Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist at Yale School of Medicine is the editor of the “Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.” She has been interviewed by or quoted on several progressive online websites and appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show. Last summer she met with members of Congress who were exploring the idea of forming an expert panel to look into the issue of Trump’s mental fitness.
Recently she was referenced in a HuffPost article “Tim Apple. Oranges. German Dad. Mental Health Experts Warn That Trump Is In Decline.”
In an interview yesterday with RawStory, “Yale psychiatrist explains how to deprogram Trump supporters who’ve been sucked into the vortex of his lies,” she answers the question “If you had the chance to speak with Trump supporters, what would you say to them?”
I am already in contact with many, and have worked with, shared meals with, and “hung out” with several while working in Alabama. Contrary to the stereotype, they are often some of the most humane and most innocent people I have met, which is why they trusted so easily.
It is heartbreaking to consider how they have been exploited—over the years by a politics that retains power not by serving them but through psychological manipulation, and now through a predatory president.
I would say to them, it has become time to ask ourselves: do we have the self-respect to demand a leader who is even capable of leading? Our recent test on his capacity was intended as a service to the public, based on the rigorous information in Robert Mueller’s report: he failed on every criterion. We also just learned of the president’s spectacular business failures during the years he flaunted himself as being the biggest success, while he lost more than any other American on record.
It is difficult to make this shift, especially when we have invested so much, but after a while, it takes less energy to change than to continue making excuses to protect “our guy.”
She goes on to say that the transition from being a Trump supporter to seeing how they have been manipulated “will be gradual and painful, but the moment they realize they hold the power and do not have to submit to a strong authority to be safe, they won’t be so easily fooled any more.”
