Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, a trend has been emerging in which news media outlets have featured articles quoting health care professionals questioning the billionaire’s mental stability in a seeming bid to delegitimize the president.
And now some Democratic politicians – and at least one Republican – are calling for Trump to be subjected to a psychiatric examination to determine whether he is fit for office. Some commentators have even suggested invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution, which allows for the commander-in-chief’s removal from office if the “president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
This comes after the left’s multiple failed attempts to overthrow Trump’s presidency, including the recount efforts supported by Hillary Clinton; a doomed campaign to get Trump’s electors to defect before the Electoral College voted in December; and claims that Russian “hacking” impacted the 2016 election.
The health care professionals quoted in recent weeks attempting to diagnose Trump seem to be violating the so-called Goldwater Rule, which was established by the American Psychiatric Association after similar unsupported attacks against Senator Barry Goldwater during his 1964 presidential campaign, which was widely considered a threat to the political establishment.
The APA’s Goldwater Rule forbids psychiatrists from commenting on someone’s mental status unless they first carry out an examination and the doctor is authorized by the patient to speak to the public.
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