The Mind of Donald Trump - A Psychologist analyzes

[Yossarian]

Narcissism, disagreeableness, grandiosity—a psychologist investigates how Trump’s extraordinary personality might shape his possible presidency.

By Dan P. McAdams
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/

The real psychological wild card, however, is Trump’s agreeableness—or lack thereof. There has probably never been a U.S. president as consistently and overtly disagreeable on the public stage as Donald Trump is.

Research shows that people low in agreeableness are typically viewed as untrustworthy. Dishonesty and deceit brought down Nixon and damaged the institution of the presidency. It is generally believed today that all politicians lie, or at least dissemble, but Trump appears extreme in this regard. Assessing the truthfulness of the 2016 candidates’ campaign statements, PolitiFact recently calculated that only 2 percent of the claims made by Trump are true, 7 percent are mostly true, 15 percent are half true, 15 percent are mostly false, 42 percent are false, and 18 percent are “pants on fire.” Adding up the last three numbers (from mostly false to flagrantly so), Trump scores 75 percent.

In The Art of the Deal, Trump counsels executives, CEOs, and other deal makers to “think big,” “use your leverage,” and always “fight back.” When you go into a negotiation, you must begin from a position of unassailable strength. You must project bigness. “I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after,” he writes.

Imagine anyone else doing this at their own fathers funeral?

When, in the summer of 1999, he stood up to offer remarks at his father’s funeral, Trump spoke mainly about himself. It was the toughest day of his own life, Trump began. He went on to talk about Fred Trump’s greatest achievement: raising a brilliant and renowned son. As Gwenda Blair writes in her three-generation biography of the Trump family, The Trumps, “the first-person singular pronouns, the I and me and my, eclipsed the he and his. Where others spoke of their memories of Fred Trump, [Donald] spoke of Fred Trump’s endorsement.”

The rhetoric that Trump uses to characterize both his own life story and his attitudes toward America’s foes is certainly aggressive. And, as noted, his extroversion and narcissism suggest a willingness to take big risks—actions that history will remember. Tough talk can sometimes prevent armed conflict, as when a potential adversary steps down in fear. But belligerent language may also incite nationalistic anger among Trump’s supporters, and provoke the rival nations at whom Trump takes aim.

An excellent read.

 

[Yossarian]

Appears that Trump is already proving that the author was correct in his psychological assessment of Trump.

 

[s28]

Never in doubt. Real villains of the piece are Democrat Party establishment who ran Establishment candidate Clinton when public mood was for change. They voted in a guy called Hussein previously. They're not racist they want change!

 

[LongHorn]

Never in doubt. Real villains of the piece are Democrat Party establishment who ran Establishment candidate Clinton when public mood was for change. They voted in a guy called Hussein previously.

Even then, Hillary for all her lack of charisma won more votes. Sanders would have lost either ways, he would be called a socialist by Trump and gave over ...

When people said they want change, a large number of them actually, subconsciously, wanted a change back to the 50's, when others knew their place, and a reasonably hard working white man could get well paying jobs easily ..

 

[Madplayer]

I think trump is the average guy who you see on the street, troubled by a nagging wife who doesn't think he is good enough and who keeps doubting his loyalty, a guy frustrated by how the system isn't good enough, who talks trash about people who run/used to run the show, who talks about how the country has great potential if it is run by correct people and who gives a piece of his mind to anyone who disagrees with him.

 

[Yossarian]

I think trump is the average guy who you see on the street, troubled by a nagging wife who doesn't think he is good enough and who keeps doubting his loyalty, a guy frustrated by how the system isn't good enough, who talks trash about people who run/used to run the show, who talks about how the country has great potential if it is run by correct people and who gives a piece of his mind to anyone who disagrees with him.

Average guy? .... err... no.

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

I like Trump and his honesty, I may disagree but I admire him.

 

[Madplayer]

Average guy? .... err... no.

He is quite average in the way he behaves. Completely sadak chap mentality rather than of a leader of a nation.

 

[Thomaskutty]

This.

Being a protectionist is not the same as 'knowing their place' , is it ? They didn't want to compete with people who would accept lower wages for the same work , so they changed goverment.

There are counties in the US that swung 40% from voting for Obama to voting for Trump in a matter of 4 years.

 

[Yossarian]

Being a protectionist is not the same as 'knowing their place' , is it ? They didn't want to compete with people who would accept lower wages for the same work , so they changed goverment.

There are counties in the US that swung 40% from voting for Obama to voting for Trump in a matter of 4 years.

So is it just a coincidence that it's these predominantly white areas where these swings took place? Similar areas but with large non-white populations, some affected by job losses to an even greater extent, didn't have this 44% swing from Obama to Trump. Why do you think that is so?

 

[FearlessRoar]

Marvel star Sebastian Stan will play Donald Trump in an upcoming biopic, to be joined by Succession’s Jeremy Strong and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova in leading roles.

Directed by Iranian film-maker Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice, which commenced production this week, is billed as an exploration of power and ambition in a world of corruption and deceit.

It is set in the 1970s and 80s and follows the former US president’s journey to becoming a New York real estate tycoon, alongside his relationship with Roy Cohn – the notorious attorney who became a mentor to Trump, and was later disbarred for unethical conduct.

The film’s logline describes it as “a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of an American dynasty” and “reveals the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers”.

Stan – best known for his role as a Captain America sidekick, as well as his Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated turn as Tommy Lee in the miniseries Pam & Tommy – will play a young Trump.

Strong has been cast as Cohn, Deadline reports. Bakalova – who broke out as Borat’s daughter in 2020’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – will play Trump’s first wife, Ivana.

Abbasi’s 2022 thriller Holy Spider was recently submitted as Denmark’s entry for best international feature film at the Oscars. Abbasi also helmed the last two episodes of acclaimed video game adaptation The Last of Us.

The film’s writer is journalist and author Gabriel Sherman, whose book The Loudest Voice in the Room – a biography of Fox News founder Roger Ailes – was adapted into the 2019 Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice, starring Russell Crowe as Ailes.

Trump is currently facing 91 felony charges in four separate criminal cases, as well as a highly publicised fraud case currently on trial in Manhattan. The twice-impeached former president is also expected to become the Republican candidate in next year’s US election, with huge leads in current polling.

Source: The Guardian

Donald Trump biopic: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova cast in The Apprentice

Stan, who recently played Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy, will play the former US president in new film, joined by Strong as Roy Cohn and Bakalova as Ivana Trump

www.theguardian.com