Harvard Professor Warns Against Dangers of ‘Major Deterioration’ in Trump’s Mental State

A recent New York Times article points to a very urgent warning about the dangers posed by former President Donald Trump's current mental state. Thomas Edsall, an NYT columnist, spoke to Leonard Glass, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who expressed grave concerns about the 'delusions' of former President Donald Trump. Glass contended that Trump's recent remarks—like calling his opponents 'vermin,' which was reminiscent of autocratic leaders like Adolf Hitler—indicated that Trump was prepared to go even further in undermining American democratic norms than he did during his first term.

The professor contended that there are a number of warning signs that point to a 'major deterioration of' Trump's character: “He acts like he’s impervious, 'a very stable genius,' but we know he is rageful, grandiose, vengeful, impulsive, devoid of empathy, boastful, inciting of violence, and thin-skinned. At times, it seems as if he cannot control himself or his hateful speech. We need to wonder if these are the precursors of a major deterioration in his character defenses.”

The alarms about Trump's instability and dangers were raised long before he was elected president in 2016 and have only gotten stronger over time. These cautions began during the 2016 primaries and the general elections and have persisted over Trump's four years in office, becoming more frequent as he ages and grows increasingly 'delusional' about the results of the 2020 election, as per CNN.

"If Trump — in adopting language that he cannot help knowing replicates that of Hitler (especially the references to opponents as 'vermin' and 'poisoning the blood of our country'), we have to wonder if he has crossed into 'new terrain,'" Glass said. "That terrain, driven by grandiosity and dread of exposure (e.g., at the trials), could signal the emergence of an even less constrained, more overtly vicious and remorseless Trump who, should he regain the presidency, would, indeed act like the authoritarians he praises."

Glass then cautioned that a second term could potentially lead to a number of frightening scenarios since Trump would be able to fill his second government with 'yes-men' who will likely not oppose any of his most aggressive impulses. "Absent conscientious aides who could contain him (as they barely did last time), this could lead to the literal shedding of American blood on American soil by a man who believes he is 'the only one' and the one, some believe, is a purifying agent of God and in whom they see no evil nor do they doubt," he said.

The majority of the experts consulted by the New York Times regard Trump's recent actions and public statements as part of a developing process. “Trump is an aging malignant narcissist,” Penn State psychology professor Aaron L. Pincus told the outlet. “As he ages, he appears to be losing impulse control and is slipping cognitively. So we are seeing a more unfiltered version of his pathology. Quite dangerous.”