Dershowitz: ‘Pathologizing’ Political Differences With Trump ‘Dangerous to Democracy’

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz commented on speculation about President Trump’s mental state by arguing that pathologizing political difference endangers democracy and is what the Soviet Union, Apartheid South Africa, and the Chinese regime did.

Dershowitz said, “The only thing more dangerous than criminalizing political differences is pathologizing them. That’s what the Soviet Union did to dissidents. It’s what the Apartheid South African regime did, what the Chinese regime [did]. We should not go down that line of giving psychiatrists the power to use their political opposition to try to create a diagnosis. If you don’t like a president, vote against him. And believe me, they’ll go through every line of testimony. Somebody on your network just earlier today said he has Alzheimer’s, you should check the statements he made now against what he said ten years ago. Well, check the statements I made now against statements that I made ten years ago. I was a little brighter 10 years ago than I am today. That’s what happens when you get old. But the idea of trying to pathologize political differences is so dangerous to democracy.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett