Bob Schwartz

The longer Nikki Haley stays in the race for the Republican nomination, the crazier Trump will act.

That may or may not be the point of her running. But it is already an effect, and he is getting worse every day she persists.

I first mentioned Trump’s mental health seven years ago (DSM-5: Antagonism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder). It is the most popular of my posts, viewed thousands of times, and still regularly read.

Here’s the most amazing thing: It never mentions Trump at all. But somehow, readers figured out in 2017 and beyond that it was about him.

It’s hard to know which is more unsettling. That a man who is clearly suffering from a psychological illness may yet become president (again). Or that the Republican Party, which must be aware of this, is willing to overlook it.

There are two unlikely but not impossible ways Republicans may yet deny Trump the nomination.

He is convicted of a crime before the convention or the election. That is unlikely to matter, because even if there is a conviction, it will be under appeal and characterized as part of the persecution and witch hunt.

He spins further out of psychological health, so that even irresponsible Republicans worry that voters may notice that the person running for president is—to use the disfavored colloquial word—crazy.

It appears that Nikki Haley is not backing down. She actually appears to be doubling down.

What will Trump say about her next in a rambling speech? What new off-the-wall attacks will he make? What absurd lies about her will he concoct?

Buckle up. It’s going to be the craziest ride in American political history.

© 2024 by Bob Schwartz