(ThyBlackMan.com) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), describes Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as, “A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following characteristics:”
- Inflated self-esteem or a grandiose sense of self-importance or superiority
- Craving admiration
- Exploitative relationships (i.e., manipulation)
- Little to no empathy
- Identity is easily disturbed (i.e., can’t handle criticism)
- Lack of attachment and intimacy
- Feelings of depression or emptiness when not validated
- A sense of entitlement
- Can feel like others are envious of them, or may envy others
A Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) individual may also “experience intense emotions or engage in extremely impulsive, theatrical, promiscuous, or law-breaking behaviors.” According to authors Phillip Zimbardo and Rosemary Sword, contributors to the New York Times bestseller book: The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, “The narcissist looks down on others from his lofty pedestal. The narcissistic personality frequently appears to be a conceited, pompous braggart who dominates conversations and has a sense of entitlement. He wants the best of whatever is available, and when he doesn’t get his way, he may become annoyed or angry. Narcissists can’t handle criticism of any kind and will belittle others or become enraged or condescending to make themselves feel better when they perceive they are being criticized. It’s not unusual for a narcissistic person to be blind to his own behavior because it doesn’t fit his view of his perfect and dominant self. Interestingly, what lies underneath this personality type is often very low self-esteem.”
It is not an overstatement to say that former president Donald Trump is indeed the textbook perfect example of a person with an extreme Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Trump has displayed and continues to display all of the (listed above) 9 characteristics of a malignant NPD person.
What Causes Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?
Like most mental health conditions, the exact causes of NPD are unknown, but it can be influenced by various factors such as a person’s upbringing; for example, being overly praised or overrated by parents, peers, or teachers. The opposite can be true, learned behaviors in early childhood, such as a lack of empathy and manipulation, can result in NPD. A child being abused, neglected, or constantly criticized can also be a contributor that may lead to the attention-seeking behaviors that are characteristic of NPD. Some characteristics of NPD can also be inherited. Neurobiology and genetics can be a factor in developing NPD.
The NPD Era of Trumpism
Americans of all political persuasions are coming to grips with the reality that the country has moved into an era that has been termed, “Trumpism”—an era where it is okay for leaders to say and do anything—an era where moral character, common courtesy, and respect are no longer prerequisites or expected for national leaders.
In its Race Issue, National Geographic magazine examines the state of race relations in the United States. White extremists distressed by the demographic shifts in the country have been looking for someone to save them from the progression of minority classes, someone to help them take their country back from—blacks, Hispanics, gays, Jews, migrants, and the abortion pushers. And into that vacuum stepped an NPD leader by the name of Donald Trump who dared to say in public what his supporters had been feeling and saying in private.
The Obama Effect
When Trump ran for President in 2016, certain sectors of the country that supported him were very unhappy with having a black person as President. Their motto during the eight years of Obama’s presidency was, “We want our country back.” Instead of using the adage of “Taking Our Country Back” Trump cleverly revised it into a new slogan, that he stole from Ronald Regan, “Make America Great Again (MAGA).” However, the coded white supremacy message was the same.
From the very beginning of Obama’s presidency, Trump, being the DSM-5 textbook definition of an NPD person, saw an opportunity to benefit himself. He began fanning the flame of hate against President Obama by leading the birther movement, stating that President Obama should show his birth certificate to prove that he was born in America and thus have the right to serve as President.
Trump continued his message of hate, division, and bigotry throughout his campaign. He tapped into the mostly white male blue-collar working-class psyche of thinking that they were being overlooked by politicians and losing their jobs and white privilege status to minority groups. His strategy worked. Although Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes, he won in the electoral college and thus became the 45th President of the United States.
A Narcissist’s Dream Come True
Being the president of the United States is a narcissist’s greatest dream come true. Trump was able to daily have his face on T.V. and his name in print. He got people to pay attention to him by simply sending out a tweet—which Trump faithfully did even before he was sworn in as the president. His rallies and “Thank You Tour” after he won the 2016 election and his constant campaign rallies for the past six years are not about the people—they are about Donald Trump. These rallies are a way for him to feed his NPD addiction for praise and adulation.
After losing the 2020 election, because of his Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD), Trump could not admit that he had lost the election. He did what any NPD person would do. He blamed others for his shortcomings. He started lying that the election was stolen from him. Even to this day, Trump continues to lie about the election.
Trump’s NPD Restless Impulsive Personality
Cassidy Hutchinson served as White House aide for then-Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, during the Trump administration. Her new tell-all memoir, “Enough,” is jam-packed with damning accounts of former president Donald Trump’s NPD actions and behavior while he was in the White House.
Hutchinson stated that she “noticed that his (Trump) eyes often wandered the room when the meetings outlasted his attention span.” She said that Trump was the worst person to lead the country through the COVID-19 pandemic because, “he lacked empathy and was stubborn and impatient. He had a restless impulsive personality.” She called him, “an unhinged chief executive, willing to overturn the will of the people and plunge the country into chaos and violence on the advice of crazy people. For what? To avoid the embarrassment of conceding an election he knew he had lost? That is who he is (page 321).”
In an exclusive interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, concerning the January 6 insurrection, Hutchinson stated, that Trump is, “a man who at the very essence of his being almost destroyed democracy in one day — and he wants to do it again. He wants to become president to do it again.”
Clearly, Trump is not the only person who is inflicted with NPD. This condition appears to be prevalent among some who has bought into the MAGA philosophy of Trumpism. The mob who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, is a perfect example of this.
Hutchinson stated that in the past she had not made a break with Trump or spoken out about what she had witnessed while working in the White House concerning Trump’s behavior because of threats to her life. “To be frank, I was scared at times to make that break. I had seen what happened to some of my former colleagues who had made that break and how they became the subjects of the vitriol and the vile rhetoric that comes out of Mr. Trump and his associates when you break with him.” … “That’s what he does to people that he thinks that speak out against or that detract from him and it’s one of the more dangerous things about Donald Trump. This is something we’ve seen time and time again and it shouldn’t have to be like this.”
Concerning Trump and his former cabinet, should Trump win in 2024, Hutchinson stated, “These people very well could be in power again and do we want people who have already shown that they’re willing and want to overthrow an election of a duly elected president which is the pinnacle of our democracy? Do we want to put people like that back in power? Do we want to put people back in power that have mishandled and have been shown to mishandle the most sensitive national security secrets that our nation has? You know, that’s the question that we need to ask ourselves.”
A Word of Warning
The only cure for Trump’s disorder is not tweets, not press coverage, and not playing more golf at Mar-a-Lago. The cure for him, as outlined by the Southern Live Oak Wellness Mental Health Center, is for him to spend time under a psychiatrist’s care receiving psychotherapy and medication.
If Trump loses in 2024, true to his NPD, he will continue to lie stating that the 2024 election was rigged—and that his four criminal indictments and 91 felony counts were all done to stop him from winning. If Trump wins, he will pardon himself and go after those whom he hates. Trump’s mental condition will incite him to spend his time in office wreaking revenge on everyone who he feels had wronged him. He recently posted on his Truth Social website, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you.”
If Trump wins a second term, because of his NPD condition, he will not freely leave after his term has ended. During his second term, he will seek to change the Constitution so that he could remain president for life. If Trump is reelected, America may no longer remain a democracy—but could transition into a Russia or a Handmaid Tales Gilead like nation—with Trump as its Putin.
Staff Writer; Robert J. Walker
This brother is a retired Mississippi Educator. He is the author of several books including; 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher and The Plan of Salvation Kindle. He lives in Walls, Mississippi.
One may contact him at; RJWalker@ThyBlackMan.com.