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| Meta Title | Donald Trumpâs mental health becomes an issue again | CNN Politics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meta Description | Hereâs a fact you may have missed amid all of the coverage of the allegations and revelations in the new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa: The top general in the country believed that President Donald Trump was in significant enough mental decline that he took countermeasures to ensure Trump didnât start a war with China on his way out the door. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Boilerpipe Text | CNN
 âÂ
Hereâs a fact you may have missed amid all of the coverage of the allegations and revelations in the new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa: The top general
in the country
believed that President Donald Trump was in significant enough mental decline that he took countermeasures to ensure Trump didnât start a war with China on his way out the door.
Yes, that actually happened, according to âPeril.â
Hereâs the relevant passage
:
âWoodward and Costa write that [Joint Chief Chairman Mark] Milley, deeply shaken by the assault, âwas certain that Trump had gone into a serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election, with Trump now all but manic, screaming at officials and constructing his own alternate reality about endless election conspiracies.â
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âMilley worried that Trump could âgo rogue,â the authors write.
ââYou never know what a presidentâs trigger point is,â Milley told his senior staff,â
according to the book.
Think about that for a minute. Milley, the top military adviser to the president, a man who undoubtedly spent considerable time with Trump in this period of time, believed that he was in âserious mental declineâ triggered by his election loss.
And hereâs the thing: Milley wasnât the only person who noticed a change in Trumpâs behavior in the wake of the election. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a loyal ally of the President, felt the same way.
Again, the Woodward/Costa book sheds light here
:
âThe book details a private call McCarthy had with Trump the night before Bidenâs inauguration. According to Woodward and Costa, McCarthy told Trump, âI donât know whatâs happened to you in the last two months. ⌠Youâre not the same as you were for the last four years.â
âMcCarthy then repeatedly pleaded with Trump to call Biden.
ââYouâve done good things and you want that to be your legacy. Call Joe Biden,â McCarthy said, according to the authors.
ââDo it for me,â the GOP leader continued. âYouâve got to call him. Call Joe Biden.ââ
So, not only the top general in the country but also one of the two top Republicans in Congress â and a Trump ALLY â believed that the election had changed something in Trump. And, at least in the case of Milley, believed that Trumpâs mental health had declined to the point where he needed to intercede with China so that a war didnât get started by an unhinged Trump.
That is, in retrospect, terrifying. Because itâs not as though Trump has been the picture of consistency and normal mental behavior for the bulk of his first term. Quite the opposite. But that Milley and McCarthy believed that things had worsened in the final months of his presidency suggests that we may well have been closer to a catastrophe than anyone even thought. (And there were plenty of people â particularly after January 6 â that believed the potential for more disastrous outcomes was very real!)
But, itâs more than terrifying in retrospect. Because Donald Trump isnât gone. Not even close.
âI said this many, many times on the campaign trail: we may have defeated Trump, but Trumpism is not dead in this country,â said California Gov. Gavin Newsom
in his victory speech
on Tuesday night.
That is not a partisan statement. It is a fact.
Trump has a) never conceded the 2020 election to President Joe Biden and b) continued to push the Big Lie that the election was somehow stolen despite there being zero actual evidence to back up that belief.
As recently as Monday night, Trump was using the same blueprint to sow doubts about the California recall.
âDoes anybody really believe the California Recall Election isnât rigged?,â
Trump asked in a statement sent from his Save America PAC
. âMillions and millions of Mail-In Ballots will make this just another giant Election Scam, no different, but less blatant, than the 2020 Presidential Election Scam!â
This is not, then, a story about the mental health concerns about a former President. Rather it is about the mental health concerns leading officials have expressed about a man who is, without question, the leader of the Republican Party and the current 2024 front-runner to be the GOP nominee.
Which should concern all of us. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Markdown | Thank You\!
Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.
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# Donald Trumpâs mental health becomes an issue again
[](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/chris-cillizza)
Analysis by [Chris Cillizza](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/chris-cillizza), CNN Editor-at-large
4 min read
Updated 10:06 PM EDT, Wed September 15, 2021
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CNN
â
Hereâs a fact you may have missed amid all of the coverage of the allegations and revelations in the new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa: The top general *in the country* believed that President Donald Trump was in significant enough mental decline that he took countermeasures to ensure Trump didnât start a war with China on his way out the door.
Yes, that actually happened, according to âPeril.â [Hereâs the relevant passage](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-book-trump-nuclear/index.html):
*âWoodward and Costa write that \[Joint Chief Chairman Mark\] Milley, deeply shaken by the assault, âwas certain that Trump had gone into a serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election, with Trump now all but manic, screaming at officials and constructing his own alternate reality about endless election conspiracies.â*
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*âMilley worried that Trump could âgo rogue,â the authors write.*
*ââYou never know what a presidentâs trigger point is,â Milley told his senior staff,â* according to the book.
Think about that for a minute. Milley, the top military adviser to the president, a man who undoubtedly spent considerable time with Trump in this period of time, believed that he was in âserious mental declineâ triggered by his election loss.
[ THE POINT -- NOW ON YOUTUBE! In each episode of his weekly YouTube show, Chris Cillizza will delve a little deeper into the surreal world of politics. Click to subscribe\!](https://www.youtube.com/user/CNN?sub_confirmation=1)
And hereâs the thing: Milley wasnât the only person who noticed a change in Trumpâs behavior in the wake of the election. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a loyal ally of the President, felt the same way. [Again, the Woodward/Costa book sheds light here](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-costa-book-gop-trump/index.html):
*âThe book details a private call McCarthy had with Trump the night before Bidenâs inauguration. According to Woodward and Costa, McCarthy told Trump, âI donât know whatâs happened to you in the last two months. ⌠Youâre not the same as you were for the last four years.â*
*âMcCarthy then repeatedly pleaded with Trump to call Biden.*
*ââYouâve done good things and you want that to be your legacy. Call Joe Biden,â McCarthy said, according to the authors.*
*ââDo it for me,â the GOP leader continued. âYouâve got to call him. Call Joe Biden.ââ*
So, not only the top general in the country but also one of the two top Republicans in Congress â and a Trump ALLY â believed that the election had changed something in Trump. And, at least in the case of Milley, believed that Trumpâs mental health had declined to the point where he needed to intercede with China so that a war didnât get started by an unhinged Trump.
That is, in retrospect, terrifying. Because itâs not as though Trump has been the picture of consistency and normal mental behavior for the bulk of his first term. Quite the opposite. But that Milley and McCarthy believed that things had worsened in the final months of his presidency suggests that we may well have been closer to a catastrophe than anyone even thought. (And there were plenty of people â particularly after January 6 â that believed the potential for more disastrous outcomes was very real!)
But, itâs more than terrifying in retrospect. Because Donald Trump isnât gone. Not even close.
âI said this many, many times on the campaign trail: we may have defeated Trump, but Trumpism is not dead in this country,â said California Gov. Gavin Newsom [in his victory speech](https://www.newsweek.com/gavin-newsom-warns-trumpism-not-dead-speech-after-landslide-recall-victory-1629209) on Tuesday night.
That is not a partisan statement. It is a fact.
Trump has a) never conceded the 2020 election to President Joe Biden and b) continued to push the Big Lie that the election was somehow stolen despite there being zero actual evidence to back up that belief.
As recently as Monday night, Trump was using the same blueprint to sow doubts about the California recall.
âDoes anybody really believe the California Recall Election isnât rigged?,â [Trump asked in a statement sent from his Save America PAC](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/california-recall-gavin-newsom-larry-elder-voter-fraud/index.html). âMillions and millions of Mail-In Ballots will make this just another giant Election Scam, no different, but less blatant, than the 2020 Presidential Election Scam!â
This is not, then, a story about the mental health concerns about a former President. Rather it is about the mental health concerns leading officials have expressed about a man who is, without question, the leader of the Republican Party and the current 2024 front-runner to be the GOP nominee.
Which should concern all of us.
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| Readable Markdown | CNN â
Hereâs a fact you may have missed amid all of the coverage of the allegations and revelations in the new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa: The top general *in the country* believed that President Donald Trump was in significant enough mental decline that he took countermeasures to ensure Trump didnât start a war with China on his way out the door.
Yes, that actually happened, according to âPeril.â [Hereâs the relevant passage](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-book-trump-nuclear/index.html):
*âWoodward and Costa write that \[Joint Chief Chairman Mark\] Milley, deeply shaken by the assault, âwas certain that Trump had gone into a serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election, with Trump now all but manic, screaming at officials and constructing his own alternate reality about endless election conspiracies.â*
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*âMilley worried that Trump could âgo rogue,â the authors write.*
*ââYou never know what a presidentâs trigger point is,â Milley told his senior staff,â* according to the book.
Think about that for a minute. Milley, the top military adviser to the president, a man who undoubtedly spent considerable time with Trump in this period of time, believed that he was in âserious mental declineâ triggered by his election loss.
And hereâs the thing: Milley wasnât the only person who noticed a change in Trumpâs behavior in the wake of the election. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a loyal ally of the President, felt the same way. [Again, the Woodward/Costa book sheds light here](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-costa-book-gop-trump/index.html):
*âThe book details a private call McCarthy had with Trump the night before Bidenâs inauguration. According to Woodward and Costa, McCarthy told Trump, âI donât know whatâs happened to you in the last two months. ⌠Youâre not the same as you were for the last four years.â*
*âMcCarthy then repeatedly pleaded with Trump to call Biden.*
*ââYouâve done good things and you want that to be your legacy. Call Joe Biden,â McCarthy said, according to the authors.*
*ââDo it for me,â the GOP leader continued. âYouâve got to call him. Call Joe Biden.ââ*
So, not only the top general in the country but also one of the two top Republicans in Congress â and a Trump ALLY â believed that the election had changed something in Trump. And, at least in the case of Milley, believed that Trumpâs mental health had declined to the point where he needed to intercede with China so that a war didnât get started by an unhinged Trump.
That is, in retrospect, terrifying. Because itâs not as though Trump has been the picture of consistency and normal mental behavior for the bulk of his first term. Quite the opposite. But that Milley and McCarthy believed that things had worsened in the final months of his presidency suggests that we may well have been closer to a catastrophe than anyone even thought. (And there were plenty of people â particularly after January 6 â that believed the potential for more disastrous outcomes was very real!)
But, itâs more than terrifying in retrospect. Because Donald Trump isnât gone. Not even close.
âI said this many, many times on the campaign trail: we may have defeated Trump, but Trumpism is not dead in this country,â said California Gov. Gavin Newsom [in his victory speech](https://www.newsweek.com/gavin-newsom-warns-trumpism-not-dead-speech-after-landslide-recall-victory-1629209) on Tuesday night.
That is not a partisan statement. It is a fact.
Trump has a) never conceded the 2020 election to President Joe Biden and b) continued to push the Big Lie that the election was somehow stolen despite there being zero actual evidence to back up that belief.
As recently as Monday night, Trump was using the same blueprint to sow doubts about the California recall.
âDoes anybody really believe the California Recall Election isnât rigged?,â [Trump asked in a statement sent from his Save America PAC](https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/california-recall-gavin-newsom-larry-elder-voter-fraud/index.html). âMillions and millions of Mail-In Ballots will make this just another giant Election Scam, no different, but less blatant, than the 2020 Presidential Election Scam!â
This is not, then, a story about the mental health concerns about a former President. Rather it is about the mental health concerns leading officials have expressed about a man who is, without question, the leader of the Republican Party and the current 2024 front-runner to be the GOP nominee.
Which should concern all of us. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ML Classification | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ML Categories |
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"/People_and_Society/Social_Issues_and_Advocacy/Other": 111
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Raw JSON{
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| Content Metadata | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | en | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author | Chris Cillizza | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publish Time | 2021-09-15 15:26:15 (4 years ago) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original Publish Time | 2021-09-15 15:26:15 (4 years ago) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Republished | No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Redirect Target | null | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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