February 09, 2017
State Sen. Daylin Leach is a no-holds-barred kind of guy.
After calling President Donald Trump a strange profanity more familiar across the pond than in the United States earlier this week, Leach suggested on Thursday afternoon that the commander-in-chief should carry a straitjacket.
The Democrat from Montgomery County posted an article to his Facebook on Thursday morning, concerning a U.S. congressman's intent to introduce legislation that would require a psychiatrist at the White House.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, offered: "... if there are questions about the mental health of the president of the United States, what may be the best way to get the president treatment?"
In his social media post, Leach said the legislation wasn't "a bad idea" and followed up with more unabashed anti-Trump commentary.
"Maybe they could also require the guy with the nuclear football to carry a straight jacket (sic)."
Leach's comment Thursday is much tamer than the one he made Tuesday that gained national attention for the state politician. Reacting to a comment the president made about a Texas lawmaker, Leach had suggested Trump "come after [him]" and called the president a "fascist, loofa-faced s***-gibbon" – a slang term whose origins are found in Scotland.
Steve Hoenstine, a spokesperson for Leach's office, said on Thursday that the Pennsylvania state senator has always been vocal about what's happening around the country, but has hardly ever garnered quite this much attention.
"Again, Sen. Leach comments on national politics and that usually involves Trump," Hoenstine said in regards to Thursday's post. "It's just another example of him, I think, trying to use humor a little bit to make a substantive point."
The president's detractors rallied around Leach after his original profane comeback, hailing him as a "hero" for having a "backbone" and calling Trump the expletive.
Hoenstine said the phones in Leach's office have been ringing off the hook and the voices on the other line are mostly positive.
In politics, that's not usually the norm, Hoenstine said.
"[Negative comments] really wear you down," he said. "It hurts morale and this has been the exact opposite. People are calling from around the country saying that they appreciate [Leach] standing up to Trump's bullying. We all feel reinvigorated by the outpouring of support."
