“Trump Was in Decline”: Pelosi’s New Book Details Concerns About Former President’s Mental State

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) new book claims she spoke with a doctor who indicated that then-President Donald Trump “was in decline.” The Guardian, which obtained an early copy of Pelosi’s book, describes a 2019 memorial service for prominent psychiatrist Dr. David Hamburg, where numerous mental health experts were present. According to the book, a succession of experts at the funeral expressed their “deep concern that there was something seriously wrong” with Trump and that his mental and psychological health was deteriorating.

“I’m not a doctor,” the ex-speaker writes, “but I did find his behaviors difficult to understand.” She clarified that she did not solicit comments about Trump’s mental capacity and fitness. At other points in the book, The Guardian notes, Pelosi referred to Trump as “imbalanced” and “unhinged.”

“I knew Donald Trump’s mental imbalance. I had seen it up close,” Pelosi writes, referencing the events of January 6, 2021. “His denial and then delays when the Covid pandemic struck, his penchant for repeatedly stomping out of meetings, his foul mouth, his pounding on tables, his temper tantrums, his disrespect for our nation’s patriots, and his total separation from reality and actual events. His repeated, ridiculous insistence that he was the greatest of all time.”

Former Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who became Trump’s chief of staff, is described in the book as enabling Trump’s behavior by allowing him to “surreptitiously listen” to private meetings. Pelosi eventually banned cell phones from meetings in her office.

The book also recounts a late-night phone call from Trump, during which he blamed missile strikes he’d ordered on Syria on former President Barack Obama. “It’s midnight. I think you should go to sleep,” Pelosi remembers telling Trump.

Reflecting on January 6, Pelosi said she was often asked how she remained calm. “My answer is that I was already deeply aware of how dangerous Donald Trump was,” she explained. “He continues to be dangerous. If his family and staff truly understood his disregard for both the fundamentals of the law and for basic rules and if they had reckoned with his personal instability over not winning the [2020] election, they should have staged an intervention. Whether because of willful blindness, money, prestige, or greed, they didn’t – and America has paid a steep price.”

Pelosi also stated, “It was clear to me from the start that he was an imposter – and that on some level, he knew it.” She recalled discussions among Democratic leadership about asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for the removal of a president unable to discharge the duties of the office. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Vice President Mike Pence about the possibility.

“The vice president’s office kept us on hold for 20 minutes,” Pelosi said, noting she was at home at the time, “so I could also empty the dishwasher and put in a load of laundry.” Authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser wrote in their 2022 book that senior administration officials had serious concerns about Trump’s mental fitness almost immediately after he took office. Cabinet officials held tentative discussions “within months” of his taking office to consider invoking the constitutional mechanism for replacing him.

In recent times, Trump and other Republicans have spent the past year alleging that President Joe Biden is in mental decline and incapable of being president. The 81-year-old Biden would have been the oldest president in American history. However, upon exiting the race, Trump now becomes the oldest presidential candidate in history.