In a Thursday op-ed for New York Daily News , psychologists Alan Blotcky and Seth Norrholm sounded the alarm about Donald Trump’s alleged psychopathy and claimed he is “the most psychiatrically disordered president in history.”
“We are psychologists, and we are convinced Donald Trump is a psychopath,” the pair wrote. “His malignant behavior over the past four years is growing and escalating right before our eyes. Trump’s psychopathy will change us forever if he is not stopped.”
According to the piece, the diagnosis is based on “thousands of hours” of Trump’s “documented behavior,” including his tendency to lie, his obsession with power, and his denigration of others. The piece continued, warning that Trump would do anything to retain power. The duo wrote that he would declare victory in November as soon as possible — regardless of whether all the ballots are counted.
“In fact, he has openly admitted that he wants to immediately replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of the upcoming election. Trump’s desire to sabotage our election process is the behavior of a dictator.”
The psychologists accused Trump of “fearmongering” about Joe Biden and the Democratic Party and sowing confusion with his conflicting comments on health insurance, Social Security benefits, and Medicare.
“Trump is the most psychiatrically disordered president in history,” the piece concluded before calling for the head of state to be “stopped before it is too late.”
The warning comes just one day after Blotcky and Norrholm — along with psychiatrist John M. Talmadge — claimed that Biden’s mental fitness is significantly more robust than the president’s. The trio pointed to Biden’s long political career for evidence and concluded that chronic stuttering is the only issue he struggles with. The piece was a direct pushback against the claims of the Trump campaign, which has frequently attacked Biden’s psychological well-being and suggested he is suffering from cognitive decline.
As reported by CBC News , the field of mental health is divided on the appropriateness of publicly diagnosing public figures, especially those that have never been observed in-person. According to the publication, almost all the experts they reached out to on the issue declined to comment, citing fear of harassment from the U.S. leader’s supporters, fear of professional consequences, and ethical consequences.
Others, including psychologist John Gartner , believe that the rule against this diagnosis — the Goldwater Rule — was never meant to be universal. According to Gartner, in-person psychiatric interviews are actually the least reliable diagnosis tools as they do not paint a picture of a person’s full spectrum of conduct.
