US psychiatrists have been discouraged from commenting on the mental health of public figures since the so-called Goldwater rule in the 1970s. To the uncredentialed, however, the American president’s hold on reality seems to be erratic. The dwindling universe of respectable Donald Trump apologists attribute his daily flights of fancy to trolling. He is just winding liberals up, they say. That Pavlovian excuse is wearing thin. As Trump readies a US armada for a Middle Eastern war whose aims he cannot articulate, an honest reckoning of geopolitical risks would place his wayward psychology high up.
自上世纪70年代确立所谓的“戈德华特守则”（Goldwater rule，精神科医生只有在亲自诊断患者后才能作出诊断——译者注）以来，美国精神科医生一直被禁止对公众人物的精神健康发表评论。然而在没有专业资质的人看来，现任美国总统对现实的把握似乎反复无常。仍在为唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)辩护的值得尊敬的人士（其人数越来越少）将他每日的异想天开归因于“钓鱼式挑衅”。他们说，他只是在故意激怒自由派人士。这种巴甫洛夫式的借口如今越来越站不住脚。在特朗普准备让一支庞大的美国舰队投入一场中东战争、而他自己说不清这场战争的目标之际，若要对地缘政治风险进行诚实的评估，就应该优先考察他那脱轨的精神状态。