NYT: Trump's Extreme and Uncontrolled Remarks Reignite Debate on His Mental State

Central News Agency (Washington, 13th, comprehensive foreign news) Since the outbreak of the US-Iran war on February 28, US President Trump has made numerous shocking statements, including threatening to annihilate Iranian civilization and criticizing the Pope. Now, even some former allies are beginning to question his increasingly erratic behavior, even describing it as "insane." Last week, Trump threatened to bomb Iranian power plants and warned of "the annihilation of an entire civilization." On the evening of the 12th, he criticized Pope Leo XIV, who called for peace, as "weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy," and posted an AI-synthesized image of himself as Jesus (which was later deleted). The New York Times points out that Trump's recent erratic behavior and extreme remarks have once again intensified the long-standing debate surrounding him: is Trump "crazy on the surface but shrewd in reality" or "simply crazy"? The White House refutes external claims, stating that Trump is sharp-minded and keeps his opponents on edge. However, the New York Times believes that Trump's uncontrolled statements during wartime have raised questions about US leadership capabilities from all sides; although the US has had presidents whose governing abilities were questioned in the past, never before in modern times has a president's stability been scrutinized to such a profound and potentially far-reaching extent. Democrats, who have long questioned Trump's mental fitness for office, have once again collectively called for the activation of the 25th Amendment, to remove the president due to "inability." More notably, such voices have now spread to retired generals, the political right, and even Trump's former allies. Former Republican Federal Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently broke with Trump, advocated for the use of the 25th Amendment. She believes that threatening to destroy Iranian civilization "is no longer tough talk, but madness"; far-right podcast host Candace Owens called Trump "a genocidal maniac"; and Infowars founder Alex Jones stated that Trump "is indeed incoherent and doesn't sound very bright." Currently, this "questioning trend" has not spread to Congress, and Republican lawmakers publicly remain loyal to Trump, as do cabinet departments. The activation of the 25th Amendment itself requires cabinet consent, making its actual implementation unlikely. However, recent polls show that doubts about Trump's fitness for office have indeed increased. Trump was already the oldest president to take office in history and is now approaching his 80th birthday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February showed that 61% of surveyed Americans believe Trump has become more erratic with age, and only 45% believe he is "clear-headed and able to cope with challenges," down from 54% in 2023. In a YouGov online poll in September last year, about half (49%) of surveyed Americans believed Trump was too old to be president, higher than 34% in February 2024; only 39% believed he was not too old. (Compiler: Chen Yi-wei) 1150414