Former President Donald Trump's niece, a professional psychologist, believes her uncle is suffering from "untreated psychiatric disorders" that have been exacerbated by the "extraordinary amount of stress he's under."
Mary Trump, who holds a PhD from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, made virtual diagnoses while appearing on MSNBC's "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell.
"This is a person who has untreated psychiatric disorders," she said. "And any untreated disorder of any kind worsens over time, as long as it remains untreated. So, it makes perfect sense that somebody who is as unhealthy as he is, who is under the extraordinary amount of stress he's under, would have a harder time holding it together cognitively."
To illustrate how Trump has changed over the years, O'Donnell then played a video of Trump from more than two decades ago speaking eloquently about the strength of Manhattan skyscrapers being built on very durable bedrock.
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"Who is that guy?" O'Donnell said after watching the video.
Mary Trump pinpointed the evolution from tycoon Trump to politician Trump.
"Donald was always quite good when he was younger at sticking to a point," she said. "And he knew certain things about his business... And let's be fair, he was very good at being in the media. And that's one of the main reasons my grandfather chose him to be his successor, because he had that kind of presence."
But a striking difference from then and now? The audience.
Back at the time he was waxing about skyscrapers, Trump, a Queens native, was still battling to break into the exclusive ranks of the New York real estate business.
"He used to be focused on becoming a part of New York City's upper crust inner circle," said Mary Trump. "He desperately wanted to be part of that milieu; he desperately wanted to be accepted by his betters, which is how he perceived them."
Today she said, he appeals to "an audience that appreciates the kind of anecdotes about showers that do not produce water, and that is full of the kind of invective and hatred that he is now become expert at."
