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How concerns regarding high risks relating to nuclear weapons control and authorization systems are peaking now in Trump times
It is our professional opinion that Donald J. Trump is mentally unfit to be the President of the United States, and that steps to remove him from office must be undertaken with the greatest urgency.
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One of the most controversial aspects of nuclear weapons relates to the control and use authorization systems that exist in the nine nuclear weapon countries regarding who decides about the launch and destructiveness of the nuclear weapons to be used. The bigger reality of course is that as nuclear weapons are inherently so extremely destructive, any ‘safe’ weapon system simply does not exist and cannot exist. However, there can be a debate regarding which among the various systems is relatively safer. Again, there are difficulties in this debate as all the essential details of the nine existing systems are not known. Still, from what is known, we can say that the systems which over-centralize the decision in just one person and minimize possibilities of checks and balances are the most dangerous. Viewed from this perspective, the US system is likely the most dangerous, followed by the French system, although this can be stated only on the basis of the limited facts available.
In the USA, decisions relating to the use and destructiveness of nuclear weapons are concentrated in the President and cannot be vetoed or overruled by anyone else. In his exercise of these extensive and extreme powers, the President is assisted by the so-called ‘footballNuclear FootballA briefcase, also known as the presidential emergency satchel, that contains the codes and equipment necessary for the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers.’, a satchel that remains with the President wherever he or she goes. Inside this are papers called Presidential Emergency Action DocumentsPresidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADs)Pre-prepared executive orders, proclamations, and messages to Congress that would be invoked by the President during a national emergency, including those related to nuclear weapons use. that can be put into effect in any emergency situation that, in the judgment of the President, demands the use of nuclear weapons. Details given here include which nuclear weapons to use, what targets to hit, and estimated casualties likely to result. US nuclear forces maintain an arsenal of weapons on ‘Hair Trigger AlertHair-Trigger AlertA state of readiness for nuclear forces, meaning they are prepared for launch within minutes, often implying a high risk of accidental or unauthorized use.’ or ready for launch status. Following the directions contained in the ‘Football’, the President can launch tens or even hundreds of nuclear weapons within a matter of minutes.
It is in this context that it is extremely important for the US President to be essentially a person of peace, one who would truly try to avoid using nuclear weapons as much as possible and would use them only if, in his or her judgment based on all available evidence and the best possible advice, this has become clearly unavoidable. How many US Presidents can live up to this criteria of essentially being a person of peace, as judged on the basis of actual record? Does President Trump live up to this criteria? Another obvious essential condition is that the US President must be in very sound mental health. Did Joe Biden live up to this criteria? Does Donald Trump pass this criteria?
Recently, in May this year (2026), as many as 36 eminent physicians and other doctors with expertise in mental health came out with a detailed statement on President Trump’s mental health, which was released by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and entered into official records. This statement says, “We are a group of neurologists, forensic psychiatrists, general psychiatrists, and other physicians, along with other mental health professionals, experienced in the diagnosis of cognitive disordersCognitive DisordersA category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities such as learning, memory, perception, and problem-solving. and in evaluating dangerousness to self and othersDangerousness AssessmentA psychiatric or psychological evaluation to determine an individual’s potential risk of harming themselves or others, often used in legal or clinical contexts.. Among us are professionals to whom the courts and criminal justice system regularly turn for our expert opinion on these matters. We are also consulted by governments in matters related to national security and the psychological profiles of world leaders. Prior to the presidential election in the fall of 2024, a statement assessing Donald J. Trump’s mental fitness for the presidency was issued. At that time, serious signs of cognitive decline were identified, and in our expert opinion, these signs warranted disqualification from office. It is our professional opinion, based on previous and ongoing assessments, that Donald Trump’s mental state, since our 2024 statement, has deteriorated even further. In keeping with our professional ethics, and for those of us who are physicians, with the Declaration of Geneva—the successor to the Hippocratic Oath that binds us to the humanitarian principles of medicine since the Nuremberg trials—we are compelled to warn of a President of the United States who is increasingly a danger to the public. We do not take our statement, and the responsibility that comes with making it, lightly.”
This statement clarifies before proceeding further, “The President was not examined face to face, and he is not a patient of any member of our group. Rendering a formal diagnosis in this case is not our role. We have closely followed his behaviour and his statements over the past year.”
Now, pointing out the problems observed in Trump, these physicians say: “Objectively observable signs of serious medical concern include: Marked deterioration in cognitive functioning, evidenced by disorganized and tangential speech, rambling digressions, factual confusions, unexplained sudden changes of course in strategic matters, both national and international, and episodes of apparent somnolence during critical public proceedings.” during critical public proceedings.”
Other problems include: “Severely impaired judgment and impulse control, reflected in reckless threats of violence, advocacy of lethal force against civilians, encouragement of extrajudicial actions by armed supporters, repeated threats and often actions—judicial, prosecutorial, police, military, and by invoking emergency powers—against political opponents and others who disagree with him. Significant loss of self-control (dis-inhibition) and getting stuck on the same thoughts or actions, unable to let go or move on (perseverationPerseverationThe inappropriate persistence or repetition of a thought, word, or action after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased, often seen in cognitive disorders.), including seemingly compulsive, manic-like late-night communications—e.g., 150 social media posts in one night—fixation on perceived enemies, persecutory ideas, and prolonged, disproportionate attacks on specific individuals and institutions. Escalating violence that threatens national and global stability.”
Coming more specifically to nuclear weapons, this statement warns: “As Commander-in-Chief of our military—more than 5,000 nuclear warheads in intercontinental missile silos, on submarines, and in bombers around the world, are ready for launch solely upon his order, and no one now has the authority to countermand his order.”
Providing a previous example of such a high-risk situation, this statement tells us: “On August 7, 1974, as President Richard Nixon’s impeachment loomed, White House Chief of Staff, General Alexander Haig, was so alarmed by Nixon’s wandering the halls of the White House at night—sleepless, distraught, and heavily intoxicated, talking out loud to portraits of past presidents on the walls—that he alerted Defense Secretary James Schlesinger. Equally alarmed, Schlesinger directed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General George S. Brown, that any military orders from Nixon—especially nuclear ones—first be cleared through him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. It has been reported that the nuclear ‘‘football’’ that contains the codes for a nuclear launch was then quietly removed from Nixon’s control.”
Finally, this statement warns: “It is our professional opinion that the behaviors of Donald Trump, tragically, are neither momentary lapses nor political theater. It is our professional opinion that they reflect a rapidly worsening, reality untethered, increasingly dangerous decline. If we were called upon under the 25th Amendment to judge the President’s present ability to discharge the duties of his office, we would have to conclude that he lacks the capacity to do so. For the reasons cited above, emphasizing that he presents a clear and present danger to our country and to the world, it is our expert opinion that Donald J. Trump is mentally unfit to be the President of the United States, and that steps to remove him from office must be undertaken with the greatest urgency, with vital responsibilities on the shoulders of those in positions of leadership.”
Those who have signed this statement include Henry David Abraham, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, Tufts University School of Medicine; Bernard D. Beitman, M.D., Professor Emeritus and Former Chair of Psychiatry, University of Missouri School of Medicine; William Bernet, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; and 33 other eminent health professionals.
To balance the record, in all fairness it must be added that several eminent doctors at the White House who examine President Trump regularly believe or else have stated that that he is in good mental health.
Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Rift.
*Nuclear Weapons25th AmendmentDonald TrumpInternational SecurityMental HealthPresidential PowerUS Politics
