There is also a bill aimed at establishing a “commission on presidential capacity”
Many politicians, journalist, academics, and many in the mental health community are increasingly questioning the state of Trump’s mind and whether he is capable of continuing to be our President.
Political commentator George Will says President Trump is someone who is not able to "think and speak clearly,"and that it’s “up to the public to quarantine this presidency by insistently communicating to its elected representatives a steady, rational fear of this man whose combination of impulsivity and credulity render him uniquely unfit to take the nation into a military conflict."
Robert Reich, author and chancellor’s professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkley, is the former Labor Secretary to President Bill Clinton. He argues that it is “now time to seriously consider the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides for removal of a president who is ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office’.”
Trump’s deviant behavior is a problem. Many have called his mental problem to be outright dangerous for our country. But a Republican-led Congress will not take any action and that’s perhaps the most significant problem we have.
“Three congressional Democrats have asked a psychiatrist at Yale School of Medicine to consult with them about forming an expert panel to offer the legislators advice on assessing President Trump’s mental health.
“Yale’s Dr. Bandy Lee told STAT that over the last few weeks members of Congress or their staff have asked her to discuss how members might convene psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals “to review the president’s mental health and review it on a periodic basis.” The closed meeting is expected to take place in September, she said.
“The request came from three current congressmen and one former member, she said. She declined to name them, saying they told her they did not wish to be publicly identified yet.
“The invitation comes as 27 representatives, all Democrats, have co-sponsored a bill to establish “a commission on presidential capacity.” The commission would carry out a provision of the 25th Amendment, which gives Congress the authority to establish ‘a body’ with the power to declare a president ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.’ Under the bill, H.R. 1987, eight of the 11 members of the commission would be physicians, including four psychiatrists.
“Trump has not released his medical records beyond a brief summary from his physician last year. He has said he never sought or received a mental health evaluation or therapy.
“But since his election and, increasingly, his inauguration, a number of mental health experts have spoken or written about what Trump’s behavior and speech suggest about his cognitive and emotional status, including impulsivity and paranoia, with some offering formal diagnoses, such as narcissistic personality disorder.
“In a book scheduled for publication in October that was edited by Lee, 27 experts offer their views of what Lee calls “Trump’s mental symptoms,” including his impulsivity, “extreme present focus,” pathological levels of narcissism, and an apparent lack of trust that is a sign of deep paranoia. The book is based on a small meeting Lee organized at Yale in April on whether psychiatrists have a “duty to warn” about any dangers Trump poses because of his psychological makeup.”
By Sharon Begley
