Michael Cohen , Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, recently spoke to Politico senior staff writer Michael Kruse about his former boss’ mental state and didn’t appear to be optimistic.
“His fragile ego has never been tested to this extent,” he said. “As each day ends, Trump knows he’s one day closer to legal and financial troubles. Accordingly, we will all see his behavior deteriorate until it progresses into a full mental breakdown.”
Kruse claimed the “unprecedented rebuke” of the 2020 election that favored Trump’s rival — Democrat Joe Biden — along with his “uncommonly vulnerable ego” has sparked speculation that the head of state is headed for mental trouble. But while Cohen believes trouble is coming, Yale psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee believes a mental breakdown has been taking place over the last four years.
“We’re at a stage now where his detachment from reality is pretty much complete and his symptoms are as severe as can be,” she said.
According to Lee, Trump is like a “car without functioning brakes.” Like Trump, the car might look fine as it outraces other vehicles, but eventually, she said, “it always crashes” at the bottom of the hill.
Kruse noted that not everyone is aligned with Cohen and Lee. Former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci and former Trump campaign adviser Sam Nunberg both unequivocally claimed there is no likelihood that the president is headed for a mental breakdown.
This speculation comes as Trump remains defiant in the face of President-elect Joe Biden’s certification by the Electoral College. According to Politico , former close associates claim Trump has been “manifestly out of sorts” as he uncharacteristically avoids the public eye more than usual and spends most of his time speaking to the public via Twitter.
As reported by Salon , longtime Trump associate Donny Deutsch appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe last month and floated the possibility that the president suffered from a mental breakdown linked to his re-election defeat and likely legal issues that await him after he leaves the White House.
“What’s going on at the White House? Is he under the covers, walking around in circles? Has he had a breakdown?”
The MSNBC contributor noted Trump has not been in the spotlight lately, despite his continued legal battles against the results of the 2020 election. Deutsch concluded by saying he would not be surprised if the U.S. leader was pushed over the edge by his electoral defeat.