showing signs of erratic behavior and mental instability that place the country in grave danger.” Trump’s performance last week following the Charlottesville incident was indeed alarming, the problem being not just what he said but how he said it. . . . . Trump went back to blaming “both sides” in what can only be called an angry, red-faced rant. Anyone can have a bad day. But according to many published reports, Trump often erupts into rage — especially when he sees something he doesn’t like on the cable news shows he is said to watch compulsively. I have spoken with people who have known Trump for decades and who say he has changed. He exhibits less self-awareness, these longtime acquaintances say, and less capacity for sustained focus. Indeed, it is instructive to compare television interviews of Trump recorded years ago with those conducted now. To this layman’s eyes and ears, there seems to have been deterioration. The stakes are so high, however, that the officials who work alongside Trump and observe him closely bear a tremendous responsibility. There is a huge difference between sounding as unhinged as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and actually being that unstable. It is uncomfortable to talk about the president’s mental health. But at this point it is irresponsible not to.