Why Trump’s mental disability crack matters

“Joe Biden became mentally impaired. Kamala was born that way. She was born that way. And if you think about it, only a mentally disabled person could have allowed this to happen to our country.”
- Trump on Harris in Wisconsin, Saturday

And as per usual, the massive (moderately-sized) crowd laughed and laughed.

And as per usual, it wasn’t funny. Nor, of course, was it true. It was crass and unkind and pandering.

Quick note: I have absolutely no interest in writing about this. But it feels important, something we cannot ignore. I’ll explain.

To the Washington Post and the New York Times and virtually everyone in the Twittersphere, this comment has been rolled in with Trump’s myriad other inane rants and insults, easily dismissed. Most everyone in media agreed within hours that the comments were momentarily shocking, but there was absolutely no faith among the pundits that they would move the needle in the coming election. And I’m certainly not foolish enough to think they would either.

I’ve seen this movie before, and I know you have too.

Let’s be honest - an awful lot of us are immune to/traumatized by these cracks, as he’s been spewing them nearly daily (many times a day?) over the past decade.

But tonight, I feel reason to pluck this particular comment from the revolting, never-ending stream of vitriol.

“Why this one?” you might ask.

Well tonight, I happen to have a session with a brilliant girl, a 17-year-old high school junior. We can call her Caroline. She encouraged me to write this piece. Caroline was already in the therapy room when I entered, and she was looking out of my office window at the Trump building across from my office here in Chicago.

“Did you hear what he said this time?”

“About immigrants eating the cats and dogs? Yeah, I heard it. Unbelievable. Stupid.”

“No, not that. Did you hear his thing about Kamala’s mental health?”

“Oh yeah. That was pretty ignorant, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, it was worse than that. That could have a real impact on the future, MY future!”

I asked Caroline specifically what she meant. And I have to admit, I was a little shaken by her answer. I mean, he says something incorrect or bizarre or insulting virtually every day. I was struggling to discern what made this any different.

So Caroline pointed out that people listen to this man, millions and millions of people. Many of the things he says become punchlines, memes, GIFs and insults. Podcast highlights. Embedded in the culture.

Well, that is true.

Kamala slept her way to the top. She’s not black. She decided she was black. She’s not a mother. She never worked at McDonald’s. She used an earpiece. She cheated. She wants to abort babies.

She laughs.

All lies, all awful and unkind. But I still wondered what all of this specifically had to do with Caroline.

“I’M mentally disabled! I’ve had two psychiatric hospitalizations. I’m on meds. And if you look it up, when people think mentally disabled, they think about all of the mental disorders. My depression. My anxiety. So, if this becomes a thing, like so much of his other bullshit, will I be able to get into a good college? Will I be able to get a job? Is there going to be some big violent backlash against the mentally ill? Am I safe?”

She went on.

“You talked about the dogs and cats. I’ve seen a million memes about that – ha ha ha. But if you look at the news about it, immigrants in that town are being threatened. What this guy says matters whether we like it or not. People listen to him, millions of people. And it might seem like the dogs and cats thing is nothing like the mentally disabled thing, but to me they’re the same.”

What he says has legs. I couldn’t argue that.

And listen, this is not intended to be an anti-Trump rant. At least not solely that.

The broader point is that our language around mental health matters. Thanks in part to social media, and in part to a deep sense of empathy, our kids are keenly aware of their emotional states. They know if their friends are suffering emotionally as well. They are sensitive to these issues and make themselves available to help one another when they’re struggling.

These kids today are different.

So for their sake, we need to attend to emotional language. We need to be sensitive to the words we use around mental health, and mental illness. And if we ever had the luxury of being cavalier with terms like ‘mental impairment’ or ‘mental disability,’ we have officially lost that bizarre privilege. We also have to be aware of even more casual language around emotional wellness: ‘psycho’, ‘nut job’ and ‘schizo’ are outdated, as if they were ever appropriate in the first place.

And this isn’t just about snowflake kids.

I’d like you to take a virtual look around you for a moment. Consider your friends and your family. And consider yourself. Who among us is free for a lifetime of all mental impairment or mental disability? I’ve been doing this job an awful long time, and I’ve yet to come across that person.

Certainly it’s not me.

And the vast majority of us function just fine with our emotional difficulties. We may seek treatment or medication when needed, but our society is carried by many, many people suffering emotional difficulties. We can spare this group the insults. The psychic pain will suffice.

So it’s not just Caroline who is affected here. Potentially, she’s right. Potentially, it’s all of us who could be affected.

Now, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure the former president could define mental impairment or mental disability. I think he was just looking for a handy dig, some foothold to gain a talking point or a percentage point in a swing state.

But that does not afford him a pass. We are responsible for our words, and our words have meaning, and consequences.

And whether they intend it or not, the words of those in power exert influence on the thinking of many people. Nobody should be allowed this type of recklessness without consequence. We should pause on this quote and call it out for the danger it potentially represents. Because this man’s words, whether we like it or not, are persuasive. They can move throngs of people to action. They have the potential to change the thinking of a great deal of our cultural landscape.

Caroline’s anxieties are not misplaced.

It would feel wildly irresponsible not to hold him, or anybody who ignorantly attacks the issue of mental health, fully accountable.