Republicans In Congress Are Secretly Worried About Donald Trump’s Mental Health, Sources Say

With each new bombshell story that comes out about Trump, more and more allegations rise to the surface claiming that the President is mentally unfit for office.

Republicans in the House and Senate have remained notably quiet in the wake of these stories, but a number of sources have claimed that privately these Republicans are deeply troubled by Trump’s erratic and unprecedented behavior in the White House.

Journalist Carl Bernstein, who earned recognition for his acclaimed coverage of the Watergate scandal, revealed the hidden anxieties that some Republicans now feel regarding Trump’s poor handling of the presidency.

“We have many reporters, myself included, who have talked to numerous people, Republicans on Capitol Hill, who in private will tell you they doubt the stability of this president,” Bernstein explained in a recent interview on CNN. “And in the last week, it has really been demonstrated. It’s part of the story and it’s very hard to cover.”

The Washington Post published an article on Saturday which also spoke about the worries Trump’s “allies” have regarding his mental fitness.

“Across Washington, Trump’s allies have been buzzing about the staff’s competence as well as the president’s state of mind,” the article reads. “One GOP figure close to the White House mused privately about whether Trump was ‘in the grip of some kind of paranoid delusion.'”

Washington insiders have serious concerns about Donald Trump's mental health https://t.co/1kcMuGJ5s0

— The Independent (@Independent) May 18, 2017

And Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, laid out the case in candid terms on his show this past Tuesday.

“Here’s the problem, the arc of this narrative keeps getting worse,” Scarborough said. “People on the inside say he keeps getting worse, mentally keeps getting worse. This is not, unfortunately, a learning curve—this is a man on decline.”

Indeed, the latest scandals from the White House have been particularly damning, even for an administration that has cranked out one controversy after another since taking the reigns back in January.

Recent issues include Trump’s decision to share highly classified information with Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador, and his firing FBI Director James Comey during an investigation that involved Trump and his team. Perhaps most surprising of all was his electing to confirm and defend both of these decisions on public platforms, effectively contradicting the explanations given by his press team.

Some have argued that Trump’s behavior demonstrates a clear impulsiveness and narcissism that’s dangerous for such a powerful figure to possess. Others have also pointed out signs of dementia in his speech and conduct.

The congressmen and women who have allegedly expressed their fears over Trump’s mental health in private are not the only ones concerned about the issue. What’s more alarming are the droves of mental-health professionals—actual experts on these matters—who have conveyed their belief that Trump is not suited for the office he now holds.

The discussion about Trump's malignant,delusional thinking &dementia must be led by mental health pros- Duty to warnhttps://t.co/qXKhodhIWA

— Juan (@JrgLaw) May 7, 2017

A coalition comprised of 800 of these professionals has since come together to make this opinion known. As Yale psychiatry professor Dr. Bandy X. Lee puts it, the members of this coalition are “sufficiently alarmed that they feel the need to speak up about the mental-health status of the president.”

But that’s only the beginning. A petition to have Trump removed from office due to this alleged mental illness has already been signed by over 55,000 mental health professionals.

Their decision to do so is particularly shocking. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association introduced the “Goldwater Rule” to prevent psychiatrists from commenting on the psychological status of public figures without first examining them in person. That members of the association are speaking out nonetheless shows that they are genuinely concerned over this matter.

And though some congressional Republicans are also worried, according to those above reports, they continue to remain hesitant about voicing these concerns publicly.

With only a few exceptions, Republicans on the hill have avoided criticizing Trump on any account. That may change now that a special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate into the possible collusion between Trump’s team and Russian officials. Should anything incriminating emerge during that investigation, Republicans will likely turn on Trump in order to save their own reputations.

[Featured Image by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]