At the start of a new week for the - definitely not insane - Lawrence O’Donnell of MS NOW, the host of The Last Word spent another monologue against the War in Iran. The host used most of the allotted monologue time, which lasted about 15 minutes, with reference to President Trump as “mentally ill” and clearly “insane.” He also, somewhat bizarrely, claimed Trump lied and was childlike when he said Iran would want to “exterminate the world” if they had nuclear weapons.
After he once again accused Barron Trump of a felony, O’Donnell, as many others in the media did yesterday, kept his focus on comments in a Truth Social post about Pope Leo, who increased his messages against the Trump administration.
Late Monday Night, Lawrence O'Donnell called Trump's rhetoric that warns an Iran with nuclear weapons would want to "exterminate the world" a "demented lie." He also called it an example of Trump's "childlike understanding of nuclear weapons" and his "depraved stupidity." pic.twitter.com/1gnpAofL1v
— Nick (@nspin310) April 14, 2026
But in his attacks, he took issue with the President’s rhetoric in warning of an Iranian regime with nuclear weapons, as he called it a lie and “childlike”:
Donald Trump also told the demented lie, in attacking the pope, that Iran wants to, quote, “exterminate the world.”
Now, think of the level of depraved stupidity involved in that statement. Iran wants nuclear weapons, quote, “so they can exterminate the world,” end quote. That is Donald Trump's childlike understanding of nuclear weapons that has apparently not become even slightly more informed as a result of becoming president and being in control of nuclear weapons himself.
The “depraved stupidity” and “childlike understanding: of nuclear weapons?” But, of course, the country that chanted Death to America in its parliament would never use them against America or our interests around the world. And an Iranian attack against America or somebody else with nuclear weapons would not turn into a worldwide war that could threaten global life?
Of all the things to take issue with in Trump’s latest posts, this was the one that O’Donnell went after? Did he believe Iran would use nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes?
In a continuation of his 15-minute rant, the MS NOW host turned to call Trump insane as he quoted from a The New York Times article by Peter Baker, who said Trump’s “erratic behavior” has revived a “mental health debate.” The main point O’Donnell portrayed from the article pertained to former Chief of Staff John Kelly’s call of Trump as “mentally ill.”
After a long reading of Baker’s article, O’Donnell shifted to call the naval blockade related to the Straight of Hormuz as more proof of Trump’s insanity:
But if you are asking for more proof that Donald Trump is insane, there is his latest military announcement about the war he started with Iran without being able to explain why he started that war. Donald Trump has announced that the United States Navy will now blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
@nspin310 He then called the new US Naval Blockade of Iran "the single most foolish strategic shift in the history of American warfare” and asked if the move is “anything other than outright screaming insanity.” pic.twitter.com/q9rGzmlEPU
— Nick (@nspin310) April 14, 2026
He called the blockade “the single most foolish strategic shift in the history of American warfare” and then asked if the move is “anything other than outright screaming insanity.”
Maybe unknowingly to O’Donnell, the move has been suggested by some anti-Trump analysts, which include former advisor John Bolton and Morning Joe panelist Richard Haass, as a way to pressure Iran into a deal.
To close his rambling monologue, O’Donnell praised the Obama nuclear deal as the “greatest diplomatic achievement of our lifetimes” as he said Trump’s appearance at UFC in Miami, proves he’s mentally ill:
In another sign that Donald Trump is mentally ill, he was at an ultimate fighting festival in Miami because Donald Trump doesn't even know how to fake being presidential in time of war or ever. And Donald Trump doesn't know how to fake, at least appearing, to be sane.
O’Donnell’s constant monologues during the Iran conflict continued to reach different heights, as his questions about Trump’s sanity and the new seeming defense of Iran brought questions about his own sanity. As the graphics behind him last week read, “He has gone insane,” along with “he’s out of control.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
MS NOW’s The Last Word w/ Lawrence O’Donnell
April 13, 2026
10:11:09 PM Eastern
(...)
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Donald Trump also told the demented lie, in attacking the pope, that Iran wants to, quote, “exterminate the world.”
Now, think of the level of depraved stupidity involved in that statement. Iran wants nuclear weapons, quote, “so they can exterminate the world,” end quote. That is Donald Trump's childlike understanding of nuclear weapons that has apparently not become even slightly more informed as a result of becoming president and being in control of nuclear weapons himself.
(...)
10:12:25 PM Eastern
O’DONNELL: And not one of those Republican Catholics in the House or the Senate had the courage to say, today, “I agree with the pope,” not one of them. Donald Trump's longest-serving White House chief of staff, former Marine Corps general John Kelly, according to a report in the New York Times today, concluded that Donald Trump was mentally ill. John Kelly reached that conclusion, possibly after learning about a book on this program that we featured repeatedly on this program, coauthored by mental health professionals called "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.”
The Times reports today, quote, “John F Kelly, his longest serving white house chief of staff in the first term, even bought a book by 27 of those specialists called The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, in an effort to understand his boss, and came to the conclusion that he was mentally ill.”
And that is not a six-inch headline in newspapers around the country and around the world tonight, Donald Trump was mentally ill, says chief of staff. Imagine if an Obama White House chief of staff, a Biden White House chief of staff, a Bush White House chief of staff, any any white house chief of staff had ever said that the president and the white house they served in was mentally ill. If that was said at any point in time during or after a presidency, it would be huge news. But now it's buried inside a longer New York Times article under the headline Trump's erratic behavior and extreme comments revive mental health debate.
The article shows a photograph of Donald Trump with a couple of his favorite people, Tucker Carlson, and then Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022. Just having the time of their lives. And now Donald Trump says both of those dear friends are, as he puts it, “low IQ.” Donald Trump says, quote, “they're nut jobs, troublemakers, and will say anything necessary for some free and cheap publicity.” And Donald Trump says that about them because they oppose his war in Iran.
Donald Trump's flip against those former friends is now counted in The New York Times today as one of the indicators of Donald Trump's, quote, “erratic behavior.” The Times quotes Donald Trump's threat to Iran last week, saying a whole civilization will die tonight, a threat that is in and of itself, a war crime.
And The Times turns to Ty Cobb, who was a white house lawyer in Donald Trump's first term, to quote him, telling Jim Acosta that Donald Trump is, quote, “a man who is clearly insane.” And that is from Donald Trump's former friend and lawyer. In The Times' assessment of Donald Trump's apparent cognitive decline, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer is quoted calling Donald Trump an “extremely sick person and unhinged.” And Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin's letter to the White House physician requesting an evaluation of Donald Trump is quoted, “noting signs consistent with Dementia and cognitive decline, and increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening tantrums.”
(...)
10:18:01 PM Eastern
O’DONNELL: But if you are asking for more proof that Donald Trump is insane, there is his latest military announcement about the war he started with Iran without being able to explain why he started that war. Donald Trump has announced that the United States Navy will now blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, recall that the day before Donald Trump's war began, the Strait of Hormuz was wide open to shipping of all kinds, and it has been during every other war in the Middle East. It was only because Donald Trump started a war against Iran that Iran decided on the strategy of closing the Strait of Hormuz.
And then, in the single most foolish strategic shift in the history of American warfare, Donald Trump's immediate goal in the war he started was then opening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before he started his war. And having failed completely to open the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump's next strategy was to say, I, Donald Trump, will close the Strait of Hormuz, will block the Strait of Hormuz.
So, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump wants them to open it. They won't open it. So Donald Trump says, “I will block it.” Is that anything other than outright screaming insanity? Centcom had to correct Donald Trump's public declaration about his intention of blocking the Strait by - to say - Centcom’s correction was to say that the United States Navy was going to not blockade the Strait of Hormuz, but blockade or try to blockade ships entering and exiting Iranian ports. If anything, not even clear that they're going to do that.
(...)
10:21:47 PM Eastern
And we got here because Donald Trump, in his first term, when his White House chief of staff thought he was mentally ill, tore up the greatest diplomatic achievement of our lifetimes. The deal, negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry and President Obama, in which Iran agreed not to develop nuclear weapons.
And this weekend, not surprisingly, Donald Trump's Vice President failed to reach an agreement with Iran on anything. It would have been considered a huge victory for JD Vance to achieve even half of what John Kerry and our next guest, Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman, achieved in their negotiations with Iran.
And where was Donald Trump during the crucial moments of this weekend's negotiations with Iran? In another sign that Donald Trump is mentally ill, he was at an ultimate fighting festival in Miami because Donald Trump doesn't even know how to fake being presidential in time of war or ever. And Donald Trump doesn't know how to fake, at least appearing, to be sane.
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