Trump as POTUS47: When Malignant Narcissism Becomes National Policy

The term malignant narcissist isn’t just clinical—it’s chilling. It describes a dangerous fusion of narcissism, antisocial behavior, paranoia, and sadism. Most malignant narcissists operate in personal relationships or small-time power dynamics. But what happens when one is handed the reins of a nation?

We’re watching the answer unfold in real time with Donald Trump’s return as POTUS47.

Grandiosity on Steroids

A malignant narcissist sees themselves as the sole answer to all problems. Sound familiar? Trump’s claim that “only I can fix it” wasn’t just bluster—it was prophecy. From his campaign rallies to his social media posts, Trump positions himself not just as a leader, but as a messianic figure betrayed by the unworthy. His self-image leaves no room for dissent, nuance, or democracy.

Empathy? Optional.

True malignant narcissists lack empathy. They can feign it, but it’s always transactional. Trump’s policies toward migrants, women, the disabled, and even veterans are textbook examples of this. His cruelty isn’t incidental—it’s the point. Whether mocking a disabled reporter or separating children at the border, there’s a recurring theme: the pain of others validates his own dominance.

Paranoia Meets Power

Malignant narcissists are fueled by a sense of persecution. Trump has turned this into political capital. The media is fake. The deep state is out to get him. The courts are corrupt. Even the weather has conspired against his inauguration crowds. This worldview justifies any retaliation—legal, political, or personal—against those he sees as enemies.

Control at All Costs

Where most narcissists seek attention, malignant ones seek control. Trump’s obsession with loyalty, his efforts to dismantle independent institutions, and his desire to purge the civil service (via Project 2025) aren’t signs of chaos—they’re signs of design. The goal? To reshape government in his own image, loyalty over law, obedience over expertise.

The Ultimate Grifter

A malignant narcissist will use anyone to get ahead. Trump’s presidency and post-presidency have been one long monetization scheme—from taxpayer-funded trips to his own properties, to NFT scams, to Trump Media stock manipulation. His followers aren’t citizens—they’re customers. Or worse, props.

But Here’s the Real Danger…

Most malignant narcissists self-destruct before causing widespread harm. They implode businesses, families, or friend groups. Trump, on the other hand, is scaling the pathology—broadcasting it nightly, embedding it in federal policy, and using it as the foundation for a movement that openly flirts with fascism.

The damage isn’t personal anymore.

It’s national.

One of my favorite actors, Jeff Daniels a bright guy, a very good actor, and a solid musician, was recently on Nicole Wallace's podcast, "The Best People". I really liked the song he played near the end of this podcast: It's overall a great episode of her podcast.

When Reagan met Gorbachev in Reykjavík, Iceland, on October 11–12, 1986 during the Cold War, known as the Reykjavík Summit, it was a dangerous time with the US against the USSR. Gorbachev told Reagan as they parted, "You don't have an enemy in me anymore, your enemy now will come from within."

Reagan was strong. Trump only looks strong. 

Trump is petulant, spoiled, narcissistic and immensely ignorant.

It’s not about Trump’s posture next to Putin—it’s about the extent to which he’s carrying out Putin’s agenda.

Actor Jeff Daniels, playing Pres. Reagan in the upcoming historical film Reykjavík, has described the moment Trump emerged from that infamous meeting with Putin, in Hamburg, Germany in July 2017, when Trump kicked out the American translator, but allowed Putin’s to stay. There are no transcripts of that meeting, as there should be. 

Daniels said what he saw in Trump after the Putin meeting wasn’t strength, but a man who “left the room looking like a child that had been scolded… and told to stand over there.” He that as, "someone who has spent a life observing people, professionally.”

---

Final Thought

Trump’s presidency isn’t just another example of political corruption or egotism. It’s the state capture of malignant narcissism—a psychological pathology turned into governing principle.

This isn’t politics-as-usual.
It’s personality disorder as policy.

And unless we face that truth head-on, we may never crawl out of the authoritarian sinkhole he's dug beneath our democracy.

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

The Nation Is the Victim: When Sexual Abuser Becomes Leader

I've been saying for a long time that Donald Trump, yes him, the adjudicated sexual abuser, the 34-count convicted felon, as well as the malignant narcissist, has taken his sex abuse, his love of bullying people, and expanded it to all of America, as well as to the world. 

Yes, including his MaGA Republican Party, his beloved Christian nationalists, including New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) with their dominion theology and Christian accelerationism (not to be confused with the more imminent threat of White Supremacist Accelerationism), who support him, and his confused conservatives who thought he was such a crackin' good idea to be president. Again. As if the first time around didn't teach us a thing.

By the way this just in... approximately $100 million for Trump's Dictator-style birthday military parade? Yechh. Sigh...DOGE? You There? Hello? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Trump administration is having early talks to hold a military parade in the nation’s capital on June 14

Also, this...some very interesting insight. "He Likes Chaos" - Michael Lewis On Trump's Intentions With The Tariffs Regime - Colbert

Trump's Not Leading—He’s Violating Us All. You see, abuse, with people like this? It doesn’t end in the bedroom—it becomes POLICY. 

They don't stop being abusers when they rise in power—they become abusers with a budget, an army of yes-men, and public relations teams to justify it all.

I've also been saying that he is exactly the type of person and personality you never ever allow near power. I've expanded on that topic in my blog recently: Traits Considered Unfit for Public Office. Who Does This Sound Like?

People don't understand my view on this. Though it remains true as I've been saying. Donald Trump Must Be Impeached. Now. Andrew Latham thinks so. That's his article in the link. He is Professor of Political Science at Macalester College and the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

But then mine comes in part from a degree in psychology.

Abuse Doesn’t Stop at the Bedroom—It Scales

There’s a hard truth many people refuse to face: when someone has a history of sexual abuse and domination, that isn’t just some dark corner of their private life. It’s not disconnected from who they are in public. In fact, it’s often the most revealing thing about them.

A narcissistic or abusive personality doesn’t shift just because the context changes—it expands to fit the new environment. If they once got off on controlling a partner, imagine how they feel when they can control a boardroom, a courtroom, or a country. What looks like policy decisions or leadership style can actually be abuse in disguise—just dressed up in suits and speeches.

Sexual abuse isn’t about lust. It’s about control. About using someone else’s body, mind, and will as a playground for power. The goal isn’t connection—it’s conquest. The abuse is a high. A rush. A moment where the abuser gets to feel godlike, untouchable, and in total control of someone else’s reality.

When people say, ‘Well yeah, he’s abusive, but that sexual stuff was personal,’ they’re misunderstanding it. It’s all personal. It’s all systemic. That kind of abuse is an expression of how they view power—and it doesn't stop with one victim. It just scales up.

Now imagine someone like that in charge of a company. Or a country. Imagine they’re on a stage with thousands of screaming fans, or in a boardroom issuing orders no one dares question. They don’t stop being an abuser—they become an abuser with an audience.

And here’s where it gets uncomfortable—especially for those who still support him:

When he lies to you, humiliates others in front of you, breaks promises, mocks people weaker than him, fires off dehumanizing insults, or twists reality to make you doubt what you see—it’s all part of the same performance. The same gratification. The same sexualized power trip. You may not be on your knees, but in his mind, it’s not that different. He’s dominating you. Violating your will. Making you complicit. That is the same inner joy he felt in those private assaults—now scaled to millions.

Supporters often think they're in on the joke, or that they're safe from the abuse. But they’re not. In fact, they’re part of the stage—unwitting actors in the abuser’s favorite role: total control with no accountability.

That’s what people need to understand.

If someone derives a sexual thrill from control, that doesn’t go away—it evolves. Their public decisions, their treatment of staff or citizens, may not look sexual on the surface, but the underlying pleasure in domination can absolutely be the same. It’s not just about policy—it’s about pathology.

When dealing with a leader who is both a narcissist and a sexual abuser, should we use those traits to help others grasp the full extent, complexity, and horror of the abuse they're experiencing?

Yes—absolutely.

When someone is both a narcissist and a sexual abuser, that isn’t just character detail—it’s diagnostic. It helps people understand the depth of the sickness at play, the motive behind the manipulation, and the dark pleasure that individual gets from dominating others. It's not just bad leadership. It’s a pattern of abuse scaled to mass control, rooted in the same psychological machinery as sexual violation.

Using those descriptors is powerful because it:

1. Breaks denial. A lot of people excuse harmful behavior because they think, “Well, he’s tough, but he gets results,” or “He’s a jerk, but not evil.” When you name it for what it is, you reveal the rot beneath the bravado.

2. Connects private and public harm. It exposes that what seemed like “personal” misconduct was never personal—it was a template. He abused one person? Now he abuses millions using the same playbook.

3. Activates emotional truth. Terms like “narcissist” or “abuser” hit people in the gut. Especially when they’ve been through similar situations. It wakes them up.

4. Frames resistance as survival. Once people realize they’re not just witnessing a bad administration or toxic workplace—but surviving a predator’s fantasy made real—it becomes morally urgent to reject it.

So yes—name it. Call it what it is. If someone can understand how horrific sexual abuse is, and then realize that same energy is being inflicted on them through manipulation, lies, cruelty, and exploitation, they’re far more likely to finally see it.

When you feel degraded, confused, or betrayed by someone like this, but still defend him—you’re reinforcing the exact same power dynamic he used in those private acts of sexual abuse. He wants your submission. Your silence. Your loyalty despite harm. That’s the real prize for him. That’s the high. Leadership becomes a larger stage for the same performance. He doesn’t just “lead and abuse”—he leads abusively.

He doesn’t separate private abuse from public domination—so why should you?

 Compiled with aid of ChatGPT