Trump not the only official unfit for office: analysis

After U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out a "whole civilization" in Iran in a social media post, many Democratic lawmakers called for him to be removed from office via the U.S. Constitution's 25th Amendment.

Liberal Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi doesn't disagree with them. But in her April 16 column, she stresses that Trump is hardly the only in his administration who is showing that he's unfit for office.

"On Tuesday, (April 14)," Mahdawi writes, "House Democrats introduced legislation that would create a commission to assess whether Trump is unfit to serve and should be removed under the 25th Amendment. I don't need to tell you what precipitated this: Trump is growingly increasingly erratic, threatening genocide one minute and posting pictures of himself as Jesus Christ the next. Don't get your hopes up; the bill is a long shot in a Republican-controlled Congress. Nevertheless, it's still a positive development and demonstrates a growing appetite in Congress to talk about the president’s mental acuity. Or lack thereof."

Mahdawi continues, "While the legislation is a good start, I think it could go further. Why not require cognitive and psychological tests for everyone in government? Because it's not just Trump who seems to be a little bit off his rocker, is it? The U.S. is being run by a bunch of people with some very interestingideas. And I use 'interesting' in the British sense of the word."

The Guardian columnist goes on to cite specific examples of MAGA Republicans who are showing they're unfit for office.

"Take, for example, Gregg Phillips, a top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)," Mahdawi explains. "Phillips has espoused election fraud conspiracy theories and said that 'bitch' Joe Biden deserves to die, which isn't particularly surprising for a Trump official. What is unusual, however, are his claims that he once involuntarily teleported to a Waffle House in Rome, Atlanta…. On Sunday, Tim Burchett, a Republican congressman from Tennessee, called on Trump to release government files on aliens…. According to comments by Mehmet Oz on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast, the president, who has many unusual views about medicine and health, thinks Diet Coke is a health elixir…. All of this may sound bonkers to the layperson but perhaps we should suspend our disbelief."

Mahdawi continues, "After all, if the 25th Amendment can't be implemented, our only chance of Making America Sane Again may be an extraterrestrial intervention. Aliens, if you’re reading this: please come visit the U.S! We'll give you a nice cold can of cancer-busting soda and take you straight to our leader."