It’s day two of Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK and he’s the ultimate narcissist, says Melanie Tonia Evans, a leading global expert on narcissitic abuse – here are the signs and Trump has them all
What is truly unprecedented is that professional psychiatrists and psychotherapists – who are usually loathe to go on record stating anyone may have a psychiatric condition without an in-office diagnosis – have broken the ‘Goldenwater Rule’ and signed the ‘Duty to Warn’ petition against President Trump.
The group ‘Duty to Warn’, founded by influential psychotherapist Dr. John Gartner, has gathered nearly 60,000 signatures towards the goal of removing Donald Trump from office due to ‘serious mental illness, which render him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States.’
When Trump is called out as a liar, he switches onto demonising others
There are different levels of narcissism, ranging from healthy narcissism – having self-interest, which is not detrimental to others to unhealthy narcissism, which lacks concern for other people’s wellbeing and can at its worst be pathologically abusive. So, let’s look at this closely at the characteristics of the latter. Is President Trump a malignant narcissist?
1. Malignant superiority
Individuals with Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD) commonly suffer from delusions of grandeur, believing that they are unique, superior and above reproach.
Narcissistic grandiosity and grandstanding is a declaration and display of false power to cover up gross insecurities in a person’s psyche.
Donald Trump certainly believes he is ‘the answer’ for America and the world and that only he alone can create real and positive change.
Publicly we have seen that Donald Trump rarely gets through a speech without making it all about Trump – his intellect and alleged accomplishments.
2. Love-bombing
Love-bombing, in other words telling people everything they want to hear, is a tool that narcissists use to win the trust of people. Those who feel vulnerable are especially susceptible to this tool of manipulation.
Those who understand how victims are seduced by narcissists know that a common theme is that the narcissist appears to offer solutions that certain people can’t seem to generate in their own lives.
There is no doubt that many Americans feeling totally dissatisfied with their lot, wanted someone strong and bullish to do their bidding for them, sock it to the establishment and change the precedent that created a divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.
To a person who feels like they are empty, alone, lacking assertiveness skills or the ability to create a successful life, the promise of someone providing them with what’s missing is like finding an oasis in a desert. In this instance, that person are those that voted for Trump.
Scarily, the individual or collective who have elevated this person as their saviour can dangerously overlook disturbing behaviour and even abuse.
Just look at Adolf Hitler and Germany.
Donald Trump has sold himself to the American public as being the solution to terrorism, coperate establishments and other country dominance. Many Americans have slurped up his words readily.
3. Narcissistic arrogance
Unhinged actions, and narcissistic arrogance are what Donald Trump displays on a regular basis. When questioned about the legitimacy of his apparent worth, IQ or knowledge of affairs, he won’t substantiate his claims, which include saying he knows more about ISIS than military generals.
When he’s called out as a liar, he switches onto demonising others by hitting back and claiming such reports as ‘fake news’.
When confronted with the truth, Donald Trump displays a narcissistic unravelling. This is when narcissists are cornered, they retaliate with smearing, attacking or discrediting behaviour just like a vampire hisses when a bright light is shone on them. People with integrity and nothing to hide simply don’t behave like this. Donald Trump does.
When we are confronted by someone who grandstands and makes egocentric claims, rather than getting embarrassed or risk them getting upset or rejecting us, we honour ourselves in much healthier ways, if we determinedly seek the truth. If we can face those difficult conversations, calmly without being derailed, we will always expose a narcissist.
4. Needing constant attention
In the pursuit of narcissistic supply – this is the narcissist’s insatiable and pathological need for attention and acclaim – other people’s needs and a wider periphery just don’t exist.
Donald Trump has said that people expect him to detonate bombs, but instead they see him connecting favourably with world leaders who apparently ‘love him’ all of which give him the recognition of being a hero.
Those suffering with NPD need constant admiration and their ego fed by others. Donald Trump’s ‘He likes me’ thing, mimics a child seeking attention; remember when he winked inappropriately at Putin at the Helsinki summit for the world to see.
However what happens if Trump is held accountable for his arrogant childish behaviour or falls out of favour with someone?
Dangerously for a malignant narcissist, the urge to strike back if they suffer an ego injury (personal insult) is greater than the urge to receive accolades and recognition. At such a time there is little thought of consequence.
5. Excessive entitlement
So many of us who have been on the receiving end of narcissists will know that when we don’t agree with them or appease them by granting them the recognition or devotion their delusional sense of entitlement demands, they will turn on us viciously, discrediting and discarding us.
Donald Trump has been proven to carry this out mercilessly. He is known for his scathing infamous tweets tearing at the very fabric of people’s character, appearance and credentials demonstrated by his swift dismissals of key parliamentary and military figures.
The common denominator in all these cases is that these people questioned him, disagreed with him or challenged him. It seems that Trump is hellbent on surrounding himself with ‘yes’ people which extends to media representatives he allows to take over key parliamentary positions they have no prior experience in.
Amber Phillips, a political journalist wrote for the Washington Post: ‘The risk there is that Trump is creating a leadership team of people who are willing to say ‘yes’ to him or mould themselves after him rather than challenge him; people who make pleasing the president their main job rather than doing their jobs. And those very same people may be less qualified than those Trump doesn’t like.’
6. Non-existent empathy
Another big indicator of malignant narcissism is non-existent empathy. On the day of the September 11 attacks, Donald Trump when asked if a building he owned near the World Trade Centre had been damaged, responded that his building which was once the tallest building before the World Trade Centre was now once again the tallest because the World Trade Centre was gone. People were shocked and horrified that Trump was more concerned about this than the loss of 2,752 people’s lives.
Trump can’t bring himself to offer words of comfort. Instead, he retaliates with childish defences
Being empathic is certainly not a character trait that Trump has mastered. Apparently when empathy is required, Donald Trump carries a card with directions on how to act in order to be palatable for the media, which even then he struggles to pull off.
New York journalists state that Trump is well known for the last 30 years for being totally devoid of other people’s feelings and completely disinterested in their lives or hardships.
Trump’s indiscretions around his lack of empathy are numerous. They include praising a politician who body-slammed a reporter, insulting women for being too ugly for him to assault, poking fun at a disabled journalist, mocking a sexual abuse survivor and saying that African–American women have ‘low IQ’s’. These are only a few of the many incidences on record.
In talking with grieving parents and spouses, Trump can’t bring himself to recognise their pain or offer any words of comfort instead retaliating with childish defences or scathing critiques toward anyone who notices and calls him out on his obscene inhumanity.
7. Exploitation of others
Trump displays signs of not just being a narcissist, but someone with a sociopathic disposition; blind to other people’s pain and misfortune and also capable of exploiting them.
He likes to let the public know about every manner of terrorist threat, exploiting people’s fears and capitalising on their tragedies – stating that he is the solution and will unleash a military power never seen before to wipe out terrorism, shown when he says, ‘America will bomb the hell out of ISIS.’
8. Zero accountability or remorse
Another great warning sign of a malignant narcissist is that they refuse to be accountable for their wrongdoing, admit they made a mistake or show any remorse for people they may have harmed.
Donald Trump often makes mistakes and can’t own up to them. Instead he makes delusional claims of success in these situations. Trump’s non-accountability and delusional immaturity is blatant and embarrassingly obvious for all to see.
Donald Trump often makes mistakes and can’t own up to them
Notably after Puerto Rico’s hurricane, when the federal government drastically overlooked the needs of the people and undercounted the death toll, Trump responded with this tweet ‘I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful…I actually think it was one of the best jobs that’s ever been done.’
The mayor of San Juan, in response to the people who passed away and were left homeless for months replied in her tweet, ‘Success? Federal response according to Trump in Puerto Rico a success? If he thinks the death of 3,000 people is a success God help us all.’
9. A dangerous, delusional leader
Malignant narcissism, as Dr Garner and over 60,000 other health professionals are inferring Trump is, if correct, means that the President of the United States of America is pathologically self-absorbed and his motivations are for one purpose alone– to serve himself.
As such the sought-after drug of fame, entitlement and attention are the sole drivers for this individual and he will do anything to achieve them – even committing criminal, senseless and dangerous acts with no regard for the consequences to others or ultimately himself.
Donald Trump is neither sane, caring, credible or healthy enough to be the leader of the modern world
It certainly appears that Donald Trump is neither sane, caring, credible or healthy enough to be the leader of the modern world. It’s clear that his disordered thinking includes believing he is far superior to any other human being and entitled to whatever he wants to do or say, and that his psyche will not tolerate shattering this illusion with reality.
Trump’s bad behaviour was tolerated and even rewarded in business, as hubris often is. Many people gravitate towards and pander to flourishing individuals who are narcissistic especially when they hold the promise of success and money.
However, is Donald Trump’s arrogance and bullying, rather than acquired knowledge, planning and strategy, and the ability to receive input and compromise, a solution to the world’s issues, or a time-bomb ready to be set off at any time threatening the safety of humanity?
Personally, I subscribe to Dr Gartner’s words, ‘the person in control is out of control’.
Melanie Tonia Evans is the author of new book You Can Thrive After Narcissistic Abuse available on Amazon and in all good book stores. She is considered to be the world’s leading online authority on narcissistic abuse recovery. See her YouTube videos here.
As a survivor of Narcissistic Abuse herself, she is the founder of Quanta Freedom Healing (QFH) and the Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Program (NARP). Through her programmes, Mel has helped thousands of people worldwide – there are now over 20,000 graduates of the Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Program who are presently Thriving in abuse-free lives. To find out more visit: melanietoniaevans.com
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