Chief of Staff Grew Concerned About Donald Trump's Mental Health Early in His Presidency: Book

Mar. 15, 2025

John Kelly (left), Donald Trump.Photo: Mike Theiler-Pool/Getty

In one passage, journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser report that John Kelly — who served as Trump’s chief of staff from July 2017 to January 2019 — secretly purchased a copy ofThe Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, a book in which mental health experts warn against electing Trump as president, in the administration’s first year.

According toThe Divider, “Kelly told others that the book was a helpful guide to a president he came to consider a pathological liar whose inflated ego was in fact the sign of a deeply insecure person.”

The authors also quote an unnamed senior official who seemingly shares the view that the former president has a mental health issue.

“I think there’s something wrong with [Trump],” the person is quoted as saying to the authors. “He doesn’t listen to anybody, and he feels like he shouldn’t. He just doesn’t care what other people say and think. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Kelly, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general, has occasionally voiced his views about Trump since leaving the administration in early 2019.

In 2020, Kelly made headlines when hesuggested that Trump was not the right man for the job, saying: “I think we really need to step back. I think we need to look harder at who we elect … What is their character like? What are their ethics? Are they willing, if they’re elected, to represent all of their constituents, not just the base, but all of their constituents? And then look at the politics.”

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Kelly has said that, despite Trump’sopen flirtation with launching another runfor the presidency in 2024, he does not personally believe it will happen.

“He’ll continue talking about it; he may even declare, but he will not run,” Kellysaid last year. “And the reason is he simply cannot be seen as a loser.”

source: people.com