Republicans Close To Trump Say President Is Showing Signs Of Mental Illness

[KewlKat]

I heard Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC earlier today say this and my jaw dropped. I just found an article with the video so I thought I'd share.


Republicans Close To Trump Say President Is Showing Signs Of Mental Illness

By Jason Easley on Mon, Mar 20th, 2017 at 2:18 pm

Republican strategist and MSNBC contributor Nicolle Wallace said that people outside of the administration who have spent time with Trump said that the president is showing signs of paranoia and delusion over his belief that Obama wiretapped him.

Wallace said, “I sense that they have no plans today of walking away from this claim. This is still the president’s belief. Some folks still close to the president, but not on the White House staff said it’s a word I can’t say on family-friendly TV, but the initials are B and S. Another person who spent time with the president this weekend in Florida said it was signs of paranoia and delusion around this idea that he’s so right. Interestingly, he has sought to have people outside the government corroborate this wiretapping claim, which either suggests this observation of paranoia and delusion is in fact operation or extreme ignorance of all the powers at his disposal and all the investigative powers of the federal government.”

These are Republicans close to Trump who claimed that the President Of The United States is paranoid, delusional, and believes that Obama wiretapped him. Wallace’s comments on MSNBC were a statement that the President might be mentally ill.

Before anyone asks, the constitutional standard for the removal of a president contains no discussion of mental fitness. It would be difficult to nearly impossible to remove Trump from office due to mental illness. It would have to be demonstrated that Trump is physically unable to perform the job of president.

[gopiscrap]

1. put a net over that fucker

[furtheradu]

28. HA! Yes, please. nt

[KewlKat]

47. Better make sure it's reinforced.

[sheshe2]

77. Secure the padded room. STAT!

[KewlKat]

92. I don't think we have the funds in the budget for the padding for the room.

He appears to have enough padding built it. I can't ask a mom in Michigan to pay for padding to make him more comfortable.

[sheshe2]

101. This is true!

[Fritz Walter]

86. And... for fuck's sake... take away his phone

Not to mention the nuclear codes.

Jeepers!

[KewlKat]

94. Agree on the nuklar codes, but without tweets, who would keep his base calm?

[Old Crow]

139. Just a thought here...

Perhaps Trump's tweets are a gift. Like a lot of people, I was wishing he'd get off Twitter once he was elected. But the incessant tweets are helping everyone get a look at just how unhinged and out-of-order his thinking is. They're alerting everyone, who didn't know it already, that this man has no business being in the White House and may be his undoing.

On the other hand, the tweets are a national security risk. I'm constantly hoping he doesn't provoke an international incident with one of them.

[KewlKat]

143. I agree. It's a fine line to walk. I love it when he put's his foot in it but like you I don't

want an international incident.

[diva77]

158. I fear that the mental health tactic will help exonerate the complicit ones

[Kimchijeon]

214. I agree, time to haul him off, he's unfit.

[MrScorpio]

2. His winger friends who are on board with him on this nonsense aren't doing him any favors

But they're all nut jobs anyway. They just love the company.

FDT.

[elfin]

3. She was (is?) a loyal Republican, worked on McCain's campaign

But was driven off the rails by the Palin pick according to "Game Change", both book and HBO movie.

As a commentator, it has seemed to me that she still wants to be a mainstream, moderate Repub., but despairs of the trajectory of her party.

[JHan]

12. i treat game change with some salt, but Wallace's worry about Palin was known.

She's freely said many times that Palin was a bridge too far for her to accept.. and she wrote a biting piece on Palin just last year when Trump introduced her at a rally I think.

[Wounded Bear]

137. I've been liking what I've seen of Nicole Wallace...

not bad for a Repub. She's conservative, but she's a never Trumper IIRC. I don't mind an intelligent, moderate conservative. There are damn few of them left. She generally qualifies.

[3catwoman3]

142. I find myself unable to forgive her for having any part...

...in tying to get Palin ready to be second in line to the presidency. She should have quit the McCain campaign

[KewlKat]

144. I don't know much about her. Just remember her from GW's day.

[Wounded Bear]

152. She hangs around MSNBC now...

often on with Brian Williams show The 11th hour.

[KewlKat]

153. That show comes on too late for me to watch much. I stick with Hayes, TRMS and Lawrence

Joy Reid on the weekends.........yes!

[Wounded Bear]

155. I'm on the West Coast...

so it comes on at 8 pm here.



But yeah, I usually catch Chris Hayes, Rachel, and Lawrence every night. Been some must watch TV last couple of weeks.

[Motley13]

4. They have to be mentally unstable if they are just now realizing that

we have know for months.

[KewlKat]

10. I think for many they "thought" he'd become presidential once sworn in.....and now

the twitter king may have finally pushed the eyelids up enough to all to see the truth....it's a start that some are now confirming what we here have all said since the beginning.

[Trekologer]

19. I'm getting the sense a lot of Republicans thought it was all an act

They're now waking up to a new reality

[Ilsa]

26. They are as checked out as he is if they believed

a 70 year silver spoon billionaire with narcissism would be wanting to change, much less capable of it. Gov. Howard Dean said it: "He's not going to change. He's 70 years old."

[Scarsdale]

176. McConnell knew

tRump was going to be the next president. HE refused to hold hearings for a YEAR on Judge Garland, saying the next president (tRump) would choose the Supreme Court nominee. Drag his saggy ass in under subpoena, make him testify about what HE knew.

[KewlKat]

179. You know I never thought of that....it does seem like they were confident of a repug win

[Ilsa]

182. He needs to be investigated.

He must have known of the plot, but I wonder how he was told, and by whom, just as PBO nominated Garland.

[SharonAnn]

45. Two friends showed this tendency of paranoia, etc. as they began to demonstrate Alzheimers

There were puzzling personality issues such as paranoia, obsessive belief in things that weren't true, complete inability to understand objections or demonstrated truth, etc. Total confidence that they were right and everyone else was wrong, and increased determination to push their point of view.

They also could no longer deal with issues that weren't simple, believed that complex issues were an attempt by others to trick them, and saw everything as black and white.

A general belligerence showed up most of the time, inability to adhere to social norms, kind of bullying behavior especially when it was truly inappropriate.

[KewlKat]

49. Well I think he's always been the liar and bully. Perhaps the obsessive side as well.

He also is germaphobe. I really think most of what you list he has always been. Not sure on the paranoia tho. Maybe that part is new?

[Thor_MN]

122. I met a friend of my grandmother, probably in 1978,

who insisted that Jimmy Carter was not the President. President elect was as close as she could come, despite that he had been in office for over a year. I would have been about 16 at the time and it is the first I can remember experiencing dementia.

My family knows that if I ever get to that stage, put me in a boat that has been soaked in gas and push me out into Lake Superior.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

181. Hey, that's pretty environmentally unfriendly.

And supports the fossil fuel industry.

Pine pitch would be a better choice.






☺️

[Thor_MN]

207. True, but these days, one could use a lot of gas obtaining Pine pitch...

Maybe some high proof moonshine?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

217. Yeah....these days...

sigh.... 😞

[elfin]

138. While I believe his dad had either alzheimers or another form of dementia, I suspect Dump

always acted this way, gauging the political winds for his very own ego via power and money.

In other words - he may have always been demented.It is just now that it really matters to the country and world. Before, it mattered to banks, vendors he stiffed, women etc. Lots of guys (rarely women) like that. CEOs making the big bucks with bad behavior.

[KewlKat]

145. I too believe he's always been this way. Was it his father's influence? Didn't he have an older

brother that took to drink and then died? Sounds like pressure the dad put on him that he couldn't handle. The Con just seems detached to me. Some people are born like that.

[MrPurple]

164. He's said that Roy Cohn was a mentor of his

Trump's style and tactics are very Roy Cohn like.

[Initech]

5. And watching Fox News as much as he does definitely doesn't help!

[KewlKat]

6. Amendment 25 time? Yeah I know we'd get stuck with Pence but maybe we

won't strike NK if the Con is out?

[whathehell]

82. 25th Amendment...Yes please!!!!

Pence may be a Right Winger, but at least he's sane.

[winetourdriver01]

7. surprised?

You know, this was bound to happen sooner or later the way the electorate is so easily manipulated. Now we get to learn what to do when it does happen. Trump is mentally ill, it's obvious to anyone with more than a couple of brain cells. Will we survive the process? That is the real question.

[tblue37]

34. Dementia. Early stages of Alzheimer's. nt

[KewlKat]

36. I'm not familiar with the symptoms of the above.

I've read where Alzheimer's runs in the family, I think.

[tblue37]

37. His father had Alzheimer's (there IS a genetic component to vulnerability).

[KewlKat]

42. if you have that variant.

[adigal]

95. I have been saying this for months - ivanka usually looks like she is going

to puke. Worried sick. They know that he is in trouble.

[barbtries]

112. then why don't they help him.

real loving kids. i think they've been terrorized by him their entire lives. i don't know if he is getting dementia, but i definitely believe that he has been one sick puppy for most of his life. the damage occurred early on.

[redstateblues]

203. They are dependent on him. They would have to get jobs when he goes belly up

[barbtries]

204. yeah, yeah,

but if you love someone...i doubt there is much love wasted in that family. all terror and money. so damaged. AND he's the president. it is so hard for me to wrap my head around that.

[gratuitous]

8. Who's going to say this on the record?

There's a permanent open slot for any Republican who will step forward on this. It's been open since the days of Sen. McCarthy.

[KewlKat]

151. McCain has nothing to lose. Surely he won't run for re-election again?

Crossing my fingers someone steps up to home plate.

[Blue_Roses]

9. Tell us something we don't know.

Where have these people been?

[KewlKat]

11. on a river in Egypt........denial.......

[Blue_Roses]

23. No doubt...

[KingCharlemagne]

13. I said it here before he was fucking inaugurated and got chewed out

for presuming to use the "mental illness" tag because it somehow stigmatized those who are mentally ill.

If you grew up with family members who were diagnosed, you recognize the signs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028311245

[murielm99]

171. I remember that post.

And I grew up with a narcissistic mother. I see the signs, too.

My mother blighted her husband's life, and her children's. She should never have been protected and coddled by my father. Something should have been done.

I think it is possible to be evil and mentally ill at the same time.

Does this stigmatize the mentally ill? Or those with personality disorders? Should they be allowed to create chaos, just to avoid stigma?

Trump should be removed from office. The people who know he is mentally ill are using him to gain power.

Trump should be contained, if he cannot be helped. It would benefit him, his family and the entire world.

I understand why you see the signs.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

183. Me too...I could say the exact same thing--every word.

Except my mother fit the description of extreme, violent Borderline Personality Disorder.

I too see the signs and see the victim-enmeshment of many dump supporters.

Pukes such as mcCONnel and Ayn Ryan are, as far as I'm concerned, white-collar scheming sociopaths cunningly using dump as a puppet and camouflage, while they carry out their greatest con ever. Study Ryan's face especially, he doesn't hide it very well: They are having gleeful fun, getting away while they fleece and slowly torture/murder The American people.

[redstatebluegirl]

14. Then impeach him and move on. I don't like Pence but he is not crazy.

[dhol82]

157. Sorry, he's a different kind of crazy

Dominionism is whole world of crazy that he wants to impose on America.

[maxsolomon]

187. Worst case, he's crippled by association and would be easy to defeat in 2020.

Like Gerald Ford, except a religious fanatic in a country that's increasingly secular.

Best case, he's involved in the collusion and will follow * into Impeachment.

[KewlKat]

190. I think you're right in the case that we can't take him down with the Con together.....

damaged goods.

[RobinA]

188. It's a Double Edged Sword

As long as Trump is in office his personality will create so much chaos it will suck up a lot of the energy that could otherwise be expended on mischief-making. I mean, him pissing off the federal judiciary is not a bad thing under the circumstances, just to cite one example. If nothing happens I'm pretty sure we can withstand 4 years of Trumpian chaos, which also blunts Bannon to a certain extent. On the other hand, if something happens where we actually need leadership we could be in trouble.

[dhol82]

189. What are the chances that something disastrous will happen?

My bets are on the shitstain to cause major mayhem.
Four years of him in office brings a dystopian future closer and closer.

[KewlKat]

191. I hope you're wrong

[gilbert sullivan]

201. Nope, Pence is absolutely crazy. He believes in

talking snakes, a 6000 year old earth, men living inside fish, dead guys waking up after 3 days, global floods and imaginary deities up in the fucking sky.

[sarcasmo]

15. This will be the talking point so Donnie can resign.

[Fiendish Thingy]

16. I disagree re: physical disability

The 25th amendment only references "incapacity" to carry out the duties of the office, and doesn't specify physical or mental.

If Pence and enough cabinet members had the courage to invoke the 25th, I'm fairly certain a majority in congress would go along.

[volstork]

43. You are correct.

"incapacity" is not defined in terms of mental or physical incapacity.

[loyalsister]

146. Thus, it could include a president who is "incapable" of working with congress

That is an extremely slippery slope that could have gotten Obama removed from office, and any future president with an oppositional congress.

[LiberalFighter]

67. I agree.

[KewlKat]

17. I thought all Presidents got physicals at Walter Reed.....does this come later

after inauguration? Wonder if that exam might pick something up?

[TeamPooka]

80. I don't think he's let a real doctor come near him. Just Dr Feelgood from 5th Ave.

[KewlKat]

98. How about Dr WAckbag?

[VOX]

100. He's probably terrified of REAL doctors...

They'll be too strict with the prescription pad for #45's cravings, and they're likely to be honest about the obvious cognitive/behavioral issues.

[TeamPooka]

150. No more happy pills and mental issues would be written down for history. :)

[GeorgeGist]

18. He thinks they KNOW he's guilty ...

how else unless they tapped him?

Donald Trump is going to “get himself out of office soon”

Humpty Trumpty had a GREAT fall. The GREATEST fall of all.

[Heather MC]

20. I hear cocaine can make you paranoid

just saying

[KewlKat]

21. Dr Dean mentioned cocaine use multiple times regarding the Con's behavior.

[calimary]

120. Sure was evident during the debates with Hillary.

My God.

I wondered about that, then, but hadn't heard any stories, anecdotes, or biographical notes about him having a cocaine habit. But then again, I haven't actively tried to seek out every last thing written about him. Nor have I read that book he was busy waving around most of last year.

[Berlin Expat]

196. I don't know about currently

but back in the day - the late 70's - Trump was a regular at Studio 54 and if there's one thing that place was infamous for, aside from tax evasion, it was the veritable cornucopia of drugs freely available and openly circulating.

Cocaine, ludes, weed, speed, uppers, downers, you name it. The place was pretty much an unlicensed pharmacy with a DJ and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling (along with the iconic crescent Moon with a coke spoon).

Just sayin'.

[KewlKat]

197. Thanks for the info!

[SummerSnow]

27. He is the sniffer-in chief

[keithbvadu2]

40. Cocaine use by a paranoid leader?

Cocaine use by a paranoid leader?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-the-nazis-rode-into-battle-high-on-crystal-meth/2017/03/09/815794f0-f9fb-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html

[SharonAnn]

46. That, too. During the debates he showed behavior like that of coke users i've seen.

Agressive, self-focused, and then there's the sniffing.

[Heather MC]

170. I had a boss once

who couldn't have a conversation with employees without flying into a rage for hours. turns out he was sniffing coke during the day

[Jamaal510]

210. Speaking of sniffing...

[KewlKat]

211. Good find

[Thrill]

22. Bannon is running the country any way

[Kimchijeon]

215. Ugh, too true

[mzteaze]

24. Lol

I think this is being floated to see how Americans might react and to preserve as much of his Administration as possible.

Otherwise, I think if they don't play this card, his petty will take down a bunch of folks they do not want to lose.

[Xolodno]

25. Could be...

....the way the GOP covers themselves. Trump was ill!!! We didn't know!!!

[paulkienitz]

29. Trumpsky is not mentally ill.

Constant lying is not a mental illness, it's a character defect.

But if the GOP establishment wants to believe that he's mentally ill, and that idea is what allows them to start thinking about the 25th amendment, then great, I'll support any diagnosis you want.

[KewlKat]

31. I think they were talking about the "paranoia" part maybe....he won't let it go,

isn't trusting the intel so wanting to go "outside" the government, whatever the hell that means....

[colorado_ufo]

194. It's not paranoia

If he really has something to be afraid of.

[KewlKat]

198. quilty conscience then?

[colorado_ufo]

205. Yup

[ffr]

33. I agree, but I'm not buying what their selling until they act like representatives and take action

Words are cheap. In the meantime, the country spends $ millions on housing, protecting, feeding, entertaining, and shuttling tRump and his asshole clan around the country, like they're royalty.

We the People mean nothing to any of them.

[whathehell]

88. Many, including psychiatrists say otherwise, and I agree with them..

One can have a bad character and be mentally ill as well.

[paulkienitz]

127. I'm with Dr. Allen Frances

"Most amateur diagnosticians have mislabeled President Trump with the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. I wrote the criteria that define this disorder, and Mr. Trump doesn’t meet them. He may be a world-class narcissist, but this doesn’t make him mentally ill... It is a stigmatizing insult to the mentally ill (who are mostly well behaved and well meaning) to be lumped with Mr. Trump (who is neither)."

Similar objections apply to other attempted diagnoses I've heard.

[whathehell]

133. He could be right, but either way, one thing is undeniable..

He is utterly "unable to carry out the duties of the office of President of the United States". 25th Amendment.

[kwassa]

161. I disagree with Frances, as do a number of psychologists.

He may have written the criteria, but Trump fits those criteria perfectly in the eyes of many professional psychologists. And to quite a few lay people, like myself.

[Orrex]

124. I agree

Hell, I'll agree to say that he's suffering from chronic unicorn warts if it'll get him out of office.

[loyalsister]

147. The GOP establishment has everything to gain with that assertion

I would expect pundits to congratulate them for their ethics and they will be seen as heroes who rescued us from 45. Meanwhile, Pence takes office and the GOP congress has no worries about being attached to him because he signs off on their cruel agenda. Again, since it's not as cruel as Trump's, Paul Ryan becomes a hero.

[paulkienitz]

148. Let's encourage them to believe this scenario.

From the viewpoint of a McConnell, this is a very rosy outcome. All of the gain without the cause of the pain. Let's not tell them that doing this will make half of Trump's voters immediately turn on them.

[loyalsister]

149. A scapegoat that they can look good punishing

A lot of 45's voters are having buyer's remorse. It's a perfect opportunity for Ryan and co. to court them back to being GOP loyalists.

[MrPurple]

165. Except the Republicans all fear the cult of personality disorder rubes

that would vote against them in their primaries.

[L. Coyote]

30. Nothing like arriving at the end of the fourth quarter, seeing the score, and calling the game.

Where the hell have these voices been hiding?

Link to tweet

[C Moon]

32. Or maybe it's an act, so he can get be kept out of prison.

[jrthin]

132. They Have Prisons For the Mentally Ill. nt

[Ilsa]

35. Someone needs to keep whispering these things in 45's ears:

Obama is spying on him
Melania is peeing for Barack in NYC during the week
Sasha and Barron are engaged
Ivanka is really having sex with Barack on Saturdays, not observing Shabot.

All of that will just about finish him off.

[KewlKat]

38. this is genius......and of course, he DID NOT WIN THE POPULAR VOTE!

[Ilsa]

39. Oh D'UH me! How could I forget?!!! NT

[LiberalFighter]

71. I just did a tweet to his account about smart tvs and lamps spying on him.

[KewlKat]

89. bwhahahahahaha

[JudyM]

74. Haha! "Melania is peeing for Barack!"

Too good.

[Ilsa]

83. And darn, i said it wrong: "Melania is making peepee for Barack." NT

[crazycatlady]

208. You gotta add to it

Melania and Karen Pence are having wild sex at Trump Tower.

[Ilsa]

209. And that would put Pence in ICU! nt

[KewlKat]

213. You really have to watch those shy, clean living type guys......the Con would never choose someone

without lots of stamina....

[KewlKat]

212. Is that some sort of video game?

[More_Cowbell]

41. This is their plan to get Pence in

Who they wanted, all along.

[KewlKat]

44. can we tie pencie to the ru$$ians?

take them both down, add eddie munster, mcturtle.......

[DBoon]

48. Cocaine

It's one hell of a drug

[malaise]

50. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

I knew that in 2015

[KewlKat]

56. Most rethugs seem to be extremely slow at making connections. I think it's in their DNA.

[jrthin]

51. Oh, Now They

Are looking for the insanity defense. Pleezze.

[cureautismnow]

52. Cue Napoleon XIV

[Doreen]

85. I love that song.

[Kingofalldems]

53. He must have something to hide.

That's the only conclusion one can come up with. If his conversations were innocuous he wouldn't be so paranoid.

[KewlKat]

59. I agree 1 million %

guilty conscience

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

54. Republicans sure now how to pick 'em

[KewlKat]

61. they seem to always pick from the bottom up......isn't that what scavenger's do?

[MrPurple]

166. They managed to pass on Michelle Bachmann/Herman Cain/Bob Dornan for the Presidency

until now. Trump is even a quantum leap for them.

[japple]

55. I think the GOP knew this from the beginning and were just hanging on to him after the

election, hoping to rush through all the horrible changes to this country that they've been aching for, like repeal of ACA, and abolishing EPA, etc. Then they were going to toss him on the garbage heap and claim to never have known him. Fortunately, there will be a money trail. It almost makes me feel sorry for him...almost.

[malaise]

60. Ding ding we have a winner

[KewlKat]

63. Don't you dare........

It almost makes me feel sorry for him...almost.

I know you said "almost" but feel sorry for your country and those who voted for it and not their wallet......

[applegrove]

57. He's captive by several psychopathic factions. No surprise.

[GoCubsGo]

58. They are just now noticing this?

Where have they been for the past 30-some-odd years?

[LiberalFighter]

62. Must be a Trump family trait.

[Tikki]

64. You have to ask....why he would be SOoooo paranoid and delusional over a.....

wire-tap.
I mean, no one wants to be wire-tapped but if he has 'nothing to hide
as they say.

Tikki

[bucolic_frolic]

65. Narcissistic

Narcissistic self-love of all things self, including self-generated ideas and
feelings that are so loved by the self that they are believed to be true
because self-judgment is infallible, even righteous

I'm not sure I could explain what I wrote but you get the idea

[IronLionZion]

66. We can break this guy

keep it up with the leaks and social media trolling and everything else that drives him crazy until he has a full public breakdown. He can and will be put in a straightjacket and carted off to a padded cell for his own protection. We can make this happen. Don't give up until he's gone.

We can deal with Pence later. Donny needs to go.

Yes Donny, you have leaks everywhere. You can't trust anyone. Maybe your own phone that you are tweeting from right now is bugged by someone. How do you know it's not? Can you ever be sure? Boooo......

[KewlKat]

68. that's right, that cellphone is not a government issue nor secure

if KAC can see you thru the microwave, just imagine what we can see thru the phone? Much better image.....

[colorado_ufo]

69. Mental illness might not be the criterium for removing him from office

but it would be a defense to keep him out of prison.

[Leith]

114. Oooooh! Good Point about Keeping Him out of Prison

But the 25th doesn't specify the type of incapacity so dementia/Alzheimer's would certainly be good cause to get rid of him.

[Amaryllis]

70. Congressman Blumenauer is working on the 25th amendment with others in Congress to try

to change it to make it more workable in the current situation. Maybe when it gets bad enough some pubs will join so it can actually go somewhere.

[KewlKat]

81. what is your source he's doing that? I've not heard that before. thks.

[Amaryllis]

109. There are articles easy to find if you search under him and 25th amendment.; some have been posted

on DU. Don't have time now to look them up. Also he talked about it at a town hall Saturday before last.

[KewlKat]

110. K. I'll see what I can find.

[KewlKat]

113. Found an article he wrote in the OregonLive

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/02/the_fatal_flaw_of_the_25th_ame.html

[Fantastic Anarchist]

186. I like the idea of a body composed of former presidents and vice presidents ...

.... Making the decision, but needs to include others such as former secretaries of state.

[KewlKat]

192. Some content of the OregonLive article

The erratic behavior of Donald Trump has raised new questions about his mental and emotional capacity to discharge the tremendous burdens of the most powerful position in the world. It is the president who has the ability to launch nuclear weapons, unleashing untold devastation on the world. Presidents can create diplomatic chaos or move markets with the most carefully crafted declarations, let alone late-night tweets with the grammar and misspellings of a fifth-grader and decidedly unpresidential tone.

Regardless of what happens with Donald Trump, this issue will arise again. Presidents are subject to illness, accident, or--God forbid--physical attack. Americans are living longer. The current occupant of the White House assumed office at the age of 70. While the president of the United States has access to the best health care in the world, there is no guarantee of successful medical intervention or that he or she would be fully functional during the course of treatment and recovery.

There is no better time for Americans to acquaint (or reacquaint) themselves with the provisions of the 25th Amendment, its history, application, and potential problems and to consider solutions.

And it has inherent flaws that need to be addressed. The amendment's default decision-makers-- the vice president and the cabinet -- have a natural bias toward the existing officeholder that would make them reluctant to acknowledge the president's inability to serve. Additionally, in the case of a president who is suffering from mental illness and is emotionally unstable or irrational, there is no fail safe to prevent him or her from simply firing the entire cabinet to prevent the application of the amendment.

[Fast Walker 52]

141. yes, please!

[regnaD kciN]

72. Vatican sources claim Pope has just converted to Catholicism...

...and forest rangers are reporting that bears have just started relieving themselves in the woods.

[Thunderbeast]

73. Excuse Me...

Mental illness IS a physical illness.

While precise diagnostics are elusive at this time, functional MRIs demonstrate physiological and chemical anomalies that correlate to delusional thinking, depression, and psychosis.

We are just now discovering the mechanics of mental health. It was not very long ago that mental illness was attributed to demons by the serious thinkers of the time.

If the President is showing symptoms as characterized in the DSM 5, an Article 4 action (of the 25th Ammendment) should be implemented. He needs to be far away from launch codes.

[Xolodno]

107. Yeap.

Know someone who has Borderline Personality Disorder.

I read about it and found out that they did real time MRI scans on people with their illness. They discovered the part of the brain that regulates emotion....just doesn't work on them. But they still don't know if its a symptom or cause.

Interesting to say the least. This is the type of stuff they need to do more of and develop medications that target these areas instead of using the "shot gun" approach they have now.

[Saviolo]

75. Are we seeing a Howard Hughes-like decline for Trump?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Hughes#Eccentricity_and_physical_decline

While directing The Outlaw, Hughes became fixated on a small flaw in one of Jane Russell's blouses, claiming that the fabric bunched up along a seam and gave the appearance of two nipples on each breast. He reportedly wrote a detailed memorandum to the crew on how to fix the problem. Richard Fleischer, who directed His Kind of Woman with Hughes as executive producer, wrote at length in his autobiography about the difficulty of dealing with the tycoon. In his book, Just Tell Me When to Cry, Fleischer explained that Hughes was fixated on trivial details and was alternately indecisive and obstinate. He also revealed that Hughes' unpredictable mood swings made him wonder if the film would ever be completed.

In 1958, Hughes told his aides that he wanted to screen some movies at a film studio near his home. He stayed in the studio's darkened screening room for more than four months, never leaving. He ate only chocolate bars and chicken and drank only milk, and was surrounded by dozens of Kleenex boxes that he continuously stacked and re-arranged. He wrote detailed memos to his aides giving them explicit instructions not to look at him nor speak to him unless spoken to. Throughout this period, Hughes sat fixated in his chair, often naked, continually watching movies. When he finally emerged in the summer of 1958, his hygiene was terrible. He had not bathed nor cut his hair and nails for weeks, although this may have been due to allodynia (pain response to stimuli that would normally not cause pain).[36]

[Kahuna7]

76. President Queeg. Who ate the strawberries? nt

[KewlKat]

84. great comparison!

[Lakerstan]

90. Like this

https://m.

[JCanete]

78. just now? nt

[delisen]

79. This will be Trump's defense. He will leave others hanging.

[Doreen]

87. It took them this long to figure that out?

GOD, they are so slow.

[CanonRay]

91. Might be mentally?

Was there ever any question?

[KewlKat]

99. Yes, in the minds of the rethugicans who just wanted to implement their own agenda and

damn the rest of the country.......

[CanonRay]

111. He could be locked up in Bellview and they'd still never believe it.

[Grins]

93. Not new nor a surprise. Others have also said this. Including you! (Look at his hair.)

How many times on his "Resistance" video clips did Olbermann say, "He. Is. Not. Well."? (Politely avoiding the term, 'he's fucking nuts'.)

All of us have seen the way he talks, the way he stands and preens with those 'duck lips', the denials and reversals, the petty obsessions, etc., etc., and came to the same conclusion: 'He's fucking nuts'.

A woman friend mentioned his hair one day. Go find a detailed photo of it and take a look at the way it is styled (a lot like his late mother's). You don't just get out of the shower and run a comb through that mop to get it to look that way. That is styled in great detail by someone, a pro, who knows how to do that - every day and probably multiple times a day (ever see a hair out of place?) She said that should have been a warning to all of his three wives.

Me: Huh?

Her: What woman would want to get involved with a man who spends more time on his hair (and skin) than she does? Not by a little - a lot!

Remember that little test from long ago: When you walk past a mirror - which of you is the first to pause and look? If it's him - you've been warned. He's only into himself.

The fact that he raped wife #1 and he beat the crap out of her - over his hair - should have set flares off.

[stopwastingmymoney]

169. I always thought the hair was a red flag too

Demonstrates a lack of self awareness, doncha think?

[TheDebbieDee]

96. Someone needs to present the Orange One

with a new designer jacket with extra special never-ending sleeves...

[WiffenPoof]

97. Now I'm beginning to wonder if...

...that was the news Feinstein received at that briefing where she appeared almost ashened. Being told that Trump is suffering from some form of mental illness. That is why she stated that he would get himself out of office.

[KewlKat]

102. interesting thought......hmmmm

[rivegauche]

103. He's gone full Caine Mutiny.

Next, he'll prove with geometric logic that the busboys stole the strawberries.

Oy, the literal insanity of this whole clusterfuck!

[zentrum]

104. Pence will be a sane, and

Last edited Mon Mar 20, 2017, 06:06 PM - Edit history (1)

....lethal vehicle for carrying out Trumpism which will live on after 45 is removed by the worried Repug establishment.

In fact, Pence will be even more effective. Partly because without the overt assaultive misogyny and late night tweets, there may be a reduction in the counter-demonstrations. His anti-Planned Parenthood stand is not any different from most Repugs. His budget is the Repug budget. His fear mongering, his racism, his hatred for the ACA---all mainstream Repug values.

Pence makes me shiver he's so icy and cruel looking.

[Mike B]

105. Just curious if anyone knows...

....the names of the Repiglicans who supposedly made those claims? I have always had a difficult time in believing claims that are not backed up by facts, but I do hope that this story is true.

[LaydeeBug]

106. Bullshit. Tether that chicken to their necks. Hang him around their necks like an albatross.

He's *fine*. Same old asshole who aligned with Russia and committed treason, along with the rest of the Kremlin crew.

[barbtries]

108. i literally laughed out loud when I read the headline.

i never watched his tv shows or listened to him on howard stern or read about him in People magazine or anywhere else, and within a week or 2 of his announcement to run i knew he was a sick, sick man.

STARTING to show signs?! give me a fucking break, he's been like this for decades!

[KewlKat]

115. Yeah....how can people say this with a straight face huh?

[BigBearJohn]

116. What would Republicans know about Mental Health in the first place?

[turbinetree]

117. You think, well lets stop all of his nominations and other "items" on the agenda until

this "investigation " is closed with its final report from the FBI

[KewlKat]

118. You have my support. Others on DU are suggesting the same thing.

[turbinetree]

121. WE need to find out if there is a active spy in this administration and we need to know -------now

And everything must stop -----------now

Time to call for a special prosecutor, this is a lot worse than Watergate

[Charles Bukowski]

119. The birther tweets

were an obvious sign that the cheese had slid off this boy's cracker. Those go back 5-6 years?

Anyone reaching this conclusion now isn't very bright.

[alwaysinflux]

123. I have a relative w this issue

And if he's got anything similar, he could remain fixated on this particular delusion for the foreseeable future.

[Old Crow]

140. Interesting. I hope he does remain fixated on it.

The longer he chases his tail, the more apparent his mental illness becomes to the rest of the nation.

[red dog 1]

125. Trump is insane.....Period!

He's a delusional, narcissistic, paranoid schizophrenic, yet he will continue his attacks on working people, the poor, the middle class, and anyone who gets in his way...and there's nothing the Democrats can do to stop him because the GOP controls both houses of Congress, and soon will control the Supreme Court as well.

My advice is to pray to whatever higher source one believes in, and pray hard!

[lindysalsagal]

126. Thankyou, captain obvious.

Breaking: King Kong is hairy.

[nolabels]

184. LOL

[JDC]

128. This will be his defense against prosecutuon

[KewlKat]

129. well, if convicted pencie will pardon him.

[JDC]

130. Without doubt. He'll go down a hero to his base

The victim of a political witch hunt.

[roomtomove]

131. The 25th Amendment

does not require a "physical" disability; it reads: if he is 'unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office", the Vice President and a majority of the executive branch (I am assuming the cabinet) or another body that the Congress decides can initiate the process which is somewhat convoluted.....

[louis-t]

134. He is paranoid and delusional

because he has something to hide.

[coco22]

135. What took so long..

the whole world knows he is an insane child,they are now admitting because they are afraid for their pockets and the primaries and most of them are insane too..

[Wounded Bear]

136. Christ on a Crutch! I can see that from Seatlle...

[WinkyDink]

154. "Would anyone but a crazy man do it?"

[liberal N proud]

156. How much damage to the republic will they allow before finally stopping him?

[KewlKat]

159. Excellent question that I don't think any of us here can guess. FBI has given no time for wrapping

up their investigation. How long did Bengazi last?

[Fantastic Anarchist]

160. That paranoia is him actually feeling the heat.

He's going through his mind and reviewing everything he's said, and its feeding that sense of impending doom. It's not mental illness, it's the realization that he's fucked.

I couldn't be more delighted.

[dflprincess]

162. Americans who are close to their televisions

can see that Trump is showing signs of mental illness.

[yuiyoshida]

163. Obviously!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028823641

[nini]

167. this is why ivanka has to be there to cover for him

he can't process half the crap going on around him.


And that's on top of all the evil crap going on.

[thucythucy]

168. No shit, Sherlock.

They're only figuring this out now?

[mdbl]

172. What a stupid statement...

"It would have to be demonstrated that Trump is physically unable to perform the job of president. '

Mental Illness IS a physical disability - what do they think the brain is chemically normal when in a delusional and paranoid state? Some writers are so ignorant.

[KewlKat]

173. I listened to a few of the shows last evening but never heard anyone mention this conversation with

Nicolle Wallace. I know there were lots of things going down yesterday, but I had hoped someone would have mentioned this?

[Sunlei]

174. people "outside the Admin say", so what! Until Republicans like Pence & Ryan "say" he's to UNFIT,

America is stuck with a lunatic steering our country.

[Warren DeMontague]

175. His pee isnt blue, is it?

[Javaman]

177. Sundowning...

this happened to my mom just before the Alzheimers kicked in.

[KewlKat]

180. Is this what you mean?

Sundowning is a dementia-related symptom that refers to increased agitation, confusion and hyperactivity that begins in the late afternoon and builds throughout the evening. Most sundowning emerges in mid-stage dementia and slowly worsens as the disease progresses. What causes it? Dementia may damage the body's internal clock, causing a disruption of sleep-wake cycles. Secondly, individuals with dementia become fatigued by their inability to process information; the more hours spent on this process, the more exhausted—and irritable—they may become.


we know he doesn't seem to sleep much during the night.

[Javaman]

195. yup that's it. nt

[Javaman]

178. Captain Queege. nt

[maxsolomon]

185. "it's not a lie if you believe it" - george costanza

*'s "genius" has always been to bullshit with impunity. no guilt whatsoever, and his money insulates him from consequences.

does he believe it? or is he lying purposefully to intimidate? what's the difference?

he lied about the birther bullshit to lead and pace the delusional, propagandized GOP base. his only concession to that slander: "i don't talk about that anymore".

now, more slander against one of the most honorable men ever to hold the office. he's yet to suffer any real consequences.

i could have told him: US president is the worst job in the world. that the worst person in the world thought that would gain him the respect of the NYT is a testament to the bottomless depth of his ignorance.

[KewlKat]

193. there are times that I truly believe he believes what he says. Then other times, I see him as

vindictive, evil and just conning us all. I just don't know what to think of him any longer but he must be removed from office as soon as it can be done. We'll deal with the baggage as best we can after he's vacated, but he is damaging not only the US but the entire planet and must be stopped before he engages us in war.

[gilbert sullivan]

199. Someone should lock him in a room and throw away

the room...

[KewlKat]

200. we can build a line in the budget to cover that expense. I'll chip in to the fund as a taxpayer.

[gilbert sullivan]

202. An old book but terrifyingly apropos of the current apparent situation

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/131090.Night_of_Camp_David

[KewlKat]

206. Franken made mention of the Con's behavior mid February. Video Link below.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/02/12/sen-franken-trump-behavior-sotu.cnn

Democratic Sen. Al Franken on Sunday doubled down on a suggestion that some of his Republican colleagues in the Senate are concerned about President Donald Trump's mental health.

In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, host Jake Tapper asked Franken if he was serious when he told HBO's Bill Maher that some of his Republican colleagues "will say [Trump's] not right mentally, and then some are harsher."

"Yes," Franken said. "It's not the majority of them. It's a few."

The Minnesota senator explained that some Republicans were puzzled and worried by Trump's continued insistence — despite no evidence — that millions of people voted illegally against him in states like California and New Hampshire. The president asserted last week in a meeting with senators that thousands of out-of-state voters were bused into the state, resulting in his defeat in the state during the 2016 election, a claim that he backed with no evidence.

[mahina]

216. This just in.