25th Amendment: Is Donald Trump Fit To Serve? | The Last Word

>>> I STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE 25th AMENDMENT TWO WEEKS INTO
THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY WHEN IT HAD BECOME PAINFULLY CLEAR THAT BY
ANY PREVIOUS BEHAVIORAL STANDARD APPLIED TO THE PRESIDENCY,
DONALD TRUMP WAS UNFIT TO SERVE. THE 25th AMENDMENT ALLOWS FOR
THE REMOVAL OF A PRESIDENT WHO IS, QUOTE, UNABLE TO DISCHARGE
THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE.
THE 25th AMENDMENT LEAVES IT TO THE VICE PRESIDENT TO DECIDE
WHEN THE PRESIDENT IS UNABLE TO DISCHARGE THE POWERS AND DUTIES
OF HIS OFFICE. IT CAN BE FOR HEALTH REASONS.
IT CAN BE FOR MENTAL HEALTH REASONS.
IT COULD BE FOR REASONS OF CORRUPTION OR ANY REASON THE
VICE PRESIDENT CHOOSES. THE VICE PRESIDENT CANNOT DO
THIS ALONE. HE NEEDS THE WRITTEN AGREEMENT
OF A MAJORITY OF THE CABINET, AND WITH THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT
BECOMING THE ACTING PRESIDENT AS LONG AS THE PRESIDENT REMAINS
UNABLE TO DISCHARGE THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE.
IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS THAT HAVE PASSED SINCE THEN, NO ONE'S
CONFIDENCE IN PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ABILITY TO DISCHARGE THE POWERS
AND DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE HAS INCREASED.
A MONTH INTO THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY, SENATOR AL FRANKEN
WONDERED ALOUD ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S SANITY, SOMETHING
THAT NO SENATOR HAD EVER DONE WITH A NEW PRESIDENT.
PSYCHIATRISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS STARTED GOING PUBLIC WITH THEIR
CONCERNS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S MENTAL STABILITY.
SOME OF THEM APPEARED AS GUESTS ON THIS PROGRAM.
AND PEOPLE WHO KNEW THE PRESIDENT WELL AND HAD BEEN VERY
FRIENDLY WITH HIM FOR YEARS BEGAN TO PUBLICLY QUESTION HIS
MENTAL HEAAL HEALTH. >> IF HE HAD A CONDITION OR AN
ISSUE DURING THE CAMPAIGN, PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM SAY IT IS
NOW GETTING VERY, VERY TROUBLING AND I HAVE WORRISOME.
THIS IS A PRESIDENT ISOLATED AND OUT OF CONTROL AND IN DECLINE.
>> I THINK HE'S SUCH A NARCISSIST, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT
HE'S MENTALLY ILL IN A WAY. HE'S NOT WELL.
AT THE VERY LEAST, HE'S NOT WELL.
>> LAST WEEK, WHEN THE PRESIDENT ATTACKED JOE SCARBOROUGH AND
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MANY MORE PEOPLE BEGAN TO QUESTION THE
PRESIDENT'S MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE OF THE VICIOUSNESS OF
THE ATTACK. BUT THERE WAS NOTHING NEW
STYLISTICALLY IN THE TRUMP ATTACK.
HE HAD BEEN AT LEAST THAT VICIOUS WITH ROSIE O'DONNELL
YEARS AGO AND WAS EQUALLY VICIOUS WITH MEGYN KELLY DURING
THE CAMPAIGN. BUT THE NEGATIVE REACTION WAS
MORE INTENSE THIS TIME BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE ACCUMULATED BURSTS
OF TRUMPIAN MADNESS THAT PRECEDED THE ATTACK ON JOE AND
MIKA. AND THEN CAME THIS ON SUNDAY.
A WORDLESS TWEET THAT PRESUMABLY CAPTURED THE PRESIDENT'S FRAME
OF MIND, HIS STATE OF MIND ABOUT CNN.
THE TWEET SEEN ROUND THE WORLD. THAT CREATED A NEW BURST OF
INTEREST IN THE 25th AMENDMENT AND THE MENTAL STABILITY OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS LIKE A STRAW BREAKING A
CAMEL'S BACK. THE WORLD'S STRANGEST TWEETER
GIVEN HIS POSITION IN OUR GOVERNMENT AND HIS POSITION IN
THE WORLD TWEETED ONE OF HIS STRANGEST TWEETS AFTER A WEEK IN
WHICH HIS MENTAL HEALTH WAS ALREADY BEING QUESTIONED.
WHAT EVERYONE KNEW THE SECOND THEY SAW THAT TWEET ABOUT HIM
FIGHTING WITH CNN WAS THAT THE PRESIDENT -- THAT PRESIDENTS DO
NOT DO THIS. THAT'S EVERYONE'S FIRST
REACTION. PRESIDENTS DO NOT DO THIS.
IN A RECENT PIECE IN "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES," PSYCHIATRIST
PRUDENCE GORGACHON CONSIDERED PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FITNESS TO
SERVE USING WHAT SHE CALLS THE ONE SOURCE WHERE THE CAPACITIES
NECESSARY FOR STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP ARE CLEARLY AND
COMPREHENSIVELY LAID OUT, THE U.S. ARMY'S FIELD MANUAL ON
LEADERSHIP. JOINING US NOW, A PSYCHIATRIST
AND PSYCHOANALYST. DOCTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US TONIGHT. RUN US THROUGH WHY THE ARMY
FIELD MANUAL AND WHAT IT TELLS US ABOUT THE PRESIDENT.
>> WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.
I WAS FASCINATED BY THE LANGUAGE OF THE 25th AMENDMENT, AND THE
IDEA OF HOW WOULD WE DETERMINE THAT A PRESIDENT WAS UNABLE TO
CARRY OUT THE DUTIES OF HIS OFFICE.
AND I HAD THE IDEA A COUPLE MONTHS AGO THAT CONTINUING TO
DIAGNOSE HIM WAS NOT GOING TO GO VERY FAR BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL,
YOU CAN NEVER GET THREE PSYCHIATRISTS TO AGREE ON A
DIAGNOSIS. AND AS FOX NEWS JUST POINTED OUT
THE OTHER DAY, 49% OF PRESIDENTS HAVE SERVED WITH A MENTAL HEALTH
DIAGNOSIS. SO I WANTED TO DEVELOPELOP -- ID
OF HAD A IMAGINE MIKE PENCE IN THE CABINET.
HOW WOULD WE DECIDE THAT THIS PRESIDENT CAN'T CARRY OUT HIS
DUTIES? I STARTED BUILDING A CHECK LIST
AND ENDED UP DISCOVERING THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL, WHICH IS A
FANTASTIC DOCUMENT BASED ON REALLY SOUND PSYCHIATRIC AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GOING BACK A CENTURY.
AND IT COMES UP WITH A SET OF CRITERIA, A SET OF CAPACITIES
AND ABILITIES THAT A LEADER WITH STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITY HAS TO
HAVE. AND SO I PUT THEM INTO A
POCKET-SIZE CHECKLIST OF FIVE CORE CAPACITIES STRAIGHT OUT OF
THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL. AND ANYBODY -- YOU DON'T HAVE TO
BE A PSYCHIATRIST OR A DOCTOR. ANY OBSERVE ANT PERSON CAN TAKE
A LOOK AT THESE AND SAY DOES DONALD TRUMP MEET THESE -- DOES
HE HAVE THESE CAPABILITIES? >> AND YOU LAY IT OUT IN THIS
OP-ED PIECE, THOSE CAPABILITIES ARE TRUST, DISCIPLINE AND
SELF-CONTROL, JUDGMENT AND CRITICAL THINKING,
SELF-AWARENESS, EMPATHY, AND ON THE DISCIPLINE AND SELF-CONTROL,
IT'S REALLY QUITE STRIKING BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THE
ARMY FIELD MANUAL IDENTIFIES IS, FOR EXAMPLE, VISCERALLY OR
ANGRILY WHEN RECEIVING BAD NEWS OR CONFLICTING INFORMATION,
REACTING VISCERALLY OR ANGRILY. AND WE RECOGNIZE DONALD TRUMP IN
THAT AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELS THAT THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL
DOES NOT WANT IN LEADERSHIP. >> EXACTLY.
THE PHRASES COME OUT AT YOU, AND THEY'RE KIND OF STUNNING WHEN
COMPARED TO THE TWEETS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN THE
INTRODUCTION. ALSO THE CAPACITY TO ANTICIPATE
CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS. THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL TALKS
ABOUT NOT ONLY DOES A LEADER HAVE TO ANTICIPATE IMMEDIATE
CONSEQUENCES BUT SECONDARY AND THIRD-DEGREE CONSEQUENCES.
AND THAT ONE STRUCK ME IN ADDITION TO THE LACK OF
DISCIPLINE. AND THEY ALSO TIE TOGETHER, IF
YOU DON'T HAVE DISCIPLINE, YOU CAN'T THINK.
YOU CAN'T STRATEGIZE.GIZE. YOU CAN'T PLAN.
AND THEY JUST -- I LOOKED AT THE TWEET ABOUT MIKA BRZEZINSKI, AND
IT SEEMED TO ME THAT EVERY ONE OF THE CRITERIA WAS -- FELL
SHORT WITH THAT ONE TWEET. >> EVERY ONE OF THE CRITERIA
THAT WOULD GET YOU KNOCKED OUT OF A LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE
ARMY WAS MET BY THE PRESIDENT IN A SINGLE TWEET.
>> IN A SINGLE TWEET. ALL FIVE.
>> AND HERE HE IS, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THAT ARMY.
THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL IS -- HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, AS YOU SAY, OVER
THE COURSE OF ABOUT A CENTURY. AND AS A PSYCHIATRIST, HOW WOULD
YOU EVALUATE ITS USEFULNESS? BECAUSE YOU MAKE THE POINT THAT
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF STUDIES ABOUT VARIOUS FORMS -- VARIOUS
KINDS OF HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS, BUT LEADERSHIP IS NOT ONE OF
THEM. ENTREPRENEURIAL STUFF, BUSINESS
LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT.
BUT THIS KIND OF LEADERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT.
>> WELL, EVEN IN BUSINESS, IN THE BUSINESS LITERATURE, THE
BASIC CAPACITIES OF WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A HUMAN BEING WITH
VAST RESPONSIBILITY FOR LIFE AND FORTUNE OF OTHERS.
EVEN THAT IN THE BUSINESS LITERATURE IS NOT PULLED
TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE. THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL IS THE
ONLY PLACE WHERE I COULD FIND WHERE ANYBODY DID THAT.
I DO WANT TO CORRECT ONE THING. I DIDN'T MEAN THE FIELD MANUAL
HAD BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR 100 YEARS.
IT DOES HAVE A LONG HISTORY. BUT THE BACKGROUND, THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOANALYTIC KNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S BASED ON
GOES BACK 100 YEARS. THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE DEFINE
NOT MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT CAPACITY TO
SHOULDER ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY AND THE FATE OF NATIONS?
AND THIS DOCUMENT IS THE ONLY PLACE I FOUND THAT REALLY PUTS
THAT DOWN. AND I THINK THAT WE'RE BETTER
OFF LOOKING AT POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF CAPACITY RATHER
THAN, OH, DOES HE HAVE THIS DIAGNOSIS OR THAT DIAGNOSIS
BECAUSE NOT ONLY WILL THERE BE DISAGREEMENT, BUT A MENTAL
DIAGNOSIS DOES NOT NECESSARILY DISQUALIFY YOU TO BE PRESIDENT
AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS FAMOUSLY SEVERELY DEPRESSED AT DIFFERENT

25th Amendment: Is Donald Trump Fit To Serve? | The Last Word | MSNBC

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