Donald Trump’s Behavior ‘Meets Criteria For A Locked Psychiatric Facility,’ Psychiatrist Says
Yale psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee, a frequent critic of Donald Trump’s mental state, told Salon that his recent behavior amid his positive coronavirus test “meets criteria for a locked psychiatric facility.”
“Sociopathy is dangerous, in part because out of envy of other human beings for having human characteristics, it actively desires people to suffer and die,” she said.
The psychiatrist’s comment was a reference to Trump’s White House photo op after he left Walter Reed Medical Center — where he was treated for the coronavirus — and removed his mask.
The doctor claimed that Trump’s purported sociopathy means he likely “delights in putting people in danger.” This pattern, she said, is not dissimilar from the behavior she witnessed across “thousands” of violent offenders and prisoners across her 20-year career.
“So far, he has not deviated even the slightest from how I expected he would behave in a position of greater power than he can handle.”
Lee pointed to Trump’s decision to hold crowded rallies amid the COVID-19 pandemic and suggested that he is “demanding they prove their loyalty to him with their lives.” Notably, she compared this purported demand to the commands that are provided to child soldiers and gang members and claimed that the psychology at work is the same — despite the different circumstances.
Elsewhere, Lee was pressed about the White House’s refusal to contact trace the Supreme Court event that revealed Trump’s Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett. The event allegedly exposed Trump’s advisers, aides, and allies to COVID-19.
“This is all in line with the bigger picture. Above all, the president needs to receive proper care, and from his behavior alone, he meets criteria for a locked psychiatric facility.”
Trump’s alleged sociopathy has long been a focus of mental health experts who speak publicly about the president, which is against the recommendations of the Goldwater Rule. As reported by The Guardian, the president’s niece, Mary, a clinical psychologist by training, claimed that the head of state was influenced by his father, who she called a “high-functioning sociopath.”
According to The Atlantic, the characteristics of clinical psychopathy — which shares similar traits to sociopathy — overlap with those that make an effective leader. Robert Hare, a leading expert on the disorder, claimed that psychopaths have a greater need for prestige and power, which are two urges that likely make politics desirable to such individuals.
As The Inquisitr reported, renowned linguist Noam Chomsky previously said that the United States is currently run by sociopaths.
