By Mel Gurtov
Mentally Unstable
Ordinarily, July 4 would be a time to celebrate the virtues of America. But whatever virtues we once possessed, Donald Trump and his inner circle of family and sycophants have abandoned them. Blind ambition, greed, and notorious self-promotion of the would-be king stand in their place. Today I want to focus on what those three negatives point to: a President who is out of control.
When Trump does or says something that is truly off the wall these days, the mass media too often takes it in stride. Just another rant or digression, hardly worth reporting. But it is news; it adds to the high pile of evidence that this president—the man who has ultimate control of nuclear weapons and the main shaper of foreign and domestic policies—is unstable and consequently is a threat to national security.
Consider the following posts, which are among several hundred he made in recent weeks. Most of these have not been covered by the mass media. On June 21 Trump wrote:
“The way the Corrupt and Failing New York Times is covering stories on a very battered and beat up Iran, through FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS’ is, in my opinion, ‘TREASONOUS.’ I will be adding all of their false and ridiculous reporting to my multi Billion Dollar lawsuit against them. They are Criminals! – President DJT”
On June 26 Trump commented on the New York elections won by Democratic Socialists:
“These are not social Dumocrats, these are hard core, godless Communists. This is the most serious threat to our Country since its existence 250 years ago. Isn’t it ironic, we’re celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we’re speaking about yet another threat to the Foundations of America. These ruthless Communists will attack all Religions but, in particular, Christianity …They will close your Churches, they will kill your people. This is what they’re about. This is the Greatest Threat to our Country since its Founding 250 years ago!”
[Note the prominence this theme is receiving in Trump’s latest speeches, including one he gave at Mount Rushmore July 3.]
Then, on June 27, in response to what he said was a violation of the cease-fire by Iran, Trump said: “There may come a point when … we will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
On June 30 he wrote a nearly 600-word account of his tour of DC vanity projects, which included the reflecting pool that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars in corrupt no-bid contracts with unqualified contractors.
“The Reflecting Pool is now in full use after suffering great damage from Criminal, Radical Left Vandals, people that truly hate our Country,” Trump wrote, as usual failing to provide evidence.
But “most importantly” was the “very outdated and dangerous” golf course. Trump spent hundreds of words extolling the work being done to make the golf course ready for major tournaments. “The general public will love it,” Trump assured us. (The Washington Post found that Trump is now writing four out of every five days about his projects, far more than he talks about domestic or foreign policy matters.)
Images of Grandeur, Outrageous Behavior
I think we should also take into account the self-images Trump has posted, which tell us not just about his monumental conceit but also about his mental state. One of them shows a digitally created painting of great moments in US history, starting with George Washington and taking us through the winning of the West, industrialization, Iwo Jima, and a man on the moon. Wouldn’t you know that the last image is of Trump?
Other AI-generated images Trump has displayed show him as Jesus, administering to a sick man; as the pope following the death of Pope Francis; as James Bond “007”; as a wartime commander-in-chief; and (on videos) as an astronaut planting a flag on the moon and starring in “Trump Gaza” as the hero who transforms the Gaza Strip into a beachfront paradise.
If Trump had his way, he would be on Mt. Rushmore (that’s on another video), Dulles Airport (rather than merely Palm Beach airport) would be renamed for him, his victory arch would bear his name, and his image would be all over our money and not just our passports.
Irrational and unstable behavior adds to these stories. Recall how this president has not only threatened various media (CNN, ABC, MSNow) but also how often he has insulted reporters (especially women), how many critics and judges he and his justice department have relentlessly pursued, how he has injected himself into elections in Colombia, Britain, Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, and other countries, and how he has gone after immigrants, Blacks, Muslims, and other non-whites. Perhaps most pernicious of all is how frequently and easily Trump lies.
Rather than call out Trump’s mental state, mainstream media prefers to say he (occasionally) lies, violates political norms, or meanders in speeches like any old man. They veer away from the truth, which is that his social media posts are increasingly deranged. Only Democrats, Europeans, and liberal psychologists dare state the obvious. As long as this kind of media self-censorship prevails, it will be very hard to do the urgent thing, which is to impeach and remove Donald Trump.
Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University.
