Once again, Dr. Wayne Roth has attempted to refute my attacks on President Trump. He writes about my “unsubstantiated invective” and I assume he is referencing to that part of my letter which states that Trump is “xenophobic, misogynistic, narcissistic,” etc. I thought that these descriptors were part of conventional wisdom, accepted by one and all.
If Roth needs further explication, here it is. Trump’s xenophobia is borne out by his anti-Moslem statements. His misogyny is proven by “hush money” paid to a porn star. His narcissism is exemplified by his words and the definition of narcissism in the psychoanalytic literature.
Dr. Roth next criticizes my claim that Trump is mentally unstable. Here, I relied upon his penchant for giving nicknames to his enemies, for example, Jeb Bush is “low energy” and Elizabeth Warren is “Pocahontis.” Additionally, in January 2017, 37 mental health experts signed a letter which appeared in the New York Times warning of Trump’s “grave emotional instability.” Here is a portion of that letter.
“Mr. Trump’s speech and actions demonstrate an inability to tolerate views different from his own, leading to rage reactions. His words and behavior suggest a profound inability to empathize. Individuals with these traits distort reality to suit their psychological state, attacking facts and those who convey them (journalists, scientists).”
Two psychologists, Brent Roberts and Scott Lilienfield, who did not sign the letter, later wrote, “We fear there is too much at stake to be silent any longer.” One does not need to be credentialed as a psychiatrist or a psychologist to recognize aberrant behavior. It reveals itself in the over 10,000 lies and misstatements attributed to POTUS. He can distort reality from imagining inaugural crowds, which weren’t there, to myriad statements by his “Art of the Deal” collaborator. What the electorate gave us was a president who is a habitual liar.
My quoting Steve Schmidt and Barbara Bush was intended to reveal the fact that Republicans are part of the chorus which finds the president “unfit.” Next comes the numbers game. I am faulted because I only challenged three of the 48 reasons Dr. Roth admires Trump. I don’t know how Dr. Roth spends his time, but it would take me several days to debunk the 45 remaining . I also made the case that pay day lenders are unscrupulous vipers who charge up to 360 percent interest.
Only Dr. Roth could defend such a practice.
In his most recent missive, Dr. Roth introduces us to Dinesh D’Souza. He is a far-right provocateur and conspiracy theorist.
On May 20, 2014, D’Souza pleaded guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution. He was sentenced to eight months in a halfway house near his home in San Diego. But not to worry, Trump lovers. On May 31, 2018, our “tweeter in chief” gave D’Souza a full pardon.
Partisan bickering has become commonplace in Washington.
Conservatives blame it on “bleeding heart liberals,” while the latter maintain that in the long history of our nation there has never before been anyone like Trump in the White House.
My assessment of 45 comes from a quotation from Ivy Baker Priest, who was the U.S. Treasurer from 1953 to l961. She stated that one can be “often wrong but never in doubt.”
This describes POTUS perfectly. He is our least educated president, totally lacking in intellectual curiosity, but whenever challenged he doubles down.
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
