Democrat resolution demands Trump undergo evaluation to see if he is mentally fit

The president has exhibited 'an alarming pattern of behaviour and speech,' the resolution says

Zoe Lofgren's resolution is likely to get little support in the Republican-controlled Congress

Donald Trump should undergo a psychiatric evaluation to see if he is mentally fit to be president, a new resolution from a Democratic member of Congress urges.

The resolution, introduced by California Democrat and Trump critic Zoe Lofgren, says “an alarming pattern of behavior and speech” from Mr Trump suggests the president could suffer from a “mental disorder” that renders him unable to serve.

It urges administration officials to enlist medical professionals who can “determine whether the President suffers from mental disorder or other injury that impairs his abilities and prevents him from discharging his constitutional duties.”

“Many Americans, including many Republicans, have observed the President's increasingly disturbing pattern of actions and public statements that suggest he may be mentally unfit to execute the duties required of him,” Ms. Lofgren said in a statement accompanying the resolution.

Already a vocal opponent of Mr Trump, Ms Lofgren earlier this week wrote on Twitter that “something is seriously wrong with President Trump” after the president drew a moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and leftist protesters who were mowed down by a car in Charlottesville. Her resolution is unlikely to gain much traction in Republican-controlled Congress.

Ms. Lofgren’s invocation of the 25th Amendment, which sets up a succession of power for when a president becomes “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” adds to a mounting drive by Democrats to remove Mr Trump from office. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, said earlier this week he planned to introduce articles of impeachment in light of Mr Trump’s “response to the horrific events in Charlottesville.”

But questions about the president’s mental state go beyond a partisan divide. Earlier this year, the American Psychoanalytical Association told its members they should feel free to comment on the mental health of public officials. Dr. Prudence Gourguechon, a Chicago psychiatrist and past president of the association, said to STAT News that “Trump’s behavior is so different from anything we’ve seen before.”

A note from Mr Trump’s doctor, released in September, said the then-candidate was “in excellent physical health.” It made no mention of mental illness.