How to best explain Donald Trump? Narcissist? Check. Egomaniac? Check. Industrial strength jerkweek? Yep, that too. But there are genuine psychological terms for what drives Trump and why he’s the way he is. So let’s lay the foundation for a better understanding of the 2016 GOP frontrunner.
Narcissism-“Mine, mine, mine. All mine!”
Harvard professor and researcher Howard Gardener classifies Trump as a “textbook narcissist.” Trump fits the definition so perfectly that clinical psychologist George Simon remarked:
“He’s so classic that I’m archiving video clips of him to use in workshops.”
As such, Trump is in the same mold as Napoleon, Muammar Gaddafi, and Saddam Hussein. Not exactly the company you want to be associated with as you seek to become one of the most powerful men in the world.
But what makes someone a true narcissist? According to the Mayo Clinic, narcissistic personality disorder is:
“A mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.”
Lack of empathy is clearly evidenced in Trump’s statements about Mexicans being drug dealers and rapists, as well as in his remarks regarding not allowing Muslims into the United States if elected to the White House.
Delicate Self-Esteem–“What Did You Say?!”
Another component of narcissistic personality disorder is that underneath the arrogant exterior, most narcissists have a fragile sense of self-esteem which does not tolerate criticism of them. In Trump’s case, just think about the nasty things he said about Megyn Kelly shortly after the first GOP debate in 2015. He snidely said that Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.” Recall that Kelly had asked tough questions of the Donald and he did not appreciate that one little bit.
Leaders And Narcisissm–“Off With Their Heads!”
While Trump’s flamboyant and self-absorbed personality may have help him succeed in the cutthroat world of business, were he to become president, it could easily make him incredibly dangerous.
Just imagine that Vladimir Putin pisses off Trump or does something that rubs him the wrong way. Trump has the world’s best military and a nuclear arsenal at his disposal. He might use them as a means of getting even with Putin or any other world leader that did not give him the respect he feels he so richly deserves. So because someone makes fun of Trump’s hamster hair, we might well wind up with World War III.
Gonna Pass On That
There are probably ten thousand reasons why Donald Trump is unfit to be President of the United States. But the most serious and most telling is the underlying personality disorder which afflicts him. Trump is dangerous, and he should never ever be given the reins of power to this nation.
