Donald Trump looks delusional or otherwise mentally ill after claiming he won a debate that was so one-sided it prompted an ex-GOPer to say "she emasculated him"

(Getty)

 

Is Donald Trump delusional, in addition to whatever other mental-health conditions he might have? A reasonable person might ask that question after Trump announced that he would not participate in another debate with Kamala Harris because -- and get this -- he thinks he won Tuesday night's debate, and therefore, has no incentive to engage Harris on the debate stage again.

I've given the Web a pretty good scouring the last 2-3 days, and I haven't been able to find any legitimate, objective news source who says Trump won Tuesday night's debate. For that matter, I haven't found any regular social-media mavens who seem to think Trump was the winner. As you might expect from Trump supporters, a few MAGA types have claimed their orange hero got a raw deal regarding fact-checking  from the ABC moderators. But that's about it so far. The Web is a big place, so it's possible I might have missed something. But for now, I haven't found any evidence that even Trump's most ardent supporters believe he won the debate. If Trump is so delusional or brazenly dishonest that he would try to claim victory in a debate he lost by a wide margin, what does that say about his character? What else might he try to claim as his own when the physical item or achievement belongs to someone else? Wouldn't this be outright theft or its civil equivalent?

Since Trump is an adjudicated rapist and a convicted felon awaiting sentencing -- which could include jail or prison -- can we trust anything he says or does? My answer is "No, we can't." Does that make him unfit to serve as president? My answer is "Yes, it does." More than 200 Republicans, including former members of Trump's White House staff, feel the same way and have publicly stated that they can longer support Trump and have vowed to vote for Harris. 

What possibly could make Trump think he won Tuesday night's debate? I can think of only one answer: Something is seriously wrong with the wiring in the guy's brain. That probably has been the case for months, maybe years, and it should be clear to almost all voting-age U.S. adults that Trump should never again be anywhere near the seat of power in the world's greatest democracy (which he wants to turn into an authoritarian regime, by the way.)

Here's a suggestion for anyone who doubts that: Between now and election Day (Nov. 5), I urge you to read as many books by Mary Trump, Donald's niece, a writer, and clinical psychologist -- who is strongly opposed to his efforts to return to the White House. I think it is safe to say no human being knows Donald Trump the way Mary Trump knows him, with the professional expertise and the personal background to understand the family dysfunction that produced him. Following is a list of  Mary Trump's  books. Together, they provide a load of insights about the man who wants to be our next president:

(1) Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man (Simon & Schuster, 2020). (This memoir rose to No. 1 on Amazon's bestsellers list, selling 1.35 million copies in its first week of release).

(2) The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal (St. Martin's Press,  2021). 

(3)  Who Could Ever Love You? A Family Memoir (St. Martin's Press, 2024)

Is Donald Trump afraid to debate Kamala Harris? That's how it looks from here.That's also how it looks to Mike Madrid, a former Republican whose debate reaction is covered in a Raw Story/BuzzFeed piece under the headline "Soooo, Donald Trump Shared Exactly Why He Doesn't Want To Debate Kamala Harris Again, And It's Quite The Statement" A separate Raw Story piece is under the headline "'She emasculated him': Ex-senior Republican says Harris left Trump 'embarrassed'." The following is from the two stories, which are the same, just published in two different places:

While we're all still reeling from Tuesday's historic and chaotic presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the two candidates have since shared their thoughts on a second match.

Previously, Trump agreed to debate his former race counterpart, President Joe Biden, twice ahead of the election. However, after debating Harris, the same cannot be said.

"Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris's campaign chair, said. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”

However, in a phone call with Fox News, Trump said, “When a fighter loses they say, ‘I want a rematch.'"

“I won the debate. I don’t know that I want to do another debate.”

Doubling down, he finished, "I’d be less inclined to because we had a great night."

Elsewhere, he repeated this sentiment in an interview with ABC News, saying, "Well she wants a second debate because she lost tonight, very badly."

Trump apparently said all that with a straight face. But it probably caused many political observers to convulse with laughter. In fact, one news site  already has said Trump emerged from the Harris debate as a "laughing stock." Does Trump's assessment have any connection to reality? Not according to the BuzzFeed/Yahoo! report:

According to CNN polling, debate viewers say Harris won the match 63% to 37%. (And that probably is being generous to Trump.)

But of course, the most important poll will always be the actual Election Day results.