Mad King Donald
Only 1,397 days to go...
“LONG LIVE THE KING” as written on Truth Social by Donald J. Trump
King George III reigned in England from 1760 to 1820. As we learned in history, he had health issues and his mental condition was called into question. Though he had a long reign of almost 60 years, he is remembered now for being the monarch who lost America, and for suffering periodic bouts of serious illness and erratic behavior, leaving him unable to rule during his last decade.
In the later part of his life, George III had recurrent and eventually permanent mental illness. The exact nature of the mental illness is not known definitively, but historians and medical experts have suggested that his symptoms and behavior traits were consistent with either bipolar disorder or porphyria.
His son took over as the regent and George III was no longer in charge. We’ll never really know what his condition was - but he has gone down in history as “Mad King George.”
Which leads me to consider our own Mad King Donald of Queens. When you read some of the posts that Trump puts out on his Truth Social media platform, one can only wonder… is this man mentally stable?
When his book, The Art of Deal came out in 1987, I read it and (I say this euphemistically) was amazed at his utter lack of humility.
Throughout the next decade, his name or face would appear on TV shows like Designing Women or The Nanny. I learned later that he had publicist getting him these roles in films and TV — promoting his brand and image. Of course, The Apprentice sealed his imaginary status as a premier business man, despite all his grifting and failed enterprises.
I kept thinking — who is this guy and why is he such a braggadocio?
When he descended the staircase in Trump Tower to announce his presidency in 2015, I thought it was a joke - anything for publicity. When he actually won primary elections I couldn’t believe it. Why would people actually vote for a reality TV personality to run the US Government?
I couldn’t explain why people liked this guy. I still can’t. To me, he is lewd, crude, ignorant, egotistic, dishonest, a bully and a fraud. I seeing nothing appealing or worthy. But after I read this article in the summer of 2016, I finally understood something else. We were dealing with a candidate, who suffers with mental illness.
Donald Trump’s Ghostwriter Tells All
Trump, facing a crowd that had gathered in the lobby of Trump Tower, on Fifth Avenue, laid out his qualifications, saying, “We need a leader that wrote ‘The Art of the Deal.’ ” If that was so, Tony Schwartz thought, then he, not Trump, should be running. Schwartz dashed off a tweet: “Many thanks Donald Trump for suggesting I run for President, based on the fact that I wrote ‘The Art of the Deal.’ ”
…as Schwartz watched a replay of the new candidate holding forth for forty-five minutes, he noticed something strange: over the decades, Trump appeared to have convinced himself that he had written the book. Schwartz recalls thinking, “If he could lie about that on Day One—when it was so easily refuted—he is likely to lie about anything.”
“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.” He went on, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”
If he were writing “The Art of the Deal” today, Schwartz said, it would be a very different book with a very different title. Asked what he would call it, he answered, “The Sociopath.”
(Hopefully you can read the whole article. If not, let me know and I’ll send you a PDF of it.)
Suffice to say, this New Yorker article confirmed, what I already was and would always be: a Never-Trumper.
The American Psychiatric Association adopted the Goldwater Rule in 1973 prohibiting members from offering psychological opinions about individuals whom they had not personally examined. The issue arose after a magazine published opinions by psychiatrists about presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
(Personally, I never thought Barry Goldwater was anything other than a conservative bordering on a libertarian. He certainly wasn’t a sociopath. In fact, I have a bit of a soft spot for him, because in 1977 he was instrumental in securing veteran status for the members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots.)
But this Goldwater Rule was applied in 2016, so by and large mental health professionals refused to speak out during that election.
Interestingly enough, they weren’t hesitant in 2024.
More than 200 health professionals say Trump has ‘malignant narcissism’ in open letter
Their letter addressed the Goldwater Rule directly by stating that since it was adopted in 1973, “the field has modernized the DSM diagnostic system, which relies exclusively on ‘observable behavioral criteria.’ For many years, we’ve all observed thousands of hours of Trump’s behavior, reinforced by the observations of dozens of individuals who have interacted with him personally.”
The professionals argued that disorder they discern in Trump “makes him deceitful, destructive, deluded, and dangerous”.
The letter also argued Trump exhibits signs of cognitive decline, and said he should be subject to “a full neurological work-up.”
Conservative attorney George Conway was close to Trump, when his then-wife, Kellyanne Conway, worked for the president. He became increasingly alarmed by the president’s erratic behavior and began reading about mental illness. Over five years ago he wrote an article, Unfit for Office.
You don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and you don’t need to be a mental-health professional to see that something’s very seriously off with Trump—particularly after nearly three years of watching his erratic and abnormal behavior in the White House. Questions about Trump’s psychological stability have mounted throughout his presidency. But those questions have been coming even more frequently amid a recent escalation in Trump’s bizarre behavior, as the pressures of his upcoming reelection campaign, a possibly deteriorating economy, and now a full-blown impeachment inquiry have mounted. And the questioners have included those who have worked most closely with him…
And that’s where the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders comes into play. The DSM, now in its fifth edition, “contains descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders,” and serves as the country’s “authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders.” What’s useful for nonprofessionals is that, for the most part, it’s written in plain English, and its criteria consist largely of observable behaviors—words and actions….what the DSM calls narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. These two disorders just happen to be the ones that have most commonly been ascribed to Trump by mental-health professionals over the past four years. Of these two disorders, the more commonly discussed when it comes to Trump is narcissistic personality disorder, or NPD—pathological narcissism. It’s also more important in considering Trump’s fitness for office, because it touches directly upon whether Trump has the capacity to put anyone’s interests—including the country’s and the Constitution’s—above his own.
It’s a long, interesting and somewhat legal article… and it was written long before January 6, 2021. Conway has promoted Trump’s instability and been a leading proponent of educating people about the mental health of Trump.
“Though Donald’s fundamental nature hasn’t changed, since his inauguration the amount of stress he’s under has changed dramatically. It’s not the stress of the job, because he isn’t doing the job—unless watching TV and posting insults count. It’s the effort to keep the rest of us distracted from the fact that he knows nothing—about politics, civics, or simple human decency—that requires an enormous amount of work.”
~ Mary Trump
Occasionally, I’ll see on social media images of some of Trump’s posts on his Truth Social platform. They are not normal. The fact that many are posted at 2:00am makes me wonder even more about the sanity of this guy.
“Anyone who’s spent time with an abusive narcissist understands the dilemma: If you just go along to get along, you’ll never escape their grip. And if you confront them, they will do anything they can to make your life a living hell—until you get away or they leave forever.” ~Stephen Beschloss
I’m acutely aware of mental illness and its impact on a family and community. I had a relative who suffered from mental illness most of her life and it was tragic for everyone — her parents, her children and other family members. All of us were impacted in one way or another. So I’m not making light of this situation.
But I can’t help but ask the questions:
“So, are we dealing with Mad King Donald?” & “What do we do about it?”
I wish I had the answers.
Just as Mad King George is remembered for being the monarch, who lost the American colonies, I fear Mad King Donald will be remembered as the president who lost the American democracy.
Thought for the day in honor of his birthday…
“Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness.”
~A. J. P. Taylor
Must Read Article:
Trump Wants Credit for That Too
Politicians are storytellers, and Trump is shameless about telling only the version of the story that flatters him. The stock market is thriving under the Biden administration? That’s thanks to projections that Trump will win, he claimed last year (even though economists suggested that such gains were also linked to low unemployment, flagging inflation, and solid growth). The economy is struggling after Trump takes office? Blame the “catastrophic” situation Biden left him with (even though many economists suggest that recent stock-market downturns are due to anxiety about the effects of Trump’s trade war). Talking about the egg-price crisis in January, the White House team pilloried the Biden administration for killing sick chickens, neglecting to note that this was a tack Trump also took during his first term...
Whenever the White House changes hands, some projects inevitably bleed from one administration into the next. Embracing continuity between terms can be a sign that a president cares more about good policy outcomes than about bucking his predecessor: If a federal initiative is good for Americans, why not continue? But Trump is doing something different—he’s attempting to erase other presidents’ role in policy achievements entirely…
Trump “broke with two centuries of American political tradition, in which candidates for office—and above all, for the nation’s highest office—acknowledge their fallibility and limitations, asking for the help of their fellow Americans, and of God, to accomplish what they cannot do on their own.” Trump seems set on sending the message that he doesn’t need help—and that, implausibly, he hasn’t received any along the way.
Smearing his predecessor is inoculation from his own incompetence
Ever infantile, he must always measure himself against others. Ever insecure, he must always be best, biggest, most. If the White House issued a Hot Presidents Calendar — which would be less odd (and significantly more benign) than much of Trump’s behavior since his inauguration — Trump would be 11 of the 12 months of the year. He’d maybe allow John F. Kennedy to take February, which has too few days to be worthy of Trump.
Quote of the day:
“It is comforting to see President Donald Trump as a crazy man, a one-off, an exception — not a reflection on us or on our democracy. But in ways I never anticipated, his rise was absolutely predictable and a mirror on our soul.” ~ Allen Frances
What I’m reading today…
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen. I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing. This is going to require some explaining.
Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “What a surprise — Putin rejects an unconditional ceasefire. He wants to keep bombing and killing innocent Ukrainians. He wants Ukraine disarmed. He wants Ukraine neutralized. He wants to make Ukraine a vassal state of Russia. He isn’t negotiating. He’s laughing at us.”
If the American revolutionaries admired the British system and sought to copy it in the United States, why did they reject the link to Britain and revolt in the first place?
Americans did not revolt against the nature of British government. Rather they objected to their changing place within the British Empire. The revolutionary crisis had a number of roots, but most of them arose out of changes in the management of the relationship between the American Colonies and the imperial center.
From the 1760s, the British government took a more activist role in its American Colonies, limiting their geographical expansion and imposing taxes directly on the population. In the past, Colonists had been free to move west, challenged only by the indigenous residents who fought to defend their lands.
Going, Going, Gold. Trump’s Gilded White House Makeover
To the 47th president of the United States, gold is the color of power. It’s his brand. Trump Tower in New York City is dripping with it. The gilded exterior of The Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas is made with 24-karat gold-plated glass. Mar-a-Lago in Florida is a monument to gaudiness…The classic comfort of the West Wing has been transformed to resemble a gaudy antique store. Snoop Dogg would be proud of the gold medallions stuck to the fireplace in the Oval Office and the gold vermeil figurines on the mantle. Gold eagles have settled on the side tables and there are Rococo mirrors over the doors.
Deconstructing Donald Trump’s Brain
I believe President Trump suffers from a form of diet-induced brain dysfunction termed Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. To better understand how CARB syndrome affects Trump, you need to understand the underlying pathology of the illness.
Trump’s Latest Stunt: Revoking a Clearance I Don’t Even Have
Let’s be clear: This isn’t about national security. It’s not about classified information. It’s about Trump’s obsessive need to silence anyone who has dared to stand up to him. My crime? Telling the truth.
Over the past several weeks, there have been a series of reports about foreign tourists to the U.S. being detained, held, and even deported while trying to cross the border on a trip. Experts believe that increased uncertainty about the safety and stability of travel to the U.S. could have a detrimental effect on the nation’s tourism economy. Tourism Economics is a global travel data company that calculates travel forecasts based on the economic and demographic outlook for certain regions. The company initially predicted that foreign travel to the U.S. would increase by 8.8% in 2025—but, last month, that shifted to a 5.1% decrease in response to “polarizing Trump administration policies and rhetoric,” according to a statement shared with The Washington Post. The new report also predicts that spending by foreign tourists could decrease by 11%, leading to a total economic loss of $18.8 billion.
Trump’s Threat to Annex Canada Is Keeping Tourists North of the Border
More than one million Canadians visited New York City last year, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy. Now, they are canceling trips in droves. School groups have called off end-of-semester trips. So have busloads of retirees, as well as newlyweds planning honeymoons, friends celebrating birthdays and a family from Quebec that had planned to visit twice this year.
Trump’s bluntness powered a White House comeback. Now his words are getting him in trouble in court
Trump most notably boasted of creating DOGE during his primetime address to a joint session of Congress and said it was “headed by Elon Musk.” Republicans gave Musk a standing ovation, who saluted from the gallery above the House chamber.
“Trump’s words were essential, central and indispensable,” said Norm Eisen, one of the lawyers for USAID employees who filed the lawsuit. “His admissions took what would have been a tough case and made it into a straightforward one.”
The looseness with words is a shift from predecessors like President Barack Obama, who used to say that he was careful because anything he said could send troops marching or markets tumbling.
Trump has no such feeling of restraint, and neither do other members of his Republican administration like Musk.
Dismayed by Trump, the Star Pianist András Schiff Boycotts the U.S.
András Schiff, an eminent concert pianist who has boycotted strongman rule in Russia and his native Hungary, said on Wednesday that he would no longer perform in the United States because of concerns about President Trump’s “unbelievable bullying” on the world stage. Mr. Schiff, 71, a towering figure in classical music, said he was alarmed by Mr. Trump’s admonishments of Ukraine; his expansionist threats about Canada, Greenland and Gaza; and his support for far-right politicians in Germany. Mr. Schiff, who was born to a Jewish family in Budapest that witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, said that Mr. Trump’s calls for mass deportation reminded him painfully of efforts to expel Jews during World War II.
How a FEMA transformation could impact North Carolina
It's unclear how the elimination or overhaul of FEMA could impact the speed or amount of federal dollars dispersed to disaster-ridden states, but with a long road to Helene recovery ahead, the state is still struggling to rebuild homes after hurricanes Matthew and Florence, which ripped through the state years ago…North Carolina is one of the states that would be hit especially hard if the feds change the state's federal relief funding infrastructure.
Chuang’s written opinion emerged from a case brought against Musk by unnamed workers at USAID, the news site TechCrunch explains. It says that there is sufficient evidence in statements made by Musk and Trump that the Tesla CEO is effectively the head of DOGE, no matter the claim he’s merely a “special” presidential adviser. Chuang said Musk’s role likely violates the constitution’s “appointments clause,” because the billionaire has “exerted authority” that only a “properly appointed Officer” (a legal job definition under the appointments clause) can carry out. Chuang also noted that this means Musk’s activities at DOGE, including shuttering USAID, are also likely unconstitutional. Based on this, Chuang ordered that some of USAID’s operations be restored and barred Musk and his young, inexperienced DOGE team from acting to dismantle USAID any further.
Donald Trump Jr. Mixes Business and Politics in Serbia, as Protests There Rage
The protests against President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia had been growing in intensity and size when an unusual guest showed up in its capital this month to meet with the embattled European leader: Donald Trump Jr., the oldest son of President Trump.
The quick visit by Mr. Trump, which included a meeting with Mr. Vucic to talk about U.S. foreign aid to Serbia, came as the Trump family and Jared Kushner, the American president’s son-in-law, were moving ahead with plans to build a Trump International Hotel in Belgrade, the first such property in Europe.
The duty to impeach Mad King Donald
“This president has already committed multiple abuses of power since assuming the presidency. And the framers designed the Constitution to ensure that we would not have a monarch or a tyrant govern this nation.”
Behind the Curtain: Trump's mind control
It's the worst-kept secret in town. Most elected Republicans are staying silent on issues they find dubious, dumb or destructive. In private, they're more forthcoming about their concerns and their mixed motivations for zipping their lips — genuine support for Trump and genuine fear of crossing him. Almost universally, Republicans have convinced themselves that by winning a second time, Trump earned whatever Cabinet he wants, and the freedom to pursue the policies of his choice. They see no upside — or good reason — to oppose him because Trump, Musk and others would torch them publicly and on social media, and almost certainly threaten a primary challenge….Politics is all about incentives. And every Republican incentive is to back Trump — and make sure he and MAGA media know it.
U.S. once again hits new low in World Happiness Report
The U.S. hit a new record low on the annual World Happiness Report released Wednesday night. The drop in the U.S.' ranking comes on the back of a monumental U.S. election and as many Americans report struggling to stay afloat financially.
What I am listening to…
What I am watching…
BRAVO, Lisa!
Book I recommend…
Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man By Mary L. Trump
Numerous pundits, armchair psychologists, and journalists have sought to parse Donald J. Trump’s lethal flaws. Mary L. Trump has the education, insight, and intimate familiarity needed to reveal what makes Donald, and the rest of her clan, tick. She alone can recount this fascinating, unnerving saga, not just because of her insider’s perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world’s most powerful and dysfunctional families.
What I read every day…
