Steve Helber, Associated Press file
Three weeks into the new presidential administration, many of us are overwhelmed by the constant barrage of bizarre and, frankly, incomprehensible scandals and controversies that have emanated from the White House.
I am nottalking about the ban on visitors from seven Islamic countries, the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, or the appointment of executive branch agency heads who are devoted to abolishing them.
No, I am talking about the far more troubling string of statements issued by the president of the United States, whether in the form of middle-of-the-night tweets or in televised interviews and other public settings, in which easily proven facts are simply misrepresentedor contradicted by absolute and unambiguous untruths, a.k.a. lies: that there were 1.3 million people on the National Mall for the inauguration, that it was the most widely viewed inauguration in U.S. history, and that 3 million illegal immigrants unlawfully cast their vote on Nov.8, apparently all of them voting for Hillary Clinton, that busloads of Massachusetts residents rolled into New Hampshire to cast illegal votes, or that the American crime rate is the highest its been in 45 years.
This is not funny stuff. It is deadly serious. What these statements, and others like them (both during the campaign and since Jan. 20) demonstrate is that the president of the United States is not sane. Read that again, slowly: The president of the United States is not sane.
Now, this may strike many of you as an outlandish, partisan attack on a man with whose policies or positions I disagree. Its not. I disagree with the policies and positions of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Mike Pence and many other prominent conservative Republicans. But I would not assert that any one of those men nor George W. Bush, Stephen Bannon or Karl Rove is not sane. They all are completely sane they accept that certain facts are facts, and that merely because you want something to be true does not make it so.
So, how do I reach my conclusion that the president of the United States is not sane? I have no psychological training or expertise of any kind. I am applying my own lay understanding of what it means to be sane.
Im not saying Trump is incapable of forming an opinion distinguishing right from wrong. Hes not insane.But hes also not what I understand and define to be sane: accepting that certain manifestations of reality are irrefutable (e.g., that the sun rises in the morning and sets at night; that gravity causes object to fall to Earth, not rise into space; that 5 is larger than 3, etc.). Someone who does not actually accept such basic, fundamental and irrefutable facts, is, in my estimation, not sane.
Of course, when DonaldTrump asserts, as fact, certain matters that are irrefutably incorrect, it is possible that he does so as a calculated and knowing untruth for whatever political or other purpose such lies are promulgated. Thats not uncommon among politicians, at all levels of government. But I honestly believe that is not what is happening. I maintain that Trump is not lying, because he does not know or even believe the things he says are untrue. No, he truly believes they are true. And that the actual, subjective disconnect from reality is what I define as not sane.
Once again, this is not a laughing matter. It is not satire. It is not political criticism or commentary. It is deadlyserious stuff: The president of the United States is not sane.
I am far from alone in questioning the presidents emotional stability.
In a letter to the editor of The New York Times published recently, Dr. Lance Dodes, a retired assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Joseph Schachter, a former chairman of the Committee on Research Proposals, International Psychoanalytic Association, stated explicitly that the president is suffering from grave emotional instability. An additional 33 mental health professionalsco-signed the letter.
Sen. Al Franken said on CNN recently that Republican colleagues of his in the Senate have confidentially stated that they question the Presidents mental health.
I dont know what we, the American people, are to do about this, but the first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge its existence and to fully understand its nature.
So what, exactly, are we talking about here? Again, I have no training in psychology, so I must rely on reputable sources such as Drs. Dodes and Schachter to support my thesis. Unfortunately, many psychiatrists feel constrained, by the Goldwater rule, from offering opinions concerning the possible mental conditions of public figures. Some professionals, who are not subject to that rule, have opined that Trump suffers from a particular psychological condition, known as narcissistic personality disorder.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association, is frequently used by professionals to diagnose mental conditions.
DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:
And here is how the Mayo Clinics website describes the condition (see if it strikes you as accurately describing Trumps behavior):
If you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may feel a sense of entitlement and when you dont receive special treatment, you may become impatient or angry. You may insist on having the best of everything for instance, the best car, athletic club or medical care.
At the same time, you have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation. To feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make yourself appear superior. Or you may feel depressed and moody because you fall short of perfection.
I am aware that certain critics claimed that President Barack Obama was a textbook example of narcissistic personality disorder. And scholars at the Pew Research Center even ranked each of the presidents concerning their level of narcissism. So, assigning serious and debilitating psychological conditions to presidents is nothing new.
However, as far as I am aware, no prior person who occupied our nations highest office has ever consistently and repeatedly made statements that are so unmistakably counterfactual, and, when challenged to authenticate or substantiate such statements, simply abided by his prior assertion without producing any proof.
I may be wrong, and I am certainly open to arguments refuting my thesis. But if I am correct, then it is vital that we, collectively, begin discussing, seriously and thoughtfully, where we go from here.
Dan Recht is a criminal defense and constitutional law attorney. He is a former chair of the ACLU of Colorado and former president of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar.
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Is Donald Trump sane? The evidence suggests he's not - The Denver Post