This week the Bulwark, known for their incredibly critical commentary of President Trump by any means necessary, perhaps went a few steps too far. In two separate pieces by Executive Editor Jonathan V. Last, and Senior Editor Jim Swift, they accuse some Trump supporters — as well as the president himself — of being mentally ill.
In the first article published by Last on April 1, he claimed that pundits and commentators such as Jesse Kelly, Julie Kelly, Alex Jones, Denise McAllister, and Laura Loomer are all crazy, and agrees with Jones on his self-diagnosed psychosis. Last even uses the tweets of a former coworker of McAllister as proof that she exhibits bipolar tendencies.
Perhaps some of these individuals should see a therapist — as should most adults. But I disagree with Last’s central premise. He suggests that because these people support Trump the way that they do, they are mentally incapable, and therefore have nothing worthwhile to contribute to political discourse.
Yes, the ragtag group Last calls out by name could use a giant dose of reality, except for Jesse Kelly, in my opinion (a friend of mine). They travel in the conspiracy-addled circles of politics. Grifters by their own right. But how does calling them mentally unstable help improve the discourse of the country? It does nothing but raise the stigma around mental health and dissuade people who need help from getting it. Rather than using mental health as a bludgeon against an opponent, attack their arguments and ideas. Conserve conservatism.
Jim Swift posted a similar article on April 3, calling the president mentally unwell. His examples include a few slip-ups from Trump: stating his father was born in the wrong country, forgetting his speech was being broadcast, and claiming windmills cause cancer. Not a great week, to be sure. But the biggest problem Swift created within his argument is his opening line: “I regret to inform you of this. Our president is mentally unwell. It does not require a degree in medicine or psychiatry or neurology to make this observation.”
You would not trust a pre-med student to diagnose cancer, nor would you trust a dentist to perform a colonoscopy. Why on Earth would someone armchair-diagnose a politician with a mental illness? Swift would like us all to provide a defense of Trump, but I reject his premise in the first place. Swift does not have a degree in psychiatry, and until he gets one and spends enough time in a clinical setting with Trump to diagnose him, I’m going to say that Swift is causing more harm than the argument is worth.
[Read more: George Conway diagnoses Trump with narcissistic personality disorder]
It’s undeniable that there’s a mental health epidemic in this country. To call people sick for their worship of a political personality for Internet points is certainly not a solution.
I would not have written this a year ago, but my own life circumstances have brutally educated me as to the poor state of mental healthcare and the stigma attached to mental illness in the U.S. It is a horrific and life-changing experience to see someone close to you suffer. Last and Swift imply that the mentally ill have opinions that should never see the light of day, and that just can’t be true. We, as a nation, should not allow that to be true.
Mental health is a deep and serious issue in this country. Every day, 20 veterans commit suicide due to mental health issues. The more we belittle mental health by using it as an attack or a facetious, armchair diagnosis of our political opponents, the less likely people with real problems will seek help. In their quest to call Trump a lousy president, unfit for office, and “mentally unwell,” these gentlemen whom I have a high level of respect for do a grave disservice to those veterans, and to anyone else suffering from mental health concerns.
Raising the stigma levels around treatment is a great way to help precisely zero people. Last and Swift have both railed against grifters on the right who cling to Trump, and I have raised my voice with them. But at what point does it turn into grifting from the other direction?
Alec Sears (@SearsAL) is a writer and political consultant.
