The Assassination Attempt on Past President Trump: Is Sudden Personal Change Possible?

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

We are near the end of the Republican National Convention and it is obvious to most everyone that it is different than expected. The change in tone and some content stems from the fact that presidential nominee Donald Trump was shot in an attempted assassination at a rally only 2 days before. The top of his right ear was wounded as he unexpectedly and, seemingly miraculously, turned his head away from what would have been a more lethal outcome from the perpetrator’s military-styled rifle. As he said afterwards:

“I’m not supposed to be here.”

Trump’s reaction has been focused upon by media speculation such as the article yesterday by Shadi Hamid in the Washington Post: “Is Trump’s near-death experience part of God’s plan?”¹ Hamid noted 1 change in that Trump says that his speech later today will be a change from a previously intended “brutal” one to one more unifying. We will see what that unifying means. Others have noted that he seems more subdued.

Hamid brings up some comparison to other thankfully unsuccessful political assassinations and their longer-term impact on the targets. One was the last such attempt in the United States, that being the shooting of President Reagan in 1981, soon after he took office. Reagan, not particularly religious beforehand, also thought that his survival was miraculous and part of God’s divine plan:

“Perhaps having come so close to death made me feel I should do whatever I could in the years God had given me to reduce the threat of nuclear war.”

By the end of his 8 years, he did so, helping to bring down the Berlin Wall and signing a major arms control agreement, the Intermediate Range Nuclear (INF) Treaty. He even prayed for his perpetrator as he said:

“Began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back into the fold.”

That prayer actually was fulfilled, as after a long psychiatric hospitalization, John Hinckley Jr. was released and has lived a quiet life.

On the other hand, after Egyptian head Gamal Abdel Nasser was targeted in 1954, he quickly said that he would live and die for the freedom of the people, but then instead ordered one of the most severe political crackdowns in his country’s history.

There are other near-death medical experiences. Often, those who have undergone them feel that they are on borrowed time and pledge to make a positive change for the world.

Other major life transitions, especially important relationship gains or losses, can trigger changes in personality, attitudes, and behavior. For me, I was voted Most Accident Prone in high school and then spent a week unconscious after a football injury as a freshman in college, only to become accident free after meeting Rusti, my wife of 56 years. A couple of years ago, the unanticipated need for a life-saving pacemaker (called Pacey) emerged; to my surprise, my cardiologist conveyed that I must have been saved because I—like she after breast cancer—was still needed in the medical world.

Sudden Personal Changes in Psychiatry

What at least appears to be sudden personal changes can also occur due to certain psychiatric disorders. One is what is called a psychotic break, where psychotic symptoms seem to intensify suddenly. Some of the effects may become chronic. Unexpected substance abuse effects can also cause sudden changes. Major trauma, including such assassination attempts, can be triggers to sudden personality alterations like increased irritability.

The “holy grail” of what could be a miraculous healing power in psychiatry would be treatment that could provide desired positive change, if not cure, quickly and safely. We have found that at times very brief psychotherapy can produce ongoing improvement. In regard to medication, psychedelics have that promise as there are so many anecdotal reports of major benefits and a sense of cosmic connection, often with accompanying supportive psychotherapy. Ketamine is one legally available.

Time will tell if Trump changes significantly. What path will he take, a potential legacy like Reagan, Nasser, or something in-between? Will he ask for any outside help along the way? The terrible irony of his shooting is that the Republican Party has been a strong advocate of gun availability, but he could try to reverse that. Regardless, especially if elected, but even if he is not, however he evolves or not will likely have enormous influence on the rest of us.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

Reference

1. Hamid S. Is Trump’s near-death experience part of God’s plan? The Washington Post. July 16, 2024. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/16/trump-assassination-attempt-god/