State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) filed a Missouri Senate Resolution on Thursday, September 13 calling on the U.S. Congress to require every presidential candidate to undergo psychological screening.
She filed the resolution in response to President Trump’s latest comments on social media about the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
“3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000,” Trump tweeted.
“This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!”
Chappelle-Nadal, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, has dozens of family members on the island. One of her great uncles, Tony Torres-Nadal, a U.S. military veteran, died in the hurricane’s aftermath.
“America lost citizens, and I lost family in the deadly hurricane that struck Puerto Rico less than one year ago. This morning, the president lied about those deaths,” Chappelle-Nadal said in a statement, before directly addressing Trump himself.
“Mr. president – my uncle’s death is not a fiction, it is one of nearly 3,000 heartbreaking examples of a reality you refuse to acknowledge. That’s why, to ensure that our nation is led by people who can comprehend reality, I have filed a Senate Resolution requiring presidential candidates to undergo a mental health screening. Americans living with mental illness must have access to the care they need, including those serving in our highest office.”
Trump filed his 2020 reelection campaign with the Federal Elections Commission on January 20, 2017, the day he was sworn in as president before an atypically small crowd in Washington, D.C. As Trump is an official candidate in 2020, he would be required to undergo a mental health evaluation if Congress implements the reforms detailed in Sen. Chappelle-Nadal’s resolution.
