It seems terribly late to ask the questions in the title. After all, not only have I been speculating about this in my writing since 2017, but so have numerous mental health professionals. There was even a book titled "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump," which Wikipedia describes as "a book edited by Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist, containing essays from 27 psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals describing the 'clear and present danger' that US President Donald Trump's mental health poses to the 'nation and individual well being' ".
This line stood out to me in the Wikipedia entry for the book: According to Jeannie Suk Gersen in The New Yorker, "A strange consensus does appear to be forming around Trump's mental state, including Democrats and Republicans who doubt Trump's fitness for office."
Note well that this was published in 2017.
Fast forward to today and we have George Conway trying to get under Trump's skin not only with Lincoln Project ads but but starting a PAC he's started the "Anti-Psychopath PAC" (read Newsweek article).
Not only has Trump demonstrated more and more symptoms of psychiatric disorders which, as critics have noted, would be of such concern that if you observed them in a family member you would stage an intervention and make sure they got appropriate mental health treatment, but in the past year he has exhibited signs of early dementia. This was described by Dr. Lance Dodes, a supervising analyst emeritus of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and retired Harvard Medical School professor in this Newsweek article. Clinical psychologist Dr. John D. Gartner, founder of the Duty to Warn group, addressed the dementia issue in this article.
Let's get back to the strange consensus that appeared to be forming around Trump's mental state back in 2017.
I don't quite understand why Jeannie Suk Gerson used the word "strange" in her New Yorker article. Why was it strange that a consensus based on the same observable behavior would occur. Perhaps it was that both Democrats and Republicans were doubting Trump's fitness for office. If that was it, what the hell happened to the Republicans who saw this in 2017, with some notable exceptions like the aforementioned George Conway, Liz Cheney, Adam Kizinger, Michael Steele and others have put their doubts aside, at least publically, and now are supporting him.
Putting aside the whole intent to be a dictators and destroy democracy matter, do Nikki Halley and Mitch McConnell really think Trump is mentally fit for office. For that matter do Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio not see that the man is more manifestly mentally ill than he was a few years ago when he merely met the criteria for being a malignant narcissist?
Malignant narcissists and psychopaths aren't necessarily delusional. In fact they can be completely rational. Hitler is an example of a psychopath who until the end of the war was rational and made decisions based on facts.
Delusions are symptomatic of psychosis. They represent a inability to differentiate what is real from what isn't real. This goes beyond engaging in wishful thinking into the realm of believing that what one wishes to be true actually is true.
The Republicans supporting Trump have to see it. Yet they are staying in the game with a losing hand. To quote the refrain from the Don Schlitz lyrics from the hit Kenny Rogers song "The Gambler:"
You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done
