Over two-hundred and fifty years ago, a monarch with control over the fate of the colonies that would become the United States of America suffered debilitating physical and mental illness that affected his ability to govern and indeed his very attachment to reality.

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History is not exactly repeating itself today, but there are definitely some uncomfortable similarities.  America has a would-be monarch, someone who believes he should have much more unilateral power than the office is granted in the Constitution; who thinks he is above the law; and that his whims, personal preferences, and goals to enrich himself are far more important factors in his decisions than the Constitution, our democracy, or the American people. There's one crucial difference: today, one of the two major parties in America is standing behind a leader who never demonstrated the competence, knowledge, background, maturity, or temperament to lead, and who is now demonstrating clear signs of mental issues on top of being a narcissist and pathological liar.

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And there's one crucial similarity: it is up to the people to put an end to the destructive administration, and to remove from power those who unleashed him on the nation and the world, and those who are apparently fine with allowing him to do anything including attempt to influence and even overturn elections, and muse on an unconstitutional third term.

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Trump is the first POTUS to spread conspiracy theories, lies, disinformation, and pseudoscience that he claims are facts. He is the first one to incite an insurrection to overturn an election he lost, and later pardon the insurrectionists. Having dismissed his first opponent as "not presidential enough," he is the first POTUS to weaponize government agencies to attack his opponents and silence his critics; to plan to double the size of the People's House for his vanity; to send American military into American cities based on false claims; to disable and defund vital services from basic healthcare access, to research against deadly diseases, to public health; to dismantle international diplomacy, undercut our allies and support our enemies; to broadcast his uninformed opinion on medical matters; to post personal venom constantly on social media; the list goes on and on.

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Trump's Long History of Conspiracy Theories

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We have seen this all happen steadily since 2016; indeed, Trump showed us exactly what he was on the first campaign trail.  He owes his two victories not to an overwhelming mandate from the people as he claims, but to a broken electoral system and the boot-licking cowardice of the party that chose to support a criminal at any cost to the American people and the global community. 

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/20/trump-election-results-popular-vote/

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​​​​The recent debacle at Trump's embarrassing UN appearance is just another in a long round of demonstrations of his mental incompetence, featuring a humiliating speech full of lies and his signature style of insults.

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And then the erstwhile "Leader of the Free World" spent time, venom, paranoia, and his public platform to showcase his distance from reality and his massive ego.  Is it, as some say, an attempt at distraction, or is it a genuine display of someone who has gone off the rails?  Either way, this is neither a leader nor a sane adult.

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These unhinged ravings attempt to create a conspiracy theory while ignoring the reality that it was likely Trump's own videographer who tripped the safety mechanism on the escalator; that the teleprompter was run by a White House team; and that Trump doesn't know how the sound system works at the UN.

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https://www.npr.org/2025/09/25/nx-s1-5553272/trump-escalator-united-nations-investigation

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Then,on September 27, Trump posted a faked video about the "MedBed" conspiracy theory, featuring himself.

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https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-medbeds-video-truth-social-b2835407.html

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This is far from the first time that Trump has posted fake or misidentified videos and photos, with zero comment or correction from himself, his staff, or the party he took over.

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The hypocrisy of the right in constantly attacking Joe Biden's "mental incompetence" and scrutinizing every word and action (and inventing things when nothing promising was on offer), while completely ignoring Trump's egregious lying and mental lapses, is astounding.

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"Anyone With Courage Has to Acknowledge that Trump Isn't Well.  And He's Getting Worse"

 

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It's past time to speak out when we hear lies, and to contact our representatives and demand accountability for saying nothing.  Silence is complicity.

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                                                                                                                                 ~  Katherine  Bailey

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