Copyright inquisitr
A leading psychiatrist is warning that President Donald Trump’s declining health could make him more erratic and authoritarian. Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a forensic and social psychiatrist who has long studied the psychology of leadership and power, told The Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles that Trump’s behavior shows growing paranoia and that it could worsen over time. “He’s paranoid,” Lee said during her appearance on The Daily Beast Podcast. “He is doing whatever he can to make people think he’s the most powerful man on the planet. Why does he need more and more?” Lee was referring to what she described as Trump’s escalating attempts to control his surroundings. She pointed to recent moves, like ordering state National Guards and expanding federal enforcement agencies, as reflections of his deep insecurity. “He’s now accumulating ICE agents as government police forces; he’s now required every state to deploy 500 National Guard members to function essentially as a guard for himself against the people,” she said. According to Lee, these kinds of actions stem from a “limitless insecurity,” a mindset she says becomes more dangerous when combined with age and declining health. “When he demands this kind of powerful positioning of himself, he’s doing so from a place of pathology,” she explained. “It’s not a healthy demand. So he’s doing so in a way that actually fuels his sense of insecurity, his own unfitness, his belonging, and he will become more tyrannical.” Lee’s comments come as questions about Trump’s mental and physical fitness have resurfaced after a string of public stumbles and rambling moments during speeches. Though his team has dismissed the speculation as political, Lee said it would be a mistake to ignore the pattern. “He will increasingly become more defensive and more dangerous,” she warned, adding that enabling this behavior “doesn’t benefit anyone.” The psychiatrist has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in her field. She gained national attention in 2017 for editing The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, a collection of essays from mental health professionals who argued that the president’s behavior posed risks to democracy. Lee was later dismissed from Yale after clashing with university administrators over her public warnings, but she’s continued to speak out, framing her views as a public safety issue rather than a diagnosis. On the podcast, Lee said Trump’s paranoia is partly self-aware. “He knows his limitations,” she said. “That’s why he’s constantly on guard.” In her view, his efforts to project dominance, through loyalty tests, threats, and public displays of strength, are actually rooted in fear. “The longer we allow this to go on, the more dangerous he will become,” she added. “We will not be keeping ourselves safe.” Her warnings, though controversial, echo a growing concern among political observers about Trump’s temperament as he navigates another term in office. Whether voters see his bluster as strength or instability could shape the coming years. For Lee, the takeaway is less political than psychological: power doesn’t soothe Trump’s insecurities; it deepens them. And as his health and control wane, she believes his paranoia and his need to assert dominance will only grow stronger.
