OK folks, here we go! I followed Mark’s strong advice and of course, he’s absolutely right. It is terrifying. Although I had already read both books as well as almost everything from intelligent, qualified experts and writers on drumpft, it was still quite an enlightening experience listening to these 2 brilliant doctors.
Dr. Bandy Lee is a forensic psychiatrist who edited “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” written by 27 mental health professionals because they so strongly felt their duty to warn us. Dr. Mary Trump is his niece, a psychologist, who wrote “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the The World’s Most Dangerous Man.” Just in case you need the titles to order them, right now.
To start with prior quotes:
Mary Trump wrote: “The president is mentally incapable of leading.”
Dr. Lee agreed with: “Any honest and competent mental health professional has come to the same conclusion.”
I just listened to the entire interview and took copious notes for anyone who may not be able to. But I would also highly encourage listening, it’s less than 25 minutes and I can only give highlights here. I could not find an interview date, but it was recent because of the Covid numbers that were given.
In the beginning, Mary congratulated Bandy on her book while facing the absence of support from their mental health community. I believe they had more support at one time, because Bandy asked Mary if she knew that they had been blocked by mainstream media 2 ½ years ago. In the back of my mind, I’m also remembering something about that from Dr. Lee’s book.
Mary describes how her family hid everything and tried very hard to “keep up appearances.” They always portrayed themselves as the “all American family.” Her grandfather and Donald’s father, Fred, disinherited her in his will. She was referred to only as “the issue” of Fred Trump Jr., her deceased father.
Not until she was writing her book did she fully get in touch with the severity of all that had happened to her. She found “real hunger for information” to explain the insanity of the last 4 years. She wanted to make analogies accessible to people and they’ve responded.
Mary sees the trend to devalue expertise and science, and the separation of mental and physical well-being. They can’t be separated. And pneumonia won’t endanger our planet. “Donald’s myriad of psychopathologies will.”
Now, with the pandemic, Donald has silenced and belittled the scientists and epidemiologists to deflect from his own utter incompetence. Mary then went on to describe her vast experience with the sickest mentally ill patients admitted to state institutions where she worked. Dr. Lee has also treated these patients.
Dr. Lee asked, “What does it mean to have the most dangerous man in the Whitehouse?”
Mary’s response in summary, direct quotes will be indicated.
If he underwent the appropriate psych testing and evaluation, he would be considered dangerous to himself and others. “I see so much comorbidity.” His diagnoses are so complicated and complex: personality and mood disorders, attachment disorders, potential substance abuse disorders, and potential learning disorders are some of them.
These are terrifying when combined with the power of his position. He will never get better, he will only get worse with these stressors. Dr. Lee agrees.
On a deep level, he understands he’s not at all the person he claims and pretends to be. Imagine the amount of energy it takes on a minute to minute basis when he’s supposed to be the best, and winning all the time. These stressors are unimaginable to keep the deception hidden, not just from other people, but from himself. “It’s not even the job, which honestly, he doesn’t do.”
“The danger inherent in being safe with his inadequacies is astronomical.”
“That’s the way I see him too.” Dr. Lee agreed.
Mary adds: “He has no impulse control. He has contempt for anybody who doesn’t tow his line or support him. He is incapable of caring about anything outside his own self interest.” Donald co-ops the government to advance his own self interest, to bolster who he is and his agenda. And that’s not the way it’s supposed to work.
Dr. Lee asked Mary if she knew that they actually did a “mental capacity evaluation” when the right information became available through the investigation by the special counsel’s team. They collected exactly the important kind of information they could use from the testimony of close associates and co-workers. They came to the conclusion that “he did not meet any of the criteria for mental capacity.”
Dr. Lee really appreciated that Mary didn’t just focus on his diagnoses in her book, but also on his lack of mental capacity because it’s so important to public health and societal safety. Mary also focused on global assessment because he’s “constantly been institutionalized.” He’s extremely vulnerable to more powerful men such as Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Mitch McConnell.
Mary: One of the most horrifying aspects is the way all the patterns repeat. “It’s quite mind-boggling” with several “through-lines” from her grandfather to the republican party and the cult followers even though her grandfather died 20 years ago. Donald is starved for attention and compliments from other people and from all his rally crowds, and he really is speaking to an audience of one, his father.
“You know Dad, I am the best, I’m the winner, don’t kill me.” The healthy of us can get drawn into his psychopathologies.
Dr. Lee, “I think we’re all feeling that in society.” She also thinks he meets the criteria for “culpable homicide,” they both do. He could definitely be charged with one definition, negligence, because he is responsible for tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of deaths from Covid due to his wrongful conduct. These deaths were avoidable. There is culpability here because he would not listen to the experts and his advisors, and he refused to take responsibility.
We have all the analysis, evidence, and data that we need to support all these conclusions. It’s completely public, through his many years in the press. You don’t have to be in his family or be his therapist, it’s all out there. Dangerousness and unfitness are the most important to our society. His behavior is shaping the behavior of so many others, that’s what is important. There is culpability here.
Mary’s parting words to all of us: Listen to all the experts and professionals that have spent decades honing their skills. They understand what’s happening here. And pay close attention to what he is doing.
Dr. Lee ended with thanking Dr. Trump for all her hard work, telling her she’s an asset to our country. (interview at bandylee.com)
Thanks so much Mark for calling this to our attention. Their insight is critical to saving our democracy.
