A Nobel Prize-winning psychiatrist is among a group of doctors calling for the removal of a sitting US president – not through impeachment, not through election, but through a constitutional process that has never once been used to actually remove someone from the White House. The process is real. The signatures are real. Whether anyone in power pays attention is another matter entirely.
The physician at the center of the statement is Dr. Henry David Abraham, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, and a former member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a federation of medical organizations that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. Dr. Abraham is serving as spokesperson for a much larger group, and what that group is saying has now become part of the official record of the United States Senate.
On April 30, 2026, a group of 36 physicians and mental health professionals issued a statement calling for President Donald J. Trump’s immediate, lawful removal from office for medical reasons, declaring that his mental instability, coupled with his sole, unchecked authority to launch nuclear weapons, makes him a clear and present danger to the safety of all Americans. The question of who signed it, what they said, and why it matters enough to override one of medicine’s most firmly held ethical norms is what the rest of this article covers.
Who the Doctors Are – and What They Observed
The submission is backed by 36 physicians and mental health professionals, including neurologists, forensic psychiatrists, and other specialists. The full roster of signatories includes clinicians from Harvard, Columbia, Tufts, and George Washington University, along with figures such as Eric Chivian, identified in the statement as co-founder of IPPNW and a 1985 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The statement is titled “Medical Concerns about President Donald J. Trump and His Fitness for Office” and opens by declaring it is not a political statement – it is a medical one, made by individuals identifying as both Republicans and Democrats, from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and religions.
The group is explicit that it has not examined the president in person and is not offering a formal clinical diagnosis, with its assessment based on public behavior and statements, which the signers argue are sufficient to raise serious red flags about fitness.
Their observations are clinical in their framing. Objectively observable signs cited in the statement include marked deterioration in cognitive functioning, evidenced by disorganized and tangential speech, rambling digressions, factual confusions, unexplained sudden changes of course in strategic matters both national and international, and episodes of apparent somnolence during critical public proceedings.
The statement goes further than disordered speech. It also cites grandiose and delusional beliefs, including assertions of infallibility, imagery of himself as Pope suggestive of a divine mission, depictions of himself as a mythical warrior hero and combat pilot, and claims that his decision-making authority is unlimited, constrained only by his “own morality.” The signatories described Trump’s behavior as a “rapidly worsening, reality-untethered, increasingly dangerous decline,” concluding that he is “mentally unfit” to hold the presidency.
Trump Mental Fitness Doctors: The Pre-Election Warning That Came First
This isn’t the first time these physicians raised concerns. Prior to the presidential election in fall 2024, a statement assessing Trump’s mental fitness was issued identifying serious signs of cognitive decline, which the experts argued warranted disqualification from office. Their 2026 statement concludes that his mental state has deteriorated even further since then.
That 2026 document builds on a longer history of psychiatric concern around Trump. The Goldwater Rule – named after Barry Goldwater – has governed how mental health clinicians belonging to the American Psychiatric Association discuss public figures since 1973. The APA adopted the rule after the 1964 presidential campaign, when a magazine polled over 12,000 psychiatrists and published responses from more than 1,000 declaring Goldwater psychologically unfit for office without examining him. The rule prohibits psychiatrists from offering professional opinions on the mental health of public figures without conducting a personal examination and obtaining proper authorization.
The doctors who signed the 2026 statement navigate around that ethical norm deliberately. They explicitly state they are not offering a diagnosis, and by framing their concern as a public health and national security warning rather than a clinical assessment of a patient, they argue the Goldwater Rule’s protective intent does not apply here. The move is contested within the medical community.
A 2017 book edited by psychiatrist Bandy Lee, titled “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” brought together 27 psychiatrists and mental health professionals to document warning signs in Trump’s behavior – a precursor to the more formal medical declaration now embedded in the Congressional Record.
Why the Nuclear Codes Are Central to the Argument
The doctors warn that the US maintains more than 5,000 nuclear warheads, and that the president retains sole authority to launch them. According to a 2026 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists report, the United States stockpile stands at approximately 3,700 warheads, with roughly 1,770 deployed and 1,930 held in reserve. As confirmed by the Britannica entry on US nuclear weapons, the president holds sole authority over that arsenal – making cognitive fitness a national security question, not merely a medical one.
Dr. Abraham made this argument publicly as spokesperson for the group, describing two reasons for acting: the observable cognitive and emotional changes in the president, and the fact that only one person in the nation can launch a nuclear war.
How It Became Part of the Congressional Record
On April 30, 2026, the statement was formally submitted to the US Senate by Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, both of Rhode Island, giving it official legislative standing. Entering a document into the Congressional Record does not trigger any automatic legal process, but it ensures the warning is permanently embedded in the formal record of government.
The statement was also released by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. That organization’s connection to Dr. Abraham adds specific weight to the document: according to the Nobel Prize organization’s own records on IPPNW, Dr. Abraham co-authored the IPPNW’s constitution and is a co-recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize tied to that work.
What the Doctors Are Actually Asking For
The physicians urged invocation of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, a constitutional mechanism that allows the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretaries to declare a president unable to perform his duties. If invoked, the vice president would assume presidential powers unless Trump contested the move, in which case Congress would be required to decide the outcome within a set timeframe.
No president has ever been removed through the 25th Amendment. The political requirements are enormous: the vice president and a majority of sitting Cabinet secretaries would need to act together, and if the president disputes the declaration, Congress must resolve the question under significant time pressure.
Read More: Melania Trump Allegations Explode: What We Actually Know
The White House’s Competing Assessment
Trump’s annual physical, conducted April 11, 2025, produced a memorandum from White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella concluding that Trump is “fully fit” to perform the duties of the presidency and remains in “excellent health.” The report included details of laboratory work, physical examinations, and a cognitive screening test.
Trump again passed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a short screening tool designed to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. A score of 26 or higher out of 30 is considered normal. Critics note that passing a brief screening does not rule out the subtler behavioral and cognitive patterns described in the doctors’ statement. The external physicians’ claims rest on observable behavior over time – not on the result of a single standardized test.
Trump has become increasingly focused on cognitive testing, touting that he has taken the MoCA three times since he was first elected in 2016, and in recent weeks bragged about successfully identifying and naming a bear during a test while emphasizing his intelligence. The public remains skeptical of official reassurances. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted April 24-28, 2026, 59 percent of US respondents said that Trump does not have the mental sharpness it takes to lead the country, while 40 percent said the president is mentally equipped for leadership.
What to Do With This Information
Thirty-six physicians, including a Nobel laureate, placed their professional reputations behind a formal warning submitted to the United States Senate. They are not diagnosing. They are not treating. They are making a public safety argument – with their names and credentials attached – about the person holding sole authority over the most powerful nuclear arsenal on earth.
Their conclusion is stated plainly in the document: they describe a “rapidly worsening, reality-untethered, increasingly dangerous decline” and say that if called upon under the 25th Amendment to judge the president’s present ability to discharge the duties of his office, they would conclude he lacks the capacity to do so. Whether that conclusion reflects sound clinical reasoning or overreach into politics depends on how you weigh observable behavior against the ethical norms that prohibit diagnosis from a distance.
The medical case has been made and logged. The constitutional mechanism exists. What the 25th Amendment requires next is not physicians or senators – it requires the vice president and a Cabinet majority. As of now, there are no indications that either is considering it.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric, or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a licensed mental health professional, therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist with any questions or concerns about your emotional well-being or mental health conditions. Never ignore professional advice or delay seeking support because of something you have read here.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.
Read More: Barron Trump’s NYU College Experience: Secret Service, Video Games, and a “Ghostly” Presence