Trump’s mental examination

The mental examination given to President Donald Trump was described as having 30 points, and that description matches the mini-mental status exam commonly given to individuals who are suspected to be in the beginning stages of dementia. Many people can pass that test perfectly if they are not yet getting into serious problems regarding dementia. It only indicates Trump may not yet be displaying signs of a dementia; however, the test in no way indicates psychiatric problems, such as the serious narcissism exhibited by Trump. He is proceeding to do his best, because it is his nature, to destroy the underlying agencies and balances (the press and the judicial system) that preserve our democracy. The sooner he is out of office, the better.

Hopefully we will institute some legal requirements for mental competency and lack of psychiatric problems before one can ascend into the presidency. And hopefully we will put into law what was previously just sane norms of conduct, including separations between the FBI and the justice department from the rest of the executive branch. Ensuring further separations of the legislative and executive branches, while requiring individuals who are tasked with running agencies to have excellent competence in those tasks and have the initiative to do the best they can at whatever agency they are in to fulfill the purpose of that agency, and not to destroy agencies from within. Legislation decreasing or eliminating agency functions is the proper way to do that.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Trump’s mental examination."