Trump Is Mentally Unfit, No Exam Needed
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/opinion/letters/trump-mental.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Trump Is Mentally Unfit, No Exam Needed
Three mental health professionals who contributed to The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump cite recent actions that confirm their worries.
To the Editor:
Re Trump Flies Into the Cuckoos Nest (column, Oct. 10):
Gail Collins makes a point that we have been articulating seriously since the publication of our book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, two years ago: President Trump is mentally unfit for office. Our publications have been derided as violations of the Goldwater Rule, armchair psychiatry and political bias dressed up as professional opinions.
But, as mental health professionals, we have felt a duty to address a public health crisis: a mentally unfit person in charge of the worlds most powerful military and its nuclear weapons.
We have found ample evidence of his instability and grandiosity in the presidents own words and public statements, most recently confirmed in his referring to my great and unmatched wisdom, coupled with yet another threat to totally destroy and obliterate a foreign country.
Mr. Trumps now familiar affinity for violence is manifest in his verbal threats and his incitement to violence at his rallies. He reacts viscerally and without reflection or consultation, now claiming treason and an attempted coup. As he confronts the humiliating prospect of impeachment, his psychological deterioration represents a clear and imminent risk.
Our observations are not diagnosing and do not refer to mental illness; rather, they speak to a lack of fitness that can be determined based on sufficient sources outside of a personal examination.