Family member reveals 'pathological' reason Trump became 'brat and bully'

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press before boarding Air Force One at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

On Thursday, a family member of President Donald Trump related an anecdote from his youth that she said explains how he grew up to be a “brat and bully.” This is according to his niece, psychologist Mary L. Trump, who while speaking with political columnist David Rothkopf explained the generational trauma that has contributed to the president becoming a “sociopath."

“The problem for all of us right now is that when Donald was very young, my grandmother, his primary caregiver, was essentially absent,” explained Mary Trump. “She was very ill, which left it to my grandfather, who was a sociopath, to care for his five children. At that time, Donald was ignored and left alone. We’re all reaping the damage that was done and never undone. Over time, he became a brat and a bully, and nobody ever reined him in.”

“It’s pathological at this point,” she continued, noting that she’s also troubled by aides and Republicans who have enabled his “temper tantrums.” According to Mary Trump, “There was a time when one could make sense of it from the perspective that these are petty people who need to cling to power or maintain proximity to it. But now that Donald seems more of a liability, their behavior hasn’t changed, suggesting two camps exist: those who are cowardly and afraid and can’t muster a critical mass to stand up against him, and true believers who have drunk the Kool-Aid.”

This prompted Rothkopf to wonder, “We hear the term enabler a lot, but ‘enabler' is too passive. If someone is an enabler of a known sociopath, it’s worse, right?”

“Oh, they’re co-conspirators,” asserted Mary Trump. “They are equally responsible for all of this. You mentioned a known sociopath; he’s doing the damage a sociopath could do. The crimes he has openly committed and acknowledged are known to us. We know how many times he has been in the Epstein Files. We know that he pardons frauds and covers up for pedophiles. As you said, that doesn’t touch the damage he’s inflicting through his crazy policies.”

This isn’t the first time she has suggested that her grandfather contributed to her uncle’s questionable mental health, and has pointed out the similar paths of their decline. “Alzheimer’s runs in my family,” she said in early September. “I sometimes see similarities between Donald and my grandfather, Fred Trump, who developed Alzheimer’s sometime in his late seventies or early eighties, which is to say when he was around Donald’s age.” She added, “What they have in common is that they do not always seem oriented to time and place. The first time I saw this with my grandfather, we were at an event in Brooklyn at which he and my grandmother were being honored … My grandfather was standing next to my uncle Rob when he grabbed Rob’s arm and suddenly looked like a deer in the headlights. I had never seen my grandfather look like that before. He looked terrified, as if he had no idea where he was or who he was with. I’m beginning to see that look in Donald’s eyes sometimes.”

From Your Site Articles