Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Donald Trump’s comments on the campaign trail have raised alarms from those noting his “unwell” behavior and media’s reluctance to call it out.
The mounting collection of bizarre remarks by Donald Trump on the presidential campaign trail has caused observers to note how “deeply unwell” he is and to question why more media outlets and figures aren’t calling for an examination of his mental faculties. “(But) Trump is obviously unfit—and something is profoundly wrong with a political environment in which he can now say almost anything, no matter how weird,” writes Tom Nichols for The Atlantic in a column, pointing to Trump’s most recent rally this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, which left many observers aghast.
At that campaign rally, Trump went into a rambling rant about electric batteries and sharks: “So I said, let me ask you a question, and he said, nobody ever asked this question and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. Very smart. He goes, I say, what would happen if the boat sank from its weight? And you’re in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery and the battery is now underwater and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there, by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that?”
“I am not a psychiatrist, and I am not diagnosing Trump with anything. I am, however, a man who has lived on this Earth for more than 60 years, and I know someone who has severe emotional problems when I see them played out in front of me over and over,” Nichols wrote, adding: “The 45th president is deeply unwell. It is long past time for Americans, including those in public life, to recognize his inability to serve as the 47th.” EJ Montini of the Arizona Republic has also called out the media’s reluctance in a column, writing: “Too many respectable journalists and respectable journalistic institutions have allowed the fear of appearing biased to prevent them from being honest.” He cited the Las Vegas remarks as “the kind of thing that would be worrisome if done by an elderly member of your family.”
As the presumptive Republican nominee continues to campaign, there seems to be no end to the comments. In a meeting with Republicans at Capitol Hill on Thursday, Trump stated that “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” while also declaring – again – an affinity for fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.