Stephen LENDMAN
There are lots of choices for this dubious distinction from elements of both right wings of Washington’s one-party state.
As president and commander-in-chief with his finger on the nation’s nuclear trigger, Trump is most dangerous — notably because he’s easily manipulated by hardliners surrounding him.
Psychology Professor Ryne Sherman earlier said his “dark side (emerges) when he lets his guard down.”
He scores “low on interpersonal sensitivity…prudence, (and) doesn’t shy away from confrontation, or really care much about peoples’ feelings.”
Commenting on what he called “the strange case of Donald J. Trump,” Psychology Professor Dan McAdams said his persona “is much stranger than any diagnostic category can convey,” adding:
He and die hard supports view him “like a superhero, like a primal or mythic force, but less than a person…in that he is not held morally accountable in the same way (as) other persons” by his base or society.
He’s a “disrupter-in-chief…There is no narrative flow to (his) life…in his own head.”
“This is why he is able to lie with such shameless abandon, and why he is unpredictable from one moment to the next. All tactics, no strategy.”
He operates like dictatorial strongmen, yet “is still a one-off…not fully like other dictators.”
He’s “low on (intellectual curiosity/creative imagination) openness…medium on neuroticism.”
Based on judgments of over two dozen mental health experts, Psychology Today earlier said they observed “overwhelming evidence of profound sociopathic traits” and malignant narcissism in Trump’s persona.
Professor of Psychiatry and Law James Gilligan stressed that “(t)he issue here is not whether…Trump is mentally ill. It is whether he is dangerous,” adding:
“He publicly boasts of violence and has threatened violence. He has urged followers to beat up protesters.”
“He approves of torture. He has boasted of his ability to commit and get away with sexual assault.”
It’s “naive (to see) him (as) a ‘normal’ president. He is not, and it is our duty to say so.”
Does he combine traits of fictional former Nazi technocrat, deranged defense strategist who’s sexually aroused by the notion of nuclear war, Dr. Strangelove, and likewise deranged General Jack D. Ripper in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 dark satire?
At his nationally televised Thursday COVID-19 briefing to the press, Trump defied medical science and common logic, suggesting use of disinfectant injections to kill the coronavirus in infected individuals, saying:
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?”
“Because you see it gets inside the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
Trump is a geopolitical, economic, medical science know-nothing.
His affairs of state knowledge comes largely from what regime neocon hardliners feed him and Fox News disinformation, his favorite TV channel.
His Thursday remark followed a scientific presentation that showed sunlight, humidity, isopropyl alcohol, and disinfectants like bleach with chlorine kill COVID-19 on surfaces quickly.
Clearly not intended for human consumption, they’re toxic and potentially lethal if ingested orally or by injection.
In response to Trump’s dangerous remark, the maker of Lysol stressed that its product and other disinfectants should never be administered “into the human body through injection, ingestion or any other route,” adding:
“Our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines.”
Toxicologist Rob Chilcott warned that “(i)nject(ing) bleach or disinfectant at the dose required to neutralize viruses in the circulating blood would likely result in significant, irreversible harm, and probably a very an unpleasant death.”
Pharmaceutical medicine Professor Penny Wood explained that “UV irradiation and high heat are known to kill virus particles on surfaces,” adding:
“(N)either sitting in the sun, nor heating, will kill a virus replicating in an individual patient’s internal organs.”
Committee to Protect Medicare executive director Dr. Rob Davidson issued the following statement in response to Trump’s dangerous remark, saying:
“Please do not ingest, inject, inhale, or otherwise use any disinfectant,” adding:
“And do not start using tanning beds or sunning without sunscreen.”
“If (Trump’s Thursday briefing) didn’t convince networks to stop broadcasting the pressers, nothing will.”
Former US Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub tweeted:
“As a public service, please stop airing these coronavirus briefings. They are endangering lives. And please do not drink or inject disinfectant.”
Injecting or otherwise ingesting toxins can kill or cause irreparable harm.
There are no known drugs or other ways to successfully treat COVID-19.
Individuals ill or with symptoms of the virus should seek and follow sound medical advice from their physician.
As for Trump’s bizarre daily press briefings, they’re exercises in electioneering and self-aggrandizement that can be harmful to human health and welfare.
