President Donald Trump suggested he is open to reviving long-shuttered “insane asylums” as part of his sweeping anti-crime agenda, reviving a controversial debate over mental health care and public safety.
In an interview with the Daily Caller released Monday, reporter Reagan Reese asked Trump whether the federal government should reopen psychiatric institutions for people with “serious mental illness.”
“Yeah, I would,” Trump replied, pointing to New York and California as examples of states that once had large asylum systems. “They released them all into society because they couldn’t afford it. You know, it’s massively expensive. But we had, they were all over New York. I remember when I was growing up, Creedmoor… Bellevue… and they were closed by a certain governor. They released them into society, and that’s what you have. It’s a rough situation.”
Many of those institutions, including Bellevue, were transformed into psychiatric hospitals or repurposed facilities after widespread criticism of abusive conditions and mistreatment of patients.
Trump’s comments follow his recent push to remove homeless encampments from major cities. Earlier this month, he ordered the immediate clearing of Washington, D.C. encampments and deployed the National Guard after assuming control of the city’s police department.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
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One Response
The Federal government has never operated “insane asylums” (mental health facilities as they are now called) except for military personnel or American Indians. These are all STATE controlled areas. The Federal government could offer money to the states, and argue in the courts for liberalizing the rules for involuntary commitments.