A forensic psychiatrist who has spent years questioning President Donald Trump’s mental fitness is now calling for something far more serious than a public debate. She says Trump has lost his grip on reality and needs “immediate, even hospital-level, care.” Her demand is not coming alone — it is backed by a formal statement signed by 36 medical professionals, and the White House fallout has been absolutely savage.
Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a former Yale School of Medicine faculty member and one of the most recognized voices in forensic psychiatry, made the statement to The Independent. She joined 36 physicians and mental health experts who collectively signed a letter demanding Trump’s “immediate, lawful removal from office for medical reasons.” The group made clear this was not a political move — it was a medical one.
“I believe it is no longer difficult for even the average person to see that he is in need of immediate, even hospital-level, care,” Lee told The Independent.
Thirty US psychiatrists and other doctors specialising in mental health have signed a statement declaring President Donald Trump mentally unfit to serve, warning that his ability to launch nuclear weapons is a “danger” to the worldhttps://t.co/BthiSBAIQl— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) May 11, 2026
The doctors stopped short of offering a formal clinical diagnosis. Instead, they described what they called a clear and visible pattern of public behavior. They argued this pattern alone was enough to declare Trump unfit to hold the most powerful office in the world.
Their letter outlined Trump’s “bizarre and impulsive behavior” as one of their core concerns. They also cited his “rambling digressions,” “factual confusions,” and what they described as “deeply impaired judgment.” On top of that, they pointed to his sudden and unexplained reversals on major national and international decisions, behavior they said had become impossible to ignore.
The doctors were especially alarmed by one specific risk — Trump’s unchecked access to nuclear weapons. The current system allows a president to decide the time and target of a nuclear launch with no independent oversight or approval required. The group said that handing that kind of power to a mentally unstable leader is, in their words, a “clear and present danger” to the entire world.
The Senate offices of Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, both from Rhode Island, formally entered the doctors’ statement into the Congressional Record. According to materials published by Lee, this step gave the letter official standing in Congress. It was a quiet but significant act that ensured the warning could not simply be brushed aside.
Trump to a room full of doctors:
“They’ve got serious Trump Derangement Syndrome, which actually is a disease. I’m hearing it is actually a disease!” pic.twitter.com/vwi5cHooaV— FactPost (@factpostnews) May 11, 2026
Lee is not a new voice in this conversation. She edited the 2017 book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, which brought together essays from dozens of psychiatrists and mental health professionals analyzing Trump’s behavior during his first term. She has continued raising alarms ever since his return to power, and this latest statement represents her most urgent call yet.
This renewed wave of concern is arriving at a particularly charged moment in American politics. Trump is approaching his 80th birthday in June, making him the oldest sitting president in United States history. Questions about his cognitive health and physical condition have been growing louder, and the timing of the doctors’ statement has only turned up the heat on an already intense national conversation.
The White House announced that Trump is scheduled for a combined medical and dental checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 26. It will be his fourth publicized visit to medical professionals since returning to office. Rather than calming public concern, the announcement has sharpened scrutiny even further.
Trump himself has pushed back firmly on any suggestion that something is wrong. During an Oval Office event this week, he told reporters that he feels exactly as he did half a century ago. “I feel literally the same,” he said, according to The Associated Press, dismissing health questions as nothing more than a coordinated smear campaign.
Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, Trump’s personal physician, said after Trump’s April 2025 physical that he was “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief. Barbabella also noted that Trump had lost 20 pounds since a 2020 checkup. Trump separately mentioned a CT scan at Walter Reed in October that showed no cardiovascular abnormalities, according to Reuters.
Still, visible bruising and discoloration on Trump’s hands have drawn steady and growing public attention in recent months. The White House attributed the marks to frequent handshaking and his daily aspirin regimen. The explanation has done little to quiet critics who believe the public deserves far more transparency about the president’s health.
The doctors’ statement also arrived just days before constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein and longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader sent their own formal open letter to Congress. They called for new legislation under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, which outlines a legal process for transferring presidential power when a president is unable to fulfill the duties of office. The letter added another layer of institutional pressure onto an already mounting crisis.
The White House has rejected all of these claims in full. Trump and his allies continue to dismiss every question about his mental fitness as partisan theater, pointing to his public schedule and official health reports as proof he remains capable of governing. They have branded the doctors’ concerns as nothing more than opposition dressed up in medical clothing.
But the doctors are not backing down, and neither is the pressure building around them. They have made their meltdown moment impossible to ignore, they have put their names on the record, and they have forced a conversation that the White House would clearly prefer to shut down. Whether Congress acts or not, the fallout from this statement has already begun reshaping how millions of Americans think about the man sitting in the Oval Office.
