Republican Complicity — Letters that should have been in the new york times

4.6.20

To the editor:

Jennifer Senior writes persuasively about the devastating impact of President Trump's narcissism on his ability to lead the fight against the pandemic (NYT, 4.6.20). The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, a compilation of essays written by mental health experts in 2017, was a foreshadowing largely ignored by the public and criticized within academic psychiatry as an unethical excursion into the public domain. It was prescient, the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

It will take time and distance to establish a postmortem on how President Trump's narcissism contributed to the unnecessary loss of life. But ultimately group, societal dynamics must be acknowledged. Too many good people knew all too well the truth of Donald Trump. Why are we in this mess? Republicans in the Senate acted selfishly rather than speak truth to power.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg