Thread by @OurShallowState on Thread Reader App (2024)

(2/4) "Cult" is a simpler word, easier to process. But "malignant normality" is more accurate. Trump is a narcissist AND sociopath. His supporters, by and large, are not. They ARE imitative. They are emotionalized. They have been fear-mongered. They were susceptible. Why? Many reasons. For some, it was the lure of the crowd, or what they saw as the movement, or the brotherhood. Many other reasons. Then they got opinion disguised as information in echo chambers, and got dopamine rushes every time a world view that was placed upon them got validated. They tell themselves it's about winning and doing something noble, but it's really about beating the other side, and getting that next rush, even if it means adopting a position that works against their own interests.

3/4) But don't confuse the malignantly normal MAGA base with Republican enablers. The latter are, for the most part, performative. Stefanik and Cruz and others are performing. They are opportunists and grifters, seeking fame/fortune from the malignantly normal base in alignment with the leader. They show no shame, because Trump shows no shame - because they know they're speaking to those imitative of him. So, by parroting him, they are an extension of him.

THREAD
Although I've posted most of this before, it seems like a good day to post it again, as something to keep in mind while watching Trump face his first criminal trial:
(1/8) Trump is terrified. But not all the fear emanates from the criminal trial. In fact, malignant narcissists like Trump practically LIVE in fear. They are insecure; they desperately crave respect and legitimacy. Trump can't command that, not from the people he wants it from. So, he compensates for insecurity with bluster and bravado, AND he builds false constructs, which becomes HIS reality. He then force-feeds that reality, repetitively and with all his strength.

(2/8) Trump is unique in that he has built an edifice of false constructs over decades; all based on secrets and lies. His grades ... his inheritance ... his success ... his wealth ... his acumen ... his health --- it's ALL contrived or enhanced. He's also unique in that he commands an extra-large audience upon whom to force feed his reality.

(3/8) What does a malignant narcissist fear most? HUMILIATION. But humiliation means something different than what it means to you and me. It means exposure. Revelation of those secrets and lies. Destruction of those false constructs. An attack on his contrived grandiosity. Eventually, if the grandiosity gets undermined in a manner he cannot shout above, it can topple, like a House of Cards.

(1/3) Looking back, it was the Sharpie weather map incident that was truly a missed opportunity to speak to Trump's pathology. He doctored it - IN PLAIN VIEW. Sat there on TV ranting. This should have been seen as concrete evidence of how uncontrollably dysfunctional he is.

(2/3) Sharpie is ALSO an example of an incident where mental health pros could and should have been engaged on TV for opinion and expertise. Back then, ANYONE criticizing him for ANYTHING got retaliated against. Many colleagues were willing - and didn't care about backlash.

(3/3) Think about what the Sharpie incident was. Trump made a gaffe that a normal person could have easily walked back. But this shows he has a PATHOLOGICAL inability to let ANYTHING go. Large OR small. It's a behavioral disorder. It was OBVIOUS he'd NEVER accept losing an election.

(2/6) Very few malignant narcissists have been more steeped in falsities as Trump. When I have dialogue about Trump with colleagues, the degree of his falsities, and his effort and (to an extent), his prior success at protecting them, is a frequent subject of our wonderment. Think of how many there are, and how far they go back!

(3/6) All his life, Trump has falsified narratives. Like all malignant narcissists, this stems from deep insecurity, a craving for respect and legitimacy, and a deep-down recognition that they're unlikely to earn either on merit, so they make it up. He started lying about his inheritance so that he appeared more self-made. He started lying about his grades, so that he appeared smarter. He started lying about his skill in business. And later in life, he started lying about his health - he's so addicted to his false narratives and grandiosity, that he even started lying, cartoonishly so, about his body weight. (FFS)

THREAD
(1/4) There is a pattern of events emerging that could indicate Trump is getting closer to narcissistic collapse. He's already been narcissistically pummeled. We can see when there IS narcissistic energy (like a rally, a friendly interview, or anything where he gets a "win"), he desperately tries to feed on it like oxygen. And when there's more narcissistic injury, as there has been lately, he deflates and/or attacks in a repetitive and flailing manner.

(2/4) NARCISSISTIC COLLAPSE is when someone with narcissistic personality disorder can no longer uphold their grandiose self-image and feels threatened, belittled, made fun of, targeted, disrespected, and enraged ... AND ... that then gets combined with a near-total absence of validation.

(3/4) Trump's protection has been his false constructs - his closely guarded secrets and lies. Some of those secrets and lies are now getting exposed. His wealth? Built on business fraud. The AMOUNT of his wealth? Not nearly what he's claimed. His "brand" or reputation? Well - he's certainly not seen as a good credit risk! All of these are injuries. He's ALSO having greater difficulty extracting positive nutrition to counterbalance it, especially now that they've cut down his rally schedule.

THREAD
The fact that hundreds of mental health professionals have signed on to Dr Gartner's petition attesting that Trump has "probable dementia" is VERY significant. Mental health professionals are exceptionally careful. I want to point out three things:

2- First, the cumulative data available to these professionals is enormous, because Trump speaks visibly, in all kinds of forums, every day. Observation IS what this is about. Being in the same room with Trump adds nothing in this case.

3- Second - besides the forms of aphasia so often referenced by colleagues as definitive barometers for cognitive decline that cannot be as readily explained elsewise, there is also a noticeable erraticism in Trump's energy, a shortening of his vocabulary, AND - an increasing failure to acknowledge and/or correct his slips in real time - which cuts to a diminishing self-awareness. Plus, there are physical issues with his balance, motor skills, and a wide gait. We don't see the forgetfulness as much YET, because of prompters and careful handling of his appearances.