A conservative New York Times columnist says Republican lawmakers privately expressed grave concerns about President Donald Trump’s mental health after a luncheon this week.

David Brooks tucked away a startling nugget in Friday’s column, which made a lengthy comparison between Trump and Steve Bannon’s takeover of the GOP and the Bolshevik takeover of Russia one century ago.

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“Trump and Bannon have filled the void with their own creed, which is anti-biblical,” Brooks argues. “The American story they tell is not diverse people journeying toward a united future. It’s a zero-sum struggle of class and ethnic conflict.”

Brooks argues that Americans have based their political, ethnic and moral identities on partisanship — and he cited the standing ovation Trump received from Republican lawmakers despite serious concerns, both outspoken and unspoken.

“The Republican senators went to the White House and saw a president so repetitive and rambling, some thought he might be suffering from early Alzheimer’s,” Brooks writes. “But they know which way the wind is blowing. They gave him a standing ovation.”