New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman alleged that President Trump has a mental illness while trying to explain why he has praised protests popping up around the country.
A number of communities placed under stay-at-home orders have taken to the streets to protest the strict restrictions in states such as Michigan and New Jersey. The president weighed in on the protests on social media Friday morning, appearing to be on the side of the protesters, demanding that people in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia “liberate” themselves and reopen their economies.
Friedman alleged that the president’s promotion of the demonstrations was evidence that electing Trump was “the most reckless thing [Americans] have ever done in our history,” in a Friday evening interview on CNN.
He called the behavior “unhinged,” and added, “The job of the president right now is to be the nation’s chief scientific officer, tell us where we are, what’s working where. And secondly, to be the nation’s chief procurement officer. Get people the testing equipment they need if they are going to end sheltering in place restrictions over the next few weeks. Those are his only two jobs right now.”
Friedman then said, “Fomenting revolutions in blue states with Democratic governors, ‘unhinged’ is the only word for it. I don’t know what mental illness he has, Wolf, but it’s just really important that we in the press don’t catch it, it’s really important that we continue to do our job.”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer did not acknowledge the comment in his ensuing response.
