Carl Bernstein: Republican leaders privately questioning Donald Trumps mental state

[kpete]

Over the past few days since Donald Trump took the oath of office, his behavior has gone from his usual erraticism to something more objectively disturbing. He now appears to be basing White House policy entirely around his own inability to accept that he had a small inauguration crowd and that he lost the popular vote. Quite a large number of Americans have been questioning Trump’s mental state on social media. And now it turns out some Republican leaders are privately doing the same.



The bombshell came from legendary Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, who made an on-air appearance on CNN on Wednesday evening. He revealed that even as Republican leaders gather in Philadelphia for their retreat, they’re privately discussing Donald Trump’s mental state. According to Bernstein, one of the Republican leaders described Trump as “delusional.” This means the GOP Congress has a real problem, because although anyone with clear eyes could see during the campaign that Trump had psychological issues, the Republicans had been hoping to use his presidency to ram through as much of their legislation as possible. But now it may be a different matter.


http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/carl-bernstein-republican-leaders-privately-questioning-donald-trumps-mental-state/1196/
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=bernstein%20delusional&src=typd

[gordianot]

1. That is amusing his allies are in as much danger as his friends.

[Raster]

21. EVERYONE is in danger from tRump.

[PatSeg]

46. That is true

Even a perceived slight could result in retaliation from Trump and a delusional mind sees threats everywhere. I can imagine that even his closest aides are walking on eggs most of the time.

[Chasstev365]

2. You know what we have to do:

KEEP DOING THINGS LIKE PROTESTING TO EAT AWAY AT THIS LOSER'S INSECURITIES!

From marches, to pink hats; from calling out the lies to mocking Hair Twitler.

KEEP GOING!

[yardwork]

4. You're right.

[Stellar]

6. And keep congresscritters on their toes.

Agree with nothing!!!

[llmart]

40. I'm going to rec your post...

just because we have to make sure everyone keeps the pressure on their reps.

I started two days ago by contacting my two senators and in no uncertain terms told them I fully expect - no DEMAND them to obstruct trump and the GOP at every turn. Fortunately, both of my senators are Dems, but they're not as vocal as I'd like them to be.

[Stellar]

41. Yep, My Senators are Tammy Duckworth and Dick Curbing.

No free passes.

[LuckyLib]

76. This is what we have to do. Nonstop phone calls to Congressional offices. I'm focusing

on the Repug reps in my state -- I am going to be a pain in the ass to those folks answering the phones!

[tavalon]

90. I call every morning before I sleep

Nightshifter.

[-Steph-]

17. Absolutely!

[Generator]

64. Yeah either we push him over the edge

or he kills us. Again we are fucked either way. But I agree I think all pressure is a civic duty. Wyden phone lines are jammed here. He tweeted keep calling. The nightmare is unending.

[tavalon]

89. I wrote many twitters to Cheetolinni tonight

No threats, just truth and mockage.

[Ilsa]

3. Well, they are LATE!

The rest of us saw it ages ago, miles away.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. All this reminds me of my father at age 92 before he died.

Actually several years before he died.

He had very poor judgment. He wasn't insane. He wasn't incompetent. But he made some really bad judgments and decisions.

And as his children, we were helpless to stop him. We discussed guardianship/becoming conservators, but you need two physicians to declare a subject unable to take care of him/herself and our father was too much on his game for us to get that in court.

Stuff like hiring a housekeeper who secretly unlocked doors to allow for access to burglars. Getting a puppy and not walking it. (I had to pick up the stuff and clean the floors.) Constantly backing into traffic without looking behind. Driving 20 miles into NYC for a cataract removal and driving back with one eye with another cataract. Driving to Florida alone without alerting anyone where he was. (Police refused to do a Missing Persons Alert/Silver Alert.) Losing a tooth and refusing to get a replacement for more than 18 months. Yelling at me for removing garbage and recycling and for washing dishes piled on the counter.

I KNOW how the White House staff feels.

[enough]

20. When my parents were both at that stage late in life, they let the roof of their

house go un-repaired for several years while living with buckets all over the place and mold everywhere. They were absolutely unwilling to get anyone to fix it because they were convinced that any contractor would rip them off. They had plenty of money, and we were more than willing to find a good contractor and oversee the project, but they were adamant.

[global1]

7. Trump Is Like That Senior Citizen That Shouldn't Be.....

still driving a car because he's a danger to himself and others - but you can't talk him out of not driving. You wind up either having to take the keys away or the car away.

Reflecting on the OP - I wonder how Trump is going to react to hearing that members of his own Party are questioning his mental state?

[annabanana]

33. I sure hope someone tells him!

Palace intrigue in the White House...

[2naSalit]

61. Well...

If it shows up all over the twitosphere he's sure to see it...

just sayin'

[tavalon]

91. 25th amendment

It's time.

[HAB911]

8. Who could have possibly seen this coming?!

Just everyone with a brain

[woodsprite]

57. Everybody with half a brain who didn't plan on taking advantage of his mental state. n/t

[Baitball Blogger]

9. This article is chock full of wishful thinking.

Would the Republicans use a mentally unstable president to push their agenda? Hell, yes, they would. So how does that reflect on the likelihood that they would then turn around and remove him based on mental instability? It will expose them for who they are. So, I'm guessing they're going to push this as far as they can and hope that someone else does the hard work for them. Maybe during the Midterms when we have a chance to return balance to the system.

[kpete]

11. a visual representation of your post...

[Baitball Blogger]

13. +1

[KewlKat]

18. wow

[RKP5637]

31. K&R! n/t

[Locrian]

37. perfect

always to to the men behind he curtain

[blueseas]

54. +100

Politics!

[RicROC]

15. Reagan

You are so right. Ronald Reagan had Alzheimers while he was in office and no one mentioned it until years later.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. I think we would have figured it out if he had a twitter account that he couldn't put down.

[lapislzi]

44. As much as disliked Reagan (and I really disliked Reagan)

He didn't sink the country as fast or as hard as this one is trying to do.

He did a LOT of damage, including to me and my family personally. But he and his puppetmasters didn't manage to completely torpedo the ship of state.

[mopinko]

62. but people inside knew. it was an open secret.

my bil had worked for dea, and knew secret service guys. he said then that everyone inside knew that he was being handled and propped up.

this both gives me hope and causes me despair. i know how bad it can get and they still cover it up.
otoh, there are prolly plenty of people thinking right now- oh god, we cant go there again. not after 8 years of the sanest pres in history.

the problem now is that the guys who were in power, of which st ronnie was only the figurehead, just carried on, no big deal. they werent nice people, they caused a lot of suffering, but they were never going to blow up the planet.

but the people behind cheeto? omg. not a sane or competent one in the lot.

[Hamlette]

87. but he didn't have a bannon

I'm beginning to think he is a big part of the problem. He wants to blow everything up, like Nordquist, drown it in the bathtub.

Reagan had people with experience around him. Trump does not.

[certainot]

28. AND looming even bigger than ryan and mconnel in

that cartoon should be limbaugh representing the talk radio gods that got trump past the republican establishment in the first place.

the msm 'brains' can read what they want into this but the repub establishment knows what dems continue to ignore - there are 1200 radio stations out there constantly making excuses for the orange menace - just turn the local or national blowhards on for five minutes and you'll hear what 50 mil are hearing - ONLY hearing - while driving to work etc.

and as long as limbaugh has his back in the drive to stick it to the liberals, and liberals ignore it, trump isn't the only psycho with everything on the line

to cut the cheeto samson's hair americans have to destroy the rw radio monopoly

[Lonestarblue]

38. Right-Wing Radio

And here in Texas we have deranged Alex Jones spewing hate for anything he deems liberal. Trump consulted him during his campaign for the nomination. The boycott against Limbaugh from a couple of years ago had some impact, but I don't think boycotts will help get rid of this scourge. I wish we could use social media in some way to start casting doubt on what right-wing radio personalities are saying because there are many of them out there lying to their listeners every day.

[certainot]

47. the scissors for cheeto samson's hair are the 88 universities that

at least 257 limbaugh stations depend on to attract advertisers.

if protestors got some of those to start discussions on looking for apolitical alternatives to broadcast their sports on it would destroy the tr monopoly - the schools have no excuse

tot/state and by school # of imbaugh stations
ALABAMA 8  Auburn 3, Alabama 2, Southern Alabama 2, Troy 1
ARIZONA 2 Arizona St. 1, Arizona 1
ARKANSAS 3 Arkansas 3
CALIFORNIA 5 San Jose State 2, USC 2, Fresno St. 1
COLORADO 4 Air Force 2, Colorado 1, Colorado State 1
CONNECTICUT 1 Connecticut 1
FLORIDA 20 Florida 10, Florida St. 4 Miami 2, South Florida 2, Central Florida 2
GEORGIA 14 Georgia 7, Georgia Tech 5, Georgia Southern 2
IDAHO 7  Boise St. 4, Idaho 3
ILLINOIS 7 Illinois 7
INDIANA 11 Notre Dame 6, Purdue 4, Indiana 1
IOWA 5 Iowa 4, Iowa St. 1
KANSAS 4 Kansas St. 2, Kansas 1, Wichita St. 1
KENTUCKY 3 Louisville 2, Kentucky 1
LOUSIANA 3 LSU 2, La.-Monroe 1
MARYLAND 2 Maryland 2
MASSACHUSETTS 1 Boston College 1
MICHIGAN 19 Michigan St. 11, Michigan 7, Western Michigan 1
MINNESOTA 4 Minnesota 4
MISSISSIPPI 6 Mississippi St. 3, Mississippi 2, Southern Miss 1
MISSOURI 6 Missouri 6
NEBRASKA 6 Nebraska 6
NEVADA 1 Nevada 1
NEW JERSEY 2 Rutgers 1, Seton Hall 1
NEW MEXICO 3 New Mexico 2, New Mexico St. 1
NEW YORK 7 Syracuse 6, Army 1
NORTH CAROLINA 16 North Carolina 8, North Carolina State 3, Duke 3, East Carolina 2
OHIO 10 Ohio St. 6, Toledo 1, Dayton 1, Bowling Green 1, Xavier 1
OKLAHOMA 5 Oklahoma St. 3, Oklahoma 1, Oral Roberts 1
OREGON 12 Oregon St. 7, Oregon 5
PENNSYLVANIA 14 Penn St. 11, Pittsburgh 2, Temple 1
SOUTH CAROLINA 4 South Carolina 2, Clemson 2
TENNESSEE 7 Tennessee 4, Memphis 3
TEXAS 16 Texas A&M 9, Texas Tech 4, Texas 1, Texas Christian 1, Baylor 1
UTAH 1 Utah St. 1
VIRGINIA 6 Virginia Tech 5, Virginia 1
WASHINGTON 6 Washington 5, Washington St. 1
WEST VIRGINIA 2 West Virginia 1, Marshall 1
WISCONSIN 5 Wisconsin 5

[whathehell]

49. Your post is chock full of knee-jerk cynicism..

Mike Pence would do all Trump would do and more...Trump is not on board with them on Social Security & Medicare cuts or the TPP
-- Pence would do all of that and NOT blow up the world.

[manicraven]

77. Except he's appointed people who DO want to make huge cuts and have

stated they will proceed to do so despite Trump's approval. Also, no way is Pence as dangerous as someone who quite literally has a serious mental disorder.

[whathehell]

88. True, but as far as I know

Last edited Fri Jan 27, 2017, 04:13 AM - Edit history (1)

Trump would have the final.say, not his appointees...Yeah, I know Trump is more dangerous than Pnce and indicated that in my post, so I don't know what your point is.

[BSdetect]

52. They might well leave him till 2020 then toss him away.

Meanwhile their vile non-ideas and policies will have destroyed this country.

I simply cannot accept anything they inflict on us.

Bastards.

[sarge43]

10. Trapped in a cage with the monster they helped create.

Just wish we weren't trapped, too.

[highplainsdem]

25. They've trapped the whole world in that cage. Trump could do almost infinite damage.

[Achilleaze]

12. d'oh

[dalton99a]

14. They got what they wanted - a downright moron who signs bills.

[barbtries]

19. at this point this pisses me off.

his illness has been apparent for years. i've recognized it since he came down the escalator (never watched or listened to him previously).
the reason they're talking about it now is probably because their phone lines are constantly ringing from constituents telling them he's making terrible choices, and they will pay at the ballot box for their support. if it wasn't happening, they'd still be rubbing their hands together in glee thinking about all the ways they'll destroy Obama's legacy and get obscenely rich doing it. His mental state should not be news by now - it's obvious and always was.
question is, will they ever decide to prioritize the country's needs over their own craven desires?

[enough]

23. Exactly, which is why we need to keep those phones ringing. NT

[narnian60]

24. +1

[RobinA]

30. Gotta Agree

You hire a madman and then are surprised that he's mad? Yeah, at some point you have to start thinking about the country when your job is about governing.

[DFW]

22. "Die ich rief, die Geister........." (The spirits I have summoned........)

"....werde ich nun nicht mehr los."--Goethe, "Der Zauberlehrling"

Goethe's Sorcerer's Apprentice wailed that he could no longer rid himself of the spirits he had summoned.

It will take the Republicans a while to plug this loose cannon. I only wish the rest of the country weren't standing in front of it with them.

[RKP5637]

34. Excellent analogy!!! n/t

[annabanana]

35. Great quote!

(and in the original German too)

[DFW]

65. Coming to you live and in color from suburban Duesseldorf

I have been living here for a while. Married to one of the friendly natives, you see.

Living in the Rheinland speaking only English would make about as much sense as living in Vermont speaking only German.

Odd that DU hasn't amended their code to permit "Düsseldorf" in the title space!

[Pachamama]

50. I thought of the exact quote the other day (auf Deutsch auch!) and its chilling...

But not just the spirits that the GOP summoned (Trump) that they can't rid or control, but the "spirits" that Trump seems to have summoned and control him and can't be rid.

Our Nation has a delusional mentally ill man at the helm that was placed in office and given that power for the sheer purpose of achieving others goals - those of Russia and the GOP, Big Oil, Banks....

And this Nation, its citizens and the world will pay the price if he isn't stopped and contained.

[DFW]

66. The universal reaction here is:

"Was habt ihr euch angetan?"

(for those who don't have any German, it's sort of a collective "Suzy Creamcheese, what's got into ya?&quot

[Hekate]

81. Omg, DFW.

Back when my brother was all of 18 he used to absolutely love to quote from that. I can still hear his voice saying, "Susie.... Susie Creamcheese -- this is the voice of your conscience speaking."

Don't blame the Germans a bit as the wonder wth is going on over here.

[Pachamama]

92. Best German Reaction Translation. Ever.

OMG....DFW....I am still trying to figure out how I explain that back in context to my German friends and family, but it's way better than "Sag mal - seit ihr bescheuert"? (Said with a Bavarian accent)



Got to ask some of the family from the South about Bavarian sayings and my Northern family near Denmark what they would use as similar sayings...

[bucolic_frolic]

26. RESIST and don't stop making NOISE

The public is in an outrage and quite fearful. The mood is palpable.

Sunshine helps the cause of democracy and freedom.

Keep. It. Going.

[betsuni]

27. Just saw on news that Japanese PM Abe is set to visit U.S. next month

and is meeting with Mike Pence. Everybody knows Trump is nuts.

[Marthe48]

29. nuttier than a squirrel turd

probably turdier than a squirrel turd, too.

[Zoonart]

32. This just in...

from the no shit Sherlock desk at CNN.
We must never forgive the Republican Party and the sitting legislators for allowing this to happen, because their venality knows no bounds. They. have sacrificed the well being and the security of the nation to make their dreams of destroying the government come true.

Let me put this simply for those troops who are certainly reading this site: Imagine if you will the current state of our government and security.
Hundreds of unfilled positions and empty desks in important departments. Existing departments gag ordered and not allowed to communicate.
The President is mentally unfit to serve.

Now imagine that the United States Government is the Star Ship Enterprise... THE SHIELDS ARE DOWN.

Draw your own conclusions.

[CentralMass]

36. As someone pointed out the other day, tRump is just a "Pen" to sign bills.

[mopinko]

75. all they really wanted.

and i am sure they thought they could control him.

[liberal N proud]

39. They are starting to see (finally) they are not safe from his wrath either.

[Tanuki]

42. Prominent mental health professionals were stating this publicly a year ago.

We all read this piece in Vanity Fair. So did these "Republican leaders", but they went ahead and placed our nation in peril by putting him at the head of their party's ticket. Republicans created this train wreck and we must hold all of them accountable. They don't get to slink around "privately" questioning the mental state of someone whose unfitness for office was openly discussed by some of the nation's leading psychiatrists and psychologists. They were warned. They owe the American people an explanation as to why they were complicit in this fiasco, and why they are rushing to confirm the unqualified and in many cases ethically compromised cabinet choices of someone they now acknowledge to be delusional and impaired.

To see the concerns that were raised a year ago:
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/donald-trump-narcissism-therapists

[progree]

43. President Donald Trump to publish weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants (even legal ones),

President Donald Trump to publish weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141678543

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-publish-weekly-list-crimes-immigrants-commit-refugees-aliens-executive-order-us-a7546826.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=weekly+list+of+crimes+immigrants&num=50&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPzpb3_N_RAhXj64MKHUKyBdYQ_AUICSgC&biw=1267&bih=816

The order reads:

To better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, the Secretary shall utilize the Declined Detainer Outcome Report or its equivalent and, on a weekly basis, make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens.”

Achtung! Mein Fuhrer is not insane!

[Hekate]

83. Christ on a trailer hitch

[VOX]

45. Trump rages at all Americans, starts nuclear holocaust to punish them.

Doesn't seem far-fetched anymore.

[underpants]

48. "Is the President well?" I know they won't but someone really should ask Spicer that

Look back at the campaign, Hillary's health became an issue - take what we know about Trump projecting "rigged" and what happened then take into account health issues. He is full of " tells" that become readily apparent soon after we should have seen them.

I made this remark half in jest a few days ago - we are only a few steps away from Howard Hughes territory.

[riversedge]

51. K and R. Keep it kicked please

[Auntie Bush]

53. And to think this man was given the nuclear code

That's what scares me the most. He not only has the code but is itching to use it. He'll actually create a situation so that he can have an excuse to use it.

[malaise]

55. NOW?

He's been crazy for decades
Fuck 'em!

[cilla4progress]

56. Good news for

Tragic times

[fishwax]

58. in addition to contacting our reps about policy, we should express our concerns about his mental sta

Probably in separate communications, and with an even and non-partisan tone. We're probably not going to convince Paul Ryan that he shouldn't cut medicare by actually arguing rationally against his bad ideas, but we might be able to reinforce growing fears about Trump's stability, and that may have a moderating effect.

[trotsky]

59. They have to be extremely careful.

Because what Trump is delusional about is EXACTLY what they've been feeding to their base for years.

- Immigrants are taking all our jobs
- Taxes are too high
- Most votes for Democrats are illegal
- Torture works
- All Muslims are terrorists or terrorist sympathizers
- President Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim, socialist, communist, fascist, etc.

If they are seriously going to go through with removing him from office because of being delusional, they are going to have to tell their base they're all delusional too. And considering they've already shown they will put party over country, the odds of this happening are slim to none.

[dlk]

60. Republicans Knew What They Were Getting With Trump

Don't be fooled -- Republicans, cynically, knew exactly what they were getting with Trump. They just didn't care as long as they won the election and could force their extremist agenda on the American people. They are completely Machiavellian -- the ends always justify whatever means necessary. They have put our entire democracy in jeopardy and millions will suffer the consequences.

[lindysalsagal]

72. I really don't think any of them expected him to win.

So, I have to respectully disagree with the assumption that they are complicit in his insanity.

Sure, they are hateful, loathesome scum, but they didn't put him there. WE DID>

[Alice11111]

85. Yep! Yep!

[bdamomma]

63. K&R

[hedda_foil]

67. How about a link to Carl Bernstein saying what this blog says he said. Also...

The Twitter link is for Nina Bernstein, who is definitely not Carl.

[loyalsister]

68. That's giving him and those who support him the benefit of the doubt

He has been trained to pretend to be an actor for years. And he has absorbed the idea that he is to the point that he refers to himself as a "star." After taking instructions for so long, I feel pretty sure he is doing it now while maintaining a mythical image of being in charge and unhinged.
He and his advisors are not delusional. His lies serve a purpose. After letting the one about the popular vote and voter fraud sink in for awhile, they are going after voting rights. Starting with "investigations" into alleged voter fraud in states he lost. Meanwhile people in his administration are registered in more than one state, probably to show how easy it is. Voting rights have been under attack by republicans since the Bush administration when the first photo ID laws were proposed.
If he himself doesn't have the political acumen to do what he is doing with consequences in mind, there is someone behind the scenes who does and possibly has explained it to him.
To presume delusion or mental instability may be comforting and entertaining for some, but it distracts from the more likely scenario that they are using a confluence of events to push an agenda that has been at the top for over a decade if not longer.

[bocaharv]

86. Hit the nail on the head

These things are not delusional...they have a total reactionary agenda & know that to achieve their extreme ends requires extreme diversion tactics.Focus on immigrants while destroying ACA , focus on the Wall while slipping in voter suppression....et al . Feint & destroy.Keep the population fighting windmills while undermining the real , juicy objectives: end public educ , privatize soc sec , vouchers for medicare , eliminate the new deal entirely , enriching the filthy rich , rolling back all womens & lgbtq rights, establishing christianity as a national religion.....& countless more human advances.They will use any &all means to get this agenda done. STAY STRONG

[DeminPennswoods]

69. Untreated mental illness

does not getter better with age, it gets worse. Trump is 70, think about it.

[hatrack]

74. 70-plus . . . .

He'll be 71 in June, less than six months out, and he will not have improved with time, aging and pressure.

[tenorly]

70. They catch on quick, don't they.

[benld74]

71. Privately? Privately. privately

Privately.
Pri vate ly
Private lee
Alone?
Quietly
Out of site?
So He who shall not be named can hear?

Can't they bear his wrath?
Too afraid?
Too joyously celebrating the carnage you want to unleash? Patriots? Don't effin think so.
Blovating south ends of bears facing north!

Gather your balls together, or what's left of them. Scamper across the aisle to the libruls, and beg them to help you get rid of that
Insane Clown

[Azathoth]

73. Fuck these cynical, second-rate Franz von Papen wannabes

"He's delusional and unstable, but hey, we can use him to privatize social security and deprive poor people of health insurance!"

[Flatpicker]

78. I don't believe it

Seems like Mitch and Ryan are just fine with an unstable POTUS.
We've been hearing this story since he took the nomination and, I don't believe it's veracity any more now, than then.

The republicans are very willing to ride this madness if it gets them the ability to gut the social safety nets.

This is democratic wishful thinking.

[dalton99a]

82. Yep.

[3catwoman3]

79. Talk about a day late and a dollar short - jeezus!

Most of us knew this long ago.

[colsohlibgal]

80. I Don't Question It

I know he has mental issues. I question the mental state of the humans who voted for this unqualified vile immature narcissist. The least qualified person to....take office ever and it is not close.

But they just couldn't vote for Hillary.....and they had no issue voting for Chitolini. Cuckoo and not my president.

Resist....then resist more!!!

[dflprincess]

84. So if Donnie signs an executive order a bill and it's later shown he was incompetant

when he did so, does that mean whatever he signed is null and void?