Too Much and Never Enough: on Principles & Values

OpEd: Trump dinners include casual dehumanization of people

Nothing Donald said during the campaign--from his disparagement of Hillary Clinton, arguably the most qualified presidential candidate ever in this country, as a 'nasty woman'; to his mocking of Serge Kovaleski, a disabled New York Times reporter--deviated from my expectation of him. In fact, I was reminded of every family meal I had ever attended during which Donald had talked about all women as ugly, fat slobs or the men, usually more accomplished or powerful, he called losers, while my grandfather and Maryanne, Elizabeth, and Robert all laughed and joined in. That kind of casual dehumanization of people was commonplace at the Trump table. What did surprise me was that he kept getting away with it. Then he received the nomination. The things I thought would disqualify him seemed only to strengthen his base.

OpEd diagnosis: antisocial/dependent personality disorder

Does Donald have other symptoms we are unaware of? A case could be made that he also meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder, which in its most severe form is also considered sociopathy but can also refer to criminality, arrogance, and disregard for the rights of others. Donald may also meet the criteria for dependent personality disorder, the hallmark of which include an inability to make decisions or take personal responsibility, discomfort with being alone, and going to excess lengths to get support from others.

OpEd: Charmed but threatened ruination as business strategy

Donald was successful because he was a success. That was a premise that ignored one fundamental reality: he did not and could not achieve what he was being credited with. Despite that, his ego, now unleashed, continually had to be fed, not just by his family, but by all who encountered it. New York's elite would never accept him for anything but the court jester from Queens, but they also validated his pretensions and grandiose self-image by inviting him to their parties. The more New Yorkers wanted spectacle, the more willing the media were to provide it.

OpEd: false bravado based in childhood fear of father

Every time you hear Donald talking about how something is the greatest, the best, the biggest, the most tremendous, you have to remember that the man speaking is still, in essential ways, the same little boy who is desperately worried that he, like his older brother, is inadequate and that he, too will be destroyed for his inadequacy. At a very deep level, his bragging, and false bravado are not directed at the audience in front of him but at an audience of one: his long dead father.

OpEd: Sowing division is what Donald has always done

Despite the fluke that was his electoral advantage and, a victory that was at best suspect and at worst illegitimate, he never had his finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist; his bluster and shamefulness just happened to resonate with certain segments of the population. If what he was doing during the 2016 election hadn't worked, he would've kept doing it anyways, because lying, playing to the lowest common denominator, cheating, and sowing division are all he does. He is as incapable of adjusting to changing circumstances as he is of becoming "presidential". He did tap into a certain bigotry and inchoate rage, which he's always been good at doing.

OpEd: in Trump family, fear is seen as weakness

Donald's initial response to COVID-19 underscores his need to minimize negativity at all cost. Fear--the equivalent of weakness in our family--is as unacceptable to him now as it was when he was three years old. When Donald is in the most trouble, superlatives are no longer enough; both the situation and the reactions to it must be unique, even if absurd or nonsensical. On his watch, "Nobody could have predicted" a pandemic that his own Department of Health and Human Services was running simulations for just a few months before COVID-19 struck in Washington State. Why does he do this? Fear.