LUNATIC.
LUNATIC. HE IS NOT WELL.
THOSE ARE NOT MY WORDS, THOSE
ARE THE WORDS OF ANDREW GILLUM,
FORMER DEMOCRATIC MAYOR OF
TALLAHASSEE, WHO CAME IN SECOND
FOR LAST YEAR’S RACE FOR
GOVERNOR IN FLORIDA, ECHOING
WHAT HAS BECOME MAINSTREAM
THINKING ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH
OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES DURING A WEEK WHICH INN
WHICH THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID, HE
IS THE KING OF THE JEWS, THE
SECOND COMING OF GOD, THE CHOSEN
ONE.
ONE. THE SAME WEEK IN WHICH, EVEN
THOUGH HE SEES HIMSELF AS A
KING, A GOD, A CHOSEN ONE,
DENMARK SOMEHOW FOUND THE
STRENGTH TO DEFY HIM AND REFUSE
TO SELL GREENLAND TO THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. AND SO THE PRESIDENT, THE KING,
THE GOD, SAYS HE CANCELLED A
TRIP TO DENMARK EVEN THOUGH HE
PROBABLY CANCELED THE TRIP TO
DENMARK BECAUSE HE KNOWS
PRESIDENT OBAMA IS SCHEDULED TO
GO TO DENMARK A FEW WEEKS AFTER
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TRUMP
TRIP AND PRESIDENT OBAMA WOULD
SURELY GET A MUCH MORE POSITIVE
RECEPTION FROM A MUCH, MUCH
BIGGER CROWD THAN DONALD TRUMP
COULD HAVE MARSHALED.
PRETTY CRAZY TO SOBER, CAREFUL
POLITICIANS LIKE ANDREW GILLUM,
WHO HAVE NEVER BEFORE CALLED A
POLITICAL OPPONENT A RAVING
LUNATIC.
LUNATIC. WELL, WE TOLD YOU SO.
ONE MONTH INTO THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY, WE HAD OUR FIRST
DISCUSSION OF THE PRESIDENT’S
MENTAL HEALTH ON THIS PROGRAM
WITH PSYCHOLOGIST JOHN GARTNER
AND FORMER PROFESSOR OF
PSYCHIATRY AT HARVARD MEDICAL
SCHOOL, LANCE DOTUS.
>> IF WE COULD CONSTRUCT A
PSYCHIATRIC FRANKENSTEIN
PSYCHIATRIC FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER, WE COULD NOT CREATE A
LEADER MORE DANGEROUSLY MENTALLY
ILL THAN DONALD TRUMP.
HE’S A PARANOID, PSYCHOPATHIC
NARCISSIST WHO’S DIVORCED FROM
REALITY AND LASHES OUT
IMPULSIVELY AT IMAGINED ENEMIES.
>> HE LIES BECAUSE OF HIS
SOCIOPATHIC TENDENCIES THAT DR.
GARTNER WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT
HE LIES IN THE WAY ANYBODY WHO
SCAMS PEOPLE DOES.
HE’S TRYING TO SELL AN IDEA OR A
PRODUCT BY TELLING YOU SOMETHING
THAT’S UNTRUE.
THAT’S UNTRUE. THERE’S THAT LYING.
THERE’S ALSO THE KIND OF LYING
HE HAS THAT IS IN A WAY MORE
SERIOUS, THAT HE HAS A LOOSE
GRIP ON REALITY.
>> IF HE WAS A PARANOID
SCHIZOPHRENIC AND HE WAS WEARING
A TINFOIL HAT, THEN HE WOULDN’T
BE ELECTED PRESIDENT.
BUT HE’S JUST SANE ENOUGH, AS IT
WERE, TO PASS.
BUT ACTUALLY DETACH FROM REALITY
SO THAT WHAT IS REAL IS FLUID.
IT’S TOTAL LILY MALLEABLE ACCORD
TO HIS PERSONALITY DISORDER.
>> LATER THAT YEAR, DR. GARTNER
AND DR. DOTUS CONTRIBUTED
ARTICLES TO THE BOOK "THE
DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP:
27 PSYCHIATRISTS AND MENTAL
HEALTH EXPERTS ASSESS A
PRESIDENT."
PRESIDENT." A NEW EDITION OF THAT BOOK WAS
PUBLISHED THIS YEAR WITH 10 MORE
ENTRIES WHICH THEN CHANGED THE
SUBTITLE TO "37 PSYCHIATRISTS
AND MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS ASSESS
A PRESIDENT."
A PRESIDENT." IN THAT BOOK DR. DOTUS WRITES,
MR. TRUMP’S SOCIAL I DON’T
PATHIC CHARACTERISTICS ARE
UNDENIABLE, THEY CREATE A
PROFOUND DANGER FOR AMERICA’S
DEMOCRACY AND SAFETY, OVER TIME
THESE CHARACTERISTICS WILL ONLY
BECOME WORSE.
BECOME WORSE. JOINING OUR DISCUSSION IS DR.
LANCE DOTUS, FORMER ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AT
HARVARD MEDICAL CENTER, ANALYST
AT THE BOSTON PSYCHO ANALYTIC
SOCIETY AND INSTITUTE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ONCE
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >> MY PLEASURE.
>> YOU TOLD US IN 2017 THAT IT
WAS GOING TO GET WORSE.
YOUR WORDS, "WILL ONLY BECOME
WORSE."
WORSE." IS THAT WHAT WE’RE SEEING THIS
WEEK?
WEEK? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE HE HAS A
FUNDAMENTAL NEED TO BE ALL
POWERFUL AND ALL LOVED, CAN’T
STAND CHALLENGES.
STAND CHALLENGES. AND THE NATURE OF DEMOCRACY IS
THAT IT CHALLENGES PEOPLE.
WE HAVE MORE THAN ONE OPINION.
SO THE MORE -- IT WAS
PREDICTABLE ONCE HE GOT INTO A
POSITION WHERE PEOPLE WOULD
CHALLENGE HIM, THERE ARE TWO
PARTIES, HE WOULD BECOME MORE
UNHINGED.
UNHINGED. IN THE INTERVIEW TODAY, FOR
EXAMPLE, ON THE SOUTH LAWN OF
THE WHITE HOUSE, HE SHOWED THAT.
AS YOU WATCHED HIM RESPOND TO
PEOPLE, THE MORE THEY CHALLENGED
HIM, THE MORE HE RANTED.
HE STOPPED RESPONDING TO THE
QUESTIONS AND INSTEAD HE STARTED
TO TALK ABOUT HOW PEOPLE WERE
AGENTS OF FAKE NEWS.
HE SAID THAT THEY WOULD GO OUT
OF BUSINESS SOON.
BASICALLY, THEY WOULD DIE.
THAT NBC AND "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" WOULD BE DEAD WITHIN SIX
YEARS.
YEARS. THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF THING
THAT HE DID WHEN HE WAS A
CANDIDATE WHEN HE SUGGESTED
SOMEONE PROTESTING AT HIS
CAMPAIGN RALLY BE TAKEN OUT AND
BEATEN UP.
BEATEN UP. HE CAN’T STAND ANYTHING THAT
DISAGREES WITH HIM, AND THE MORE
YOU CHALLENGE HIM, THE MORE
UNHINGED HE BECOMES, THE MORE
PARANOID, AND THE MORE VIOLENT,
POTENTIALLY.
POTENTIALLY. >> TODAY HE’S SAYING THAT THE
REASON HE’S CANCELING HIS TRIP
TO DENMARK IS THE PRIME MINISTER
USED THE WORD "ABSURD" TO
DESCRIBE DONALD TRUMP’S IDEA.
AND HE KEPT SAYING, REPEATEDLY
IN THAT TALK TO REPORTERS YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT TODAY, REPEATEDLY
SAYING THAT WAS SUCH A NASTY
WORD, BAD WORD TO USE, "ABSURD."
HOLD THAT IN OUR MINDS WHEN WE
CONSIDER DONALD TRUMP’S
RELATIONSHIP TO KIM JONG-UN, WHO
HE USED TO CALL ROCKET MAN.
THAT’S WHAT DONALD TRUMP USED TO
CALL HIM.
CALL HIM. AND AT THE SAME TIME THAT HE WAS
CALLING HIM ROCKET MAN, KIM
JONG-UN WAS CALLING HIM THE
MENTALLY DERANGED U.S. DOTARD.
AND THEN EVENTUALLY, AFTER ALL
OF THAT, DOCTOR, DONALD TRUMP
THEN EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO THE
GUY WHO LOVES KIM JONG-UN.
LET’S LISTEN TO THAT PART OF IT.
>> AND THEN WE FELL IN LOVE.
OKAY?
OKAY? NO, REALLY.
NO, REALLY. HE WROTE ME BEAUTIFUL LETTERS.
AND THEY’RE GREAT LETTERS.
WE FELL IN LOVE.
>> WHAT ARE WE SEEING IN ALL OF
THAT?
THAT? HE CANCELS A TRIP BECAUSE OF THE
WORD "ABSURD."
WORD "ABSURD." THE GUY WHO CALLS HIM A MENTALLY
DERANGED U.S. DOTARD IS SOMEONE
HE THEN EVENTUALLY FALLS IN LOVE
WITH?
WITH? >> WELL, HE DOESN’T REALLY LOVE
ANYONE EXCEPT HIMSELF.
THAT’S NOT A SLUR, THAT’S A
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACT.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACT. PEOPLE LIKE HIM ARE ABOUT HIM.
AND WE SEE THIS NOT ONLY WITH
THE NORTH KOREAN LEADER, BUT
WITH ALL THE PEOPLE HE
SURROUNDED HIMSELF FOR MOST OF
HIS LIFE WHO ARE NOW RECOGNIZED
AS CRIMINALS.
AS CRIMINALS. AS LONG AS THEY STAY LIL TO HIM,
HE LOVES THEM.
AS SOON AS THEY CHALLENGE HIM,
AS SOON AS THEY DISAGREE, THEN
THEY’RE TERRIBLE PEOPLE.
WHICH HE HAS SAID ABOUT EACH OF
THESE FOLKS.
THESE FOLKS. SO OF COURSE IT MEANS NOTHING.
HE NEVER LOVED HIM, HE ONLY USED
HIM.
HIM. IF HE’S NOT USEFUL TO HIM, HE
STOPS LOVING HIM.
THAT’S PART OF THE ESSENTIAL
EMPTINESS OF DONALD TRUMP.
HE DOESN’T HAVE REAL
RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE.
MAYBE HIS PERSONAL FAMILY, WE
DON’T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT HE DISCARDS
ANYONE WHO DOESN’T FIT HIS
PERSONAL NEEDS, WHICH MAKES HIM
UNABLE TO REALLY RELATE TO OUR
ALLIES AS WELL AS OUR ENEMIES.
>> AND DOCTOR, WE NEED YOUR
ANALYSIS OF A PRESIDENT WHO
STANDS UP AND COMPARES HIMSELF
TO A KING, REFERS TO HIMSELF AS
KING OF THE JEWS, REFERS TO
HIMSELF IN A GODLIKE WAY, TURNS
TO THE HEAVENS TODAY AND CALLS
HIMSELF THE CHOSEN ONE.
WHAT IS THAT?
>> WELL, IT’S OBVIOUSLY GRAND
CROSSTY.
CROSSTY. BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE
ARE A LOT OF GRANDIOSE PEOPLE,
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
ARE NARCISSISTIC.
ARE NARCISSISTIC. DONALD TRUMP GOES WAY BEYOND
THAT.
THAT. THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL WAY IN
WHICH HE’S EMPTY.
THERE’S SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT ABOUT HIM FROM NORMAL
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. IT’S A PSYCHOTIC-LIKE STATE.
THE MORE YOU PRESS HIM, THE MORE
YOU SEE HOW DISORGANIZED AND
EMPTY HE IS.
THE MORE HE FLIES INTO A
DISORGANIZED RAGE.
DISORGANIZED RAGE. SO YEAH, AND BY THE WAY, IN
TERMS OF BEING GOD, HE ALSO MADE
SEVERAL WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL
FREUDIAN SLIPS DURING THE
INTERVIEW TODAY.
INTERVIEW TODAY. HE KEPT MIXING UP WHO HE WAS AND
WHO THE COUNTRY WAS.
HE SAID "I HAVE THE BEST
ECONOMY."
ECONOMY." I, NOT THE COUNTRY.
"I DEFEATED THE CALIPHATE."
IT’S NOT JUST A SLIP OF THE
TONGUE.
TONGUE. HE REALLY DOESN’T GET IT.
HE THINKS OF HIMSELF AS A
DICTATOR AND IT’S ALL HIM AND NO
ONE ELSE REALLY MATTERS.
>> DR. LANCE DODES, THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US ONCE AGAIN, THANK
YOU FOR STARTING THIS
CONVERSATION ON THIS PROGRAM.
BACK IN WHAT WAS THE SECOND
MONTH, BASICALLY, OF THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY.
PRESIDENCY. WHEN I KNOW IT WASN’T
COMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR
PROFESSION TO BE ENTERING THIS
DISCUSSION, BUT AS YOU SAID AT
THAT TIME, YOU FELT MORE DRIVEN
BY THE DUTY TO WARN, AND THAT’S