What Trump’s 'erratic behavior' reveals about his biggest fear: Robert Reich

Despite their many political differences, President Donald Trump and liberal economist Robert Reich have something in common: Both will be turning 80 in June (Trump on June 14, Reich on June 24). Reich, in a Guardian column, lays out some reasons why he believes that Trump is suffering from "diminished capacities" and should be removed from office for the good of the United States.

Reich and Trump, both born in June 1946, are in the older ender of the Baby Boom generation (former President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all octogenarians born in the early 1940s, are members of the Silent Generation — not Boomers). Different people age differently; Sanders, at 84, still sounds very sharp and focused in speeches. But Reich argues that Trump is sounding increasingly "diminished."

"I do not wish Trump ill," Reich writes in The Guardian. "While he hasn't shown a shred of compassion for anyone other than himself, this doesn't justify any of us lacking compassion for him. It's also in the interest of the U.S. and the world that he be physically and mentally able to discharge the duties of his office. So, we have reason to be concerned about Trump's visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week for what the White House described as a 'routine annual dental and medical assessment.'"

Reich stresses that as someone who is about to become an octogenarian himself, he knows how much time can take its toll.

"Trump turns 80 next month," explains Reich, who served as labor secretary in the Clinton Administration. "I feel entitled to comment on the practical meaning of this milestone because I'll also turn 80 next month. He was born 10 days before me. Let's just say that reaching it doesn't mean altogether good things, unless you consider the alternative. Even in a healthy person, small things begin to break down as one approaches 80."

Reich continues, "Everything takes just a bit more time and effort. Joints ache. Energy isn't quite as abundant."

The liberal economist notes that Trump is experiencing "bruised hands, swollen ankles, bouts of drowsiness, exceedingly long blinks during official meetings…. and erratic, if not off-the-charts weird, behavior."

"What's he afraid of?" Reich writes. "Probably that the American public will catch on to his diminishing capacities…. But if Trump can't remember where he put, say, a top-secret memo or why he entered the Situation Room, or if he expresses bizarre impatience, it's a potential risk to the nation and world…. The evidence continues to mount: Trump is clearly incapable of satisfactorily discharging the duties of president of the United States."

Reich adds, "The sooner the 25th Amendment is invoked, or he is impeached, the safer are America and the world."