President Trump’s mental health

Controversy has flared up over U.S. President Donald Trump’s mental health out of blue beginning early days of the New Year. When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated in his New Year’s Message that “The nuclear button is on my desk all the time,” President Trump tweeted, “My nuclear button is bigger and more powerful,” which sparked the controversy. Journalist Michael Wolff’s book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” fueled the controversy to escalate further. Wolff said in the book that even Trump’s close aides, including former Trump administration strategist Stephen Bannon, doubt that the U.S. president has capacity for the job.

“When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind,” President Trump said. “I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that.” The U.S. media have reported in their analysis that Trump’s obsession with “recognition” has relapsed. It means that Trump always seeks excessive compensation due to his weak self-confidence. However, not only Democrats but also former Republican leaders are expressing concern about Trump’s mental health.

In the United States, a president’s mental health has often been subject of controversy. In a survey on Barry Goldwater, then Republican presidential candidate, by the Fact Magazine in 1964, 49.2 percent of doctors diagnosed Goldwater was inappropriate for the presidency. Goldwater lost the presidential race, but he later successfully brought about the “Goldwater Rule.” The rule prohibits psychiatrists from mentioning mental condition of public figures they have never treated in person. Still, many Americans argue that it is mandatory to issue warnings against risks the president’s mental health could spawn.

The president’s mental health is not an issue unique to the United States. Former Korean President Park Geun-hye’s reclusiveness stemming from trauma caused by the loss of her parents to assassinations was one of the causes that sent her to impeachment. U.S. president is the most influential figure in the world who can choose between peace and war in all different areas in conflict. A White House source who asked not to be named said that all wars in history were accidental incidents. Do we have to worry about President Trump’s mental health as well as Kim Jong Un’s?