He exhibited signs of mania and wildly erratic behavior, lashing out at anyone and everyone around him. He made terrible political decisions, humiliating his country and weakening it on the world stage. I’m talking about Britain’s King George III (1738-1820), known for his disturbing mental disorders and losing the American colonies. But 205 years after that monarch’s death, I could be describing the current resident of the White House.
During his first term, Donald Trump was known for his name-calling and boorish behavior. A decade later, whatever filter and self-control he may have once had is now completely gone. Recently, he lashed out against Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Beyonce’, Oprah, and Bono. He makes things up out of whole cloth, from financial numbers to historical events. When confronted (which is rare), he doubles down, becoming visibly angrier when he doesn’t get his way. He rage-tweets in the middle of the night. His public appearances are often rambling and confused. His makeup is even more of a mess.
If this was anyone’s grandpa, the car keys would’ve long been taken away and a care facility discussed. Instead, this troubled old man holds the nuclear codes.
At this writing, the media is abuzz over a book about Joe Biden’s supposed health decline while in office. Meanwhile, we have a man in the Oval right now who is so demonstrably unwell and erratic, wreaking havoc on every aspect of our government, justice system, national security, and foreign policy. Is that same level of pearl-clutching “concern” being applied to the current POTUS? Nope, and that’s a massive failure of the press.
It’s obvious that the daily madness of King Donald is good for news cycles and ad dollars. Paying serious attention to his behavior, though, might result in bigger questions about his fitness for office – and thus, the end of the gravy train.
It’s sad that Joe Biden, a man with more than his share of Life Challenges and a very successful presidency, is the Shiny Object du jour. Meanwhile, the man currently in charge, one with obvious signs of advancing dementia, is protected from the same scrutiny. And don’t get me started on the sheer lawlessness of his regime.
For nearly a decade before his death, King George III’s crazy behavior required that his son run things as Regent. Which I guess means we can look forward to Prince Don Jr. and the next generation of corruption.
Cindy Grogan is a writer, lover of history and "Star Trek" (TOS), and hardcore politics junkie. There was that one time she campaigned for Gerald Ford (yikes), but ever since, she's been devoted to Democratic and progressive policies.
