Trump allies and experts alarmed as he claims leading 'hype man' is 'like my psychiatrist'

President Donald Trump refers to his fixer Boris Epshteyn as his informal “psychiatrist” — and his reliance on the personal special counsel deeply troubles insiders and experts alike.

“Epshteyn, the president's senior personal counsel, speaks with ‘the boss’ so often that Trump sometimes puts him on speakerphone without telling others in the room, two people familiar with the routine” reported to Axios on Monday. Trump has joked that Epshteyn is “like my psychiatrist," with Axios writing that Epshteyn “typically offers such enthusiastic support that it's like therapy for the president.”

One adviser told Axios that Epshteyn is "100 [percent] hype man and cheering section for POTUS. It's sometimes a bit much."

Trump is especially happy with Epshteyn because while working for Trump he “has won or forced settlements with ABC ($16 million), CBS ($16 million, plus public service announcements), Meta ($25 million), Google ($22 million) and X ($10 million).” They are also working on lawsuits against BBC, CNN, The New York Times, the Pulitzer Committee and The Wall Street Journal.

“In 2021, as Trump plotted his return to the White House at a time when many in his own party wanted him gone after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Epshteyn stuck by Trump's side along with Susie Wiles,” Axios reported. “She became Trump's top political adviser as Epshteyn handled legal affairs. Epshteyn became Trump's top counsel after the National Archives and President Biden's DOJ began criminally investigating Trump in the classified documents case.” Instead of taking a conservative approach to this litigation, Epshteyn was aggressive.

"What Boris advised and what the president did was frankly insane, completely risky," a Trump adviser said. "But it worked. That's why Boris is where he is."

Dr. Henry Abraham, a psychiatrist formerly of Tufts University, told AlterNet that Epshteyn is clearly not qualified to act as a psychiatrist, although he added Trump seemed to use the term informally. When asked if this offers insights into Trump’s state of mind, Abraham said that “what is most interesting to me is the power that Epstein has, who, if I remember correctly, is a notorious fabricator of the truth. And so it's yet another example, as far as I can tell, of Trump surrounding himself with yes men and cronies who prefer to embellish their own political position and power in the Oval Office over proper policy and honest advice.”

Epshteyn has so much power with Trump that he has been accused of offering “shakedowns” for potential Trump Cabinet officers in his second term. This allegedly includes seeking $30,000 to $40,000 a month from Scott Bessent to “promote” him (ultimately successfully) for treasury secretary, as well as a defense contractor who fears Epshteyn is retaliating against him after he refused to pay $100,000 a month to be connected to the White House.

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