I’ve fallen into a repetitive pattern; when friends or family members express horror at some new evidence of Trump’s ignorance, vanity or lunacy, I typically note that “he’s insane.” Rinse and repeat. On this platform, I have frequently offered the same opinion: in addition to stupidity and ignorance (not the same thing), Trump is clearly and increasingly mentally ill.
There is copious evidence of both his longstanding intellectual defects and his growing lunacy. The most recent–which actually managed to be startling–was the letter he wrote to the President of Norway, expanding on his fixation with Greenland.
That letter read in its entirely:
Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.
Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.
I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT
Where to begin? Perhaps by pointing out that Greenland is part of Denmark, not Norway? That the Nobel Committee is a private entity, not part of Norway’s government? That there are plenty of “written documents” memorializing both Denmark’s ownership and the U.S. recognition of that ownership? That his obsession with the prize is flat-out nuts, and his assertions of having stopped eight wars is –to be polite, let’s just say–fanciful?
Historian Anne Applebaum’s response (among many) is on point; this pathetic missive proves beyond a doubt that “Donald Trump now genuinely lives in a different reality, one in which neither grammar nor history nor the normal rules of human interaction now affect him. Also, he really is maniacally, unhealthily obsessive about the Nobel Prize.” As blunt and undeniably correct as her assessment is, there’s little hope that the Republicans in Congress will respond to her plea to stop Trump from “doing permanent damage to American interests.”
Applebaum says that those Republican Congressmen “owe it to the American people, and to the world.” True. Unfortunately, however, most of them have already demonstrated their spineless subservience to a MAGA cult that is equally divorced from reality.
Paul Krugman has offered what may be the most accurate description of where we are with this madman at the helm of the ship of state. He compares Trump’s late-night social media posts and letters to his father’s “sundowning.” Sundowning is a particular type of mental illness that manifests at night–after the sun goes down. (On the other hand, as Krugman concedes, “This might not exactly be sundowning, since it’s not clear that Trump is lucid and rational at any time of the day. What is incontrovertible is that he’s deeply unwell and rapidly getting sicker.”)
Krugman points out that it is unfair to blame a mentally-ill person for his illness–that it is the people around him and the cowards in Congress who are genuinely responsible for enabling behavior that may well bring on the destruction of the world order. He concludes by asking the question so many of us have asked:
How did a great, sophisticated nation, one of the world’s longest-standing republics, end up so fragile that it can be undone by one man’s dementia? That’s an important question, the answer to which I believe lies in the straight line from Bush vs Gore and the Roberts Supreme Court, to January 6th, to the execution of Renee Good. However, what’s more important is that we realize where we are right now, that we don’t try to sugarcoat and sanewash what’s happening: A petulant, violent and deranged individual is running America.
We all know it. The clowns and sycophants in his cabinet and our spineless Senators and Representatives know it. As Krugman accurately notes, It would take only eight people — four Republican senators and four Republican representatives — to “switch sides and caucus with the Democrats” to end this nightmare.
But those people would need to be actual patriots–not self-protective cowards averting their eyes from Trump’s all-too-obvious lunacy and the existential global danger he poses.
And from where I sit, today’s GOP doesn’t have any patriots.
Many of the folks who contribute to this blog have stated various elements of today’s essay. Thank you for summing it up so nicely, Sheila.
The next chapter must lede with “What can we do about it before it is all destroyed?” You’re absolutely right about the totally corrupt and cowardly Republicans in both the House and Senate. Oh sure, they may be grousing behind closed doors, but are completely absent when it is time to act. And that time is NOW.
The reason this whole nightmare continues is the unbridled self enrichment that is happening. The NY Times published a fairly well researched and conservative estimate of Trumps self enrichment to the tune $1.5 billion.
Sadly, Trump is presenting today in Davos on geopolitical economics. That should be fun.
I’ve heard and read many colorful descriptions of Trump, his administration, and the MAGA cult in Congress, SCOTUS, and beyond. None of these colorful adjectives has been assessed by our “free press.” The purpose of our Founders giving so much power to the press is that it serves as the last line of defense for the people. Its role is to hold the government accountable and not propagandize for the government, or gaslight, or normalize all this insane behavior. If they want to normalize something, how about they talk daily about the 25th Amendment and what comes after that?
The insane crap I read on X about Trump being the greatest leader we’ve ever had is unbelievable. Elon Musk is supposed to be off-the-charts intelligent, but I’ve now reached the conclusion that he’s a fraud. He’s a front for the Deep State, CIA, or some other dark network. He can’t be this ignorant and wealthy. Someone is keeping him afloat.
Sorry, but oligarchs like Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, Larry Fink, and Peter Thiel should be screaming about Trump’s mental deterioration, but they remain silent and even support his “leadership.”
By the way, in my Charlie Kirk research, his chosen COO is one of the felons being indicted in Arizona’s fake electors ischeme Ginni Thomas cooked up in 2020 regarding several states with Rudy Giuliani. The Republicans were trying to rig the election. The hypocrisy and delusion come from our sociopathic and psychopathic leaders in this country. The “cream does not rise to the top” in this country. Sociopaths do!
Is Mariam Adelson asking for her money back?
She paid a lot of money to have this administration.
Or is he doing her bidding?
Trump is obsessed with everything ice.
Let’s be sure to read ourselves of Todd Young when he runs for election. He knows better, but he only cares about his own selfish interests
You must admit Trump lives in a vivid fantasy world with himself starring in the many daily appearances to spread his self-aggrandizing as global hero. This morning’s early news, again more frightening than yesterday’s, and I see him as a combination of Adolph Hitler and Jim Jones.
We make the mistake of thinking he can’t possibly get worse but he proves us wrong each day. The American citizens who continue to support him should realize, after the NYT’s report of his vast amassed wealth over this past year that he is not working for them, they should give thought to the fact that they are not rich enough to be Trump Republicans. Will his current billionaire’s stick with him and his partner Elon Musk, riding shotgun and given powers to govern, using their money?
“And from where I sit, today’s GOP doesn’t have any patriots.” There is no one more afraid of being robbed than a robber and today’s Robber Barons must soon tire of all control being in the talons of the one cuckoo who is flying over the cuckoo’s nest.
JoAnn,
Based on what I’ve seen from the Republican apparatus in Indiana and Arizona (especially Maricopa County), I’d say it’s a criminal enterprise with Trump and his many consiglieres running the USA.
There were at least eleven people just in AZ that committed felony offenses for Trump in 2020 by pretending to be AZ electors. They are waiting for the upcoming election hoping a Republican will get elected to AG and drop all the charges.
Ginni Thomas (yes the wife of a Supreme Court Justice) sent the email asking 4-5 state Republican parties to commit felonies for Trump, so they did. And there’s plenty more…
However, don’t think Trump is the head boss. He just plays his role.
Yes, a good summary. He’s been a sick character for most of his life, but it is crazy that the Republican legislators are still keeping silent. I keep wondering where that congressman, Wilson, the one who told Obama that “You lie!” has been hiding…gutless wonder.