Hard to believe, but this current administration’s term will come to an end someday. And when it does, there will be a lot of analysis and introspection, though maybe not on the part of the former President himself, who seems incapable of deep thought.
Many psychologists have already weighed in with diagnoses of malignant narcissism and possible signs of dementia. There’s also been a lot of focus on Donald’s upbringing. His father, Fred Trump , was by all accounts a domineering tyrant who abhorred weakness in other males, especially his sons. When his eldest, Fred Jr., bucked the old man’s insistence that he go into the family real estate business, the pressure drove him to alcoholism which eventually killed him. Fred Trump’s demeanor, which Donald seems to have inherited along with his racism, is mirrored in this famous scene from 1996’s “Shine”, in which piano prodigy David Helfgott endures relentless beatings and eventually overcomes crippling mental illness brought on by his father’s bullying.
Donald’s coping mechanism, on the other hand, was to emulate his father and do everything he could to please him. Now, by extension, he shows fealty and subjugation to all ruthless masculine dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un and will apparently bend over backwards to earn their flattery, which he interprets as mutual respect.
Donald’s daddy issues, paired with his bullying, projection, racism, and misogyny, make for a a psychologist’s dream case study which will be pored over for years to come. For most US citizens, his Presidency has been a slow-motion erosion of all the positive traits we used to associate with the Commander-in-Chief, and we’ll celebrate once it’s over.
For now, make sure you’re registered and commit to VOTE in the 2020 election, likely the most important in U.S. history.