Trump's 'brain failure' prevents him from thinking in 'abstract terms': professor of psychiatry

In a series of tweets from this Tuesday, psychiatry professor John M. Talmadge, MD, wrote that President Trump's "mental impairment" prevents him from thinking in "abstract terms."

Talmadge, who is a physician and clinical professor of psychiatry at U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, theorized that Trump "cannot weigh options, assess risk, or foresee consequences," adding that concepts like "fairness, justice, honor, and integrity quite literally do not register," which is apparent in "every interview or press encounter."

"He never states an abstract thought or idea," writes Talmadge.

"Instead he falls back on simple adjectives: disgraceful, horrible, low-intelligence, perfect, innocent, nasty, stupid, fake, etc. He's driven by negative emotion, often paranoid and often insulting, vulgar, vitriolic," he continued.

Talmadge is the latest in a long list of psychological experts who've diagnosed Trump from afar. In 2017, more than two dozen psychiatrists and psychologists published a book about their consensus that Trump's mental state "presents a clear and present danger to our nation and individual well-being."

Talmadge agrees.

"What is true today is that Trump is not normal, Trump is mentally impaired, Trump cannot think normally, and Trump is dangerous," he tweeted. "When he is removed from office he literally will not understand what happened. He will have to make up a story, tell lies, and rant about Hillary's DNC server."

While arguing that there are serious ethical questions about diagnosing someone's psychological condition when they're not a patient, NPR's Alex Green contends that is "possible to understand Trump without ever invoking [mental] disability."

"He is a relentless self-promoter, willing to do anything to climb to the top. He is dogmatic and unwavering in his cause. To many of us, he is a recognizable figure. He is the most banal and commonplace telling of the American Dream."

"This is not intellectual disability," Green concludes. "This is not mental illness. This is the status quo played out to a logical end."

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