President Donald Trump’s bizarre and threatening letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has sent shockwaves across the globe, prompting analysts, journalists and political commentators to openly question whether the president had suffered “some sort of serious mental breakdown.”
“Whatever people's views on Trump's broader politics, these are the words of a man who is having some sort of serious mental breakdown,” wrote Dan Hodges, a British columnist and political commentator, in a social media post Monday to their more than 200,000 followers.
“This is not simply rhetoric designed to provoke a response. I'm not sure how much longer US lawmakers and the US cabinet can ignore this fact.”
The letter – first obtained by PBS News reporter Nick Schlifrin Sunday night and confirmed authentic by Støre himself – sees Trump proclaim that he “no longer [feels] an obligation to think purely of Peace” after not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, which was instead awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Citing his newfound lack of dedication to peace, Trump went on in the letter to renew threats to acquire Greenland, warning that “the world is not secure” unless the Arctic island comes under U.S. control.
“I don’t see how you can be a serious person and not find this extremely worrisome,” wrote Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in a social media post on X Monday. “He is not stable at all and his reality is warped. He was always a bit like this of course but now he’s [79].”
As the oldest sitting U.S. president in history, Trump has increasingly shown signs of aging, both physically and mentally, multiple outlets have reported. And, with his recent letter – the authenticity of which was questioned by critics due to its “jaw-dropping” content and “unhinged crazy talk” – speculation as to the president’s mental well-being only grew louder.
“This is plainly deranged,” wrote British writer and former lawmaker Daniel Hannan in a social media post on X Monday. “He is a threat to his country and to the world. The Nixon, Clinton and, indeed, Trump impeachments were triggered by less.”
"Trump has completely lost his mind," wrote MS NOW columnist Michael Cohen.
Whatever people's views on Trump's broader politics, these are the words of a man who is having some sort of serious mental breakdown. This is not simply rhetoric designed to provoke a response. I'm not sure how much longer US lawmakers and the US cabinet can ignore this fact. https://t.co/esjItRSSRM
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) January 19, 2026