How Should America Deal With A Mentally Ill President?

Suggestions that Donald Trump might not be mentally fit to serve as president have become more frequent after his first five days as Commander in Chief. You might think that this accusation is coming from the fringe on the Left, but that isn’t the case. Just this morning, Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman published a tweet that said, “An American first: a president who was obviously mentally ill the moment he took office. Thanks, Comey.” Krugman is referring to James Comey, head of the FBI, who some believe swung the election in Trump’s favor by announcing an investigation into Clinton’s emails.

Trump’s erratic and delusional behavior since his inauguration should have us all worried. Many Democrats, including myself, have lamented that even if we get rid of Trump, we end up with uber Christian Mike Pence. By voting for Trump, poorly educated racist white voters in the South and Midwest have put America between a rock and a hard place.

I am having second thoughts about this issue, however. I detest everything that Mike Pence stands for, and placing him in the Oval Office would be a very dark day for this country. However, it is becoming apparent that Donald Trump’s mental state is putting this country in grave danger. His delusions about massive voter fraud, his threat to send the military into Chicago to stem crime and his antagonist rhetoric toward China are not the statements of a sane person. I don’t know a lot about Mike Pence other than his odorous political leanings, but if you asked me who I wanted to be in charge of this country’s nuclear codes, I would have to go with Pence. He just doesn’t appear to be as unhinged and impulsive as Trump.

This all raises a lot of questions. Who would determine if Trump was mentally ill and unable to carry out the duties of the president and what would be the criteria? Can Congress unseat a president under these circumstances without going through the impeachment process?  And, considering Trump’s personality, what would happen if it was determined he was unfit to serve, but he refused to leave? It isn’t a stretch to believe Trump and his administration would consider any effort to unseat him a coup attempt.

We are living in unprecedented times in America. Our newly inaugurated president is showing signs of mental illness. The second in command is only marginally better. All I can say is hold on to your seats because we are in for one hell of a ride.