Republicans scramble to brush off claims Trump is a 'lunatic'

Over the years, there has been no shortage of debate around the mental fitness of President Donald Trump. But in the past two months, concerns over his cognitive decline swelled precipitously as he has struggled with the frustrations of multiple overlapping crises. Following a series of genocidal, profanity-laced social media posts threatening Iran, for example, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie voiced a common response when he declared, “I think he’s delusional. The president is out of his mind.”While it might not be surprising to see such a claim from a liberal reporter, similar assertions have come from Trump’s fellow conservatives and former allies. It’s “not tough rhetoric, it’s insanity,” said former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, with far-right podcaster Candace Owens calling him “a genocidal lunatic.” Trump is “clearly insane,” said his former lawyer Ty Cobb. “Sounds like the brain’s not doing too hot,” mused Alex Jones.All of these statements were accompanied by calls to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would remove the president by deeming him unfit to serve. But in the wake of a flurry of such talk, a few Republicans are scrambling to dismiss accusations that Trump is a “lunatic.”After the president baffled the world by attacking the Pope, for example, calling him “WEAK on crime” and suggesting he was “catering to the Radical Left,” many reaffirmed their accusations of his mental infirmity. A handful of GOP congressional leaders, however, did their best to shrug it off.“No, I don’t have concerns about the president’s mental health,” Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) told a reporter when asked about Trump’s behavior and an AI-generated image he posted of himself as Jesus, which enraged many Christians. Scott shouted while walking away, “He said it was about being a doctor!”When Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)—a practicing Catholic—was asked how he felt about Trump’s actions in regard to the Pope and Jesus, he attempted to dodge the question by saying, “Look, I’m a committed Catholic, a proud American, and my role here is to bridge any gaps… I’m going to use my energy, again, to bring people together.”Asked whether he was “comfortable” with Trump’s recent threat to destroy the “whole civilization” of Iran, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), sidestepped by saying, “I think right now he’s trying to open up the Strait of Hormuz, which I think we are all supportive of.”And when Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) was asked by reporters about Trump’s mental health, he simply turned and walked away. Meanwhile, numerous Democrats have taken issue with Republican efforts to dismiss such concerns. “He is very obviously deeply unwell,” said Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) during a committee hearing. “He’s up past midnight attacking the Pope. He’s posting pictures of himself as Jesus ― as a Catholic, I am horrified by that. And I am sick and tired of Republicans acting like this is all OK.”