Scholar reveals key driver behind 'thin-skinned' Trump’s 'cognitive disconnect'

U.S. President Donald Trump isn't shy about posting scathing attacks on his opponents, both liberals and conservatives. But Trump often erupts in fury whenever he is the target of criticism.

Mark Shanahan, a political professor at the University of Surrey in England, highlighted this pattern in an interview with the UK-based i Paper.

Shanahan told the i Paper, "Trump can dish out the darkest of dirt, but he absolutely can't take it. He is incredibly thin-skinned, and we've seen increasingly in this second term that his only defense against even the softest provocation is to go heavily on the attack. There's a cognitive disconnect within him that simply can't compute that when he shares AI images of the Obamas as monkeys or him as Jesus that it will provoke a reaction."

According to Shanahan, the problem with Trump is that he doesn't want to have a debate with his opponents — he wants to silence them.

The University of Surrey professor pointed to the Trump White House's reaction to a recent social media post by veteran Hollywood actor Mark Hamill as an example.

On Bluesky, the 74-year-old Hamill, known for playing Luke Skyywalker in the "Star Wars" films, posted an AI-generated image that depicted Trump in a grave, with a tombstone that read "Donald J. Trump 1946-2024" — along with the comment "If only."

The actor, however, made it clear that he wasn't wishing violence on Trump, but instead, wants him to go on living so that he can suffer political humiliation.

Hamill wrote, "He should live long enough to witness his inevitable devastating loss in the midterms, be held accountable for his unprecedented corruption, impeached, convicted and humiliated for his countless crimes. Long enough to realize he'll be disgraced in the history books, forevermore."

Regardless, the Trump White House claimed that Hamill was promoting violence.

Using its Rapid Response 47 account on X, the Trump White House posted, on May 7, "Mark Hamill is one sick individual. These Radical Left lunatics just can't help themselves. This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President."

Hamill clarified in his position in a subsequent social media post, writing, "Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate."

Shanahan emphasized that the reaction to criticism from Hamill and others shows that Trump is not only thin-skinned, but totally self-absorbed — which, he laments, is "hugely damaging for U.S. political discourse."

Shanahan told the i Paper, "Trump views all events only through the prism of how they personally affect him. (A) key driver now appears to be retribution against anyone he judges to be his political enemy, from members of Congress to late-night TV comics — and now, 'Star Wars' actors."