Democrats need to stop playing games, writes Chris Truax, an appellate attorney and former Southern California chair for John McCain's 2008 primary campaign. In a sharp critique, Truax argues that the time for messaging bills and wishful thinking is over. President Trump, he contends, is showing clear signs of dementia—confabulation, poor judgment, and childlike speech—that pose an urgent national security threat.
“Trump appears to be deteriorating by the day,” Truax writes. “He is confabulating. He is demonstrating poor judgment.” Truax points to Trump’s recent threats of genocide against Iran and a post depicting himself as Jesus as examples of erratic behavior. The president, who will turn 80 in June, has begun speaking like a six-year-old, using phrases like “nuclear dust” and claiming to have defeated “water boats.”
Truax acknowledges that laypeople cannot diagnose dementia, but insists that recognizing warning signs and demanding a proper medical evaluation is a civic duty. “If you had a grandparent behaving like Trump does, you would insist on immediate medical intervention,” he writes. “On a practical level, you would be very concerned about trusting him with a car, much less the Fifth Fleet.”
The solution, Truax argues, is not the 25th Amendment or impeachment—both politically unfeasible. Instead, he proposes a bill that would give the Gang of Eight—the bipartisan leadership of Congress and the intelligence committees—immediate and unredacted access to all of Trump’s medical records. These officials already handle the nation’s most classified intelligence and know how to keep secrets.
“We need to put aside fantasies about impeachment and the 25th Amendment and focus on fixes we can actually implement,” Truax writes. The Gang of Eight bill, he says, is politically achievable because it doesn’t force Republicans to choose between supporting Trump and demanding transparency. “You can both support Trump and believe presidents and their closest loyal aides should not be able to cover up presidential infirmity.”
Truax notes that the issue is bipartisan: two octogenarian commanders in chief in a row make it relevant to both parties. He recalls that just two years ago, Republicans were calling for similar transparency. He also points to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed 427-1 with no political fallout for Republicans who voted for it, as evidence that transparency measures can succeed without partisan retribution.
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“Transparency is the most basic of checks and balances,” Truax concludes. “If the president has a serious health issue, someone in Congress needs to know about it.” Even if the Gang of Eight takes no action, the mere requirement to disclose medical records would force the White House to address health issues rather than ignore them. “Something must be done,” he writes.
