Needs to be said again and again. Unfortunately, there are lots of dummies around.

I have just finished reading a fascinating book entitled "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 39 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President."

The collective opinion of the mental health experts in this book centres on the idea that they had a "duty to warn" the public about what they considered his psychological unfitness for the presidency and the potential danger his personality posed to the nation and the world.

Key themes and characteristics that the contributors discuss include:

Dangerousness: This is emphasised as the primary concern, arguing that the issue is not about diagnosing a mental illness, but assessing the danger posed by his behaviour and patterns of relating to reality.

Malignant Narcissism: This is a recurring term, describing a severe form of narcissism combined with features such as paranoia, aggression, and sociopathic traits. They suggest this pattern makes him profoundly destructive.

Sociopathic Traits: Several contributors point to characteristics like an inability to feel empathy, a pattern of continuous lying, and a disregard for the rights of others.

Paranoia and Grandiosity: The experts discuss an increasing tendency toward paranoia, distrust of others, and an exaggerated sense of self-importance and power.

Impulsivity and Lack of Reflection: His personality is described as being driven by immediate reactions rather than careful, informed deliberation, which creates a high-risk situation given the power of his office.

I am not a psychologist, but I do respect the professional judgment of experts in the field. Given Trump's age, temperament, and some of his erratic political and economic actions, one wonders whether the USA would have been served better by choosing a far more stable person as its commander-in-chief.

It's not surprising that only 36% of Australians do not suffer from terminal stupidity when it comes to the US and its and Trump's value to Australia.

The majority (of those polled) prove their own stupidity by calling Donald Trump “stupid”. Call Donald Trump what you like, but he is not stupid; certainly not as stupid as his detractors. If ever there was a good example of people projecting their own failings on to someone else, this is it.

He seems a bit erratic at times, but it must be remembered that he is not a professional politician locked into ideology; and being human, he is often irritated by the nitwits he has to deal with.

I and the rest of the 36% who like him would swap Albanese for Trump any day.

"The Goldwater Rule is a statement of ethics first issued by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 restraining psychiatrists from speculating about the mental state of public figures. The rule enjoins psychiatrists from professionally diagnosing someone they have not personally evaluated. The APA’s Ethics Committee affirmed and even expanded the rule beyond diagnosis to cover almost all psychiatric opinion in 2017, amid widespread public discussion of the mental health of President Donald J. Trump. The rule has also been affirmed by the American Psychological Association."

"
The collective opinion of the mental health experts in this book ..."

If you want to adhere to the views of so-called professionals who are prepared to flout their own profession's standards of ethics for political and/or financial gain, then let that be on you.

Every day of Trump's presidency consists of reports of what he did followed by many hours of analysis explaining that what he did was terrible. And not a jot of attention for the autopen president until his brain freeze at the debate which his minders couldn't hide.

Trump is a bit like Israel: the press never misses an opportunity to vilify him, yet show no interest in events and conduct that many might find more concerning.

From being a trustworthy ally the US of paranoia under that idiot is becoming a real worry....