DIAGNOSIS: O'Donnell recalls a better day!

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026

Why doesn't he do this now? Last evening, in his opening monologue on The Last Word, Lawrence O'Donnell recalled a (slightly) more forthright day.

In the course of his monologue, he made several glancing references to Peter Baker's recent front-page essay for the New York Times. Headline included, we recall the most interesting part of Baker's thumb-sucker pseudo-report:

Trump’s Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate

[...]

Mr. Trump’s stability has been a recurring issue since he first sought the presidency in 2016. Numerous psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have weighed in with their own opinions even without the opportunity to evaluate him. John F. Kelly, his longest serving White House chief of staff in the first term, even bought a book by 27 of those specialists called “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” in an effort to understand his boss and came to the conclusion that he was mentally ill.  

It's true! Way back in 2017, Yale psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee edited a best-selling book with that very title. 

In line with an ancient guild tradition, the Times disappeared Dr. Lee's book at that time. In his lengthy essay for the Times, Baker maintained a version of that tradition, as we noted in yesterday's report.   

Sad! In his lengthy report for the Times, Baker didn't quote any of the 27 medical specialists who contributed to Dr. Lee's book. Instead, he offered a fuzzy, weirdly unsourced account of what General Kelly allegedly concluded upon reading the best-selling book.  

Twenty-seven medical specialists were thereby kicked to the curb. Readers were offered only the alleged assessment of General Kelly, who's highly regarded for his integrity but isn't a medical specialist! 

So it goes as journalistic children like Baker take their crayons and continue to color within the lines. Last evening, a form of this refusal to serve was present for the world to see at the start of The Last Word. 

Is it possible? Is it possible that President Trump is suffering from certain forms of mental illness which may, in fact, be immensely dangerous?  

It seems to us that the obvious (possible) answer is yes! But then, we aren't medical specialists either, any more than General Kelly (or Lawrence O'Donnell) is.

Early in last evening monologue, O'Donnell recalled a better day. He recalled the time when he was willing to interview medical specialists about the president's mental health.

It's been years since MSNBC / MS NOW presented transcripts of their primetime "cable news" programs. They suspended that practice years ago, we presume for the obvious reason.

For that reason, we can't direct you to a transcript of O'Donnell's monologue last night. But thanks to this videotape, you can watch the monologue—and at roughly 10:05 p.m., you'll see O'Donnell say this:  

O'DONNELL (4/15/26): If Donald Trump ever did talk to people that are "deep into the psychological world," he is just statistically likely to be speaking to someone who thinks Donald Trump has very serious mental problems, as described in the book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, which was featured on the program in the first year of Donald Trump's first presidency. 

As he continued, O'Donnell described the overall structure of that long-ignored book. He then recalled the way his own program occasionally functioned, way back when The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump appeared: 

O'DONNELL: In his very first appearance on this program, in the second month of Donald Trump's presidency, ten years ago, former Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Lance Dodes said this: 

DR. DODES (videotape, 2017): Lying in the way he does it—repeated, dangerous lying—makes him unfit and is a sign of serious mental disturbance... 

Serious mental disturbance! The fact that he said it doesn't mean that it's right. But that's what Dr. Dodes said on the air, in prime time,, way back in 2017.

Dr. Dodes was one of the contributors to Dr. Lee's disappeared book. As you can see if you watch the tape of last evening's show, that statement by Dr. Dodes went on at some length from there. 

Soon, though, you'll see O'Donnell present a more significant statement by Dr. Dodes—a statement from January 2021: 

O'DONNELL: Professor Dodes returned to this program three days after the January 6th attack and said this:

DR. DODES (videotape, 2021): A delusional psychopath who has been the same his whole adult life, and who we knew would get worse the more stress he was under, because that's what happens with people with this kind of severe disorder. ...He is going to continue to get worse.

He is going to continue to get worse! That's what the experienced specialist said!

There's a great deal more to what Dr. Dodes said that day. We'll suggest that you watch the tape of last night's program to see his fuller statement—his fuller statement from January 2021.

That said:

He is going to continue to get worse, the medical specialist said at that time. 

Many people seem to think that some such downward spiral is now underway—and five years later, in late February of this very year, a second medical specialist went on CNN in prime time and said this:

ERIN BURNETT (2/26/26): You've known him your whole life. Do you actually see a [cognitive] decline?

MARY L. TRUMP: I do, but I think it's important to remember that Donald has never been fit in any capacity. Obviously, what we're dealing with now are age-related cognitive declines. We're dealing with physical issues that the White House tries to cover over.

But this is somebody who for decades now has had serious, undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric disorders, which are only going to worsen, especially given the pressure he's under and given the cognitive and physical declines.  

The fact that she said it doesn't mean that it's true. But her famous uncle's medical problems "are only going to worsen," this second specialist said. 

Under the circumstances, that sounds like an extremely dangerous state of affairs. And yet, how strange! 

From that day to this, we've seen no one say a word about what Mary L. Trump said on CNN that night. Any by the way, Lawrence O'Donnell no longer interviews medical specialists about the president's medical / mental condition.

 Back then, O'Donnell would (occasionally) speak with Dr. Dodes. But those days are long, long gone.

Last evening, O'Donnell recalled an earlier day—a time when he would actually interview actual medical specialists right there on The Last Word. The following fact went unexplained:

At the New York Times, and on The Last Word, those days are long, long gone!

Tomorrow: An imitation of journalism, an imitation of life