Veteran journalist Carl Bernstein, best known for his coverage of the Watergate scandal, said on Sunday that those close to President Donald Trump think he is “out of control,” The Washington Examiner reported.
Speaking with CNN anchor Brian Stelter, Bernstein revealed that his White House sources often “whisper” about Trump’s “mood swings.”
Bernstein said that the “big underlying story” about the president is his mental and physical health.
“Looking at the president’s mental state, especially what his friends are seeing now, and they’re very concerned about his conduct,” he said.
“They say he’s out of control. Some of those I’ve talked to, that’s their words: ‘Out of control.'”
Bernstein posited that national security is at risk “if, indeed, the president is unstable.”
The legendary reporter added that a number of former Trump administration officials believe the president is unwell. Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster “all concluded that he’s unstable,” he said.
As Business Insider reported, Kelly apparently frequently clashed with the president, which led to his resignation. Mattis, who resigned in 2018, had a number of policy disagreements with Trump.
Earlier this month, Mattis penned a scathing column that criticized Trump’s handling of the protests over George Floyd’s death.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort,” the four-star general wrote.
McMaster was removed from his position in 2018 after reportedly having numerous disagreements with Trump.
According to Bernstein, information about Trump’s alleged issues is being withheld from the American public. The reporter said that the White House deliberately “covered up” information about Trump’s November visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
As The Washington Examiner noted, the White House said that the president participated in a routine examination. In June, Trump’s team stated that he remains in good health.
Trump and his allies are reportedly alarmed by former Vice President Joe Biden’s improving poll numbers, and the president has allegedly lashed out at his campaign manager Brad Parscale.
The commander-in-chief’s advisers apparently believe that the 2020 campaign needs a total reboot in order for Trump to catch up to the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
According to officials briefed on the matter, the Trump campaign is looking to adopt a more optimistic tone moving forward. The president’s team also plans on launching aggressive attacks against Biden.