OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Mary Trump, Donald Trump’s niece, claimed that her uncle has “untreated psychiatric disorders” that have worsened over time due to stress.
She said that as an untreated disorder progresses, the person becomes less able to think clearly.
Mary Trump said, “This is a person who has untreated psychiatric disorders. And any untreated disorder of any kind of 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 is under, would have a harder time holding it together cognitively.”
Trump continued, “Donald was always quite good when he was younger at sticking to a point. And he knew certain things about his business so, he could say perfectly reasonable statements with confidence. And let’s be fair, he was very good at being in the media. And that is one of the main reasons my grandfather chose him to be his successor because he had that kind of presence.”
She added, “What is so fascinating about this chapter in his life is that he has finally reached the end of the road. When he was taking over for my grandfather, or when he was my grandfather’s successor, and one who is going to fill my grandfather’s ambitions, he did not need skill. He needed skill as a real estate developer. He just needed the skill as the arrogant, self-confident, brash guy who played well on television. My grandfather always had hundreds of millions of dollars to prop him up.”
While Trump was once good at sticking to points and discussing his business confidently, especially when younger, Mary Trump asserts he has finally reached the end of the road.
She notes he did not need actual skills when taking over his father’s business, just the ability to portray an arrogant, self-confident persona on television, as his grandfather had money to support him.
But now under extraordinary stress, his untreated mental health issues are making it harder for him to maintain coherence, in her view.