'Not someone worth looking up to': Psychologists fear Trump is normalizing 'bad behavior'

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Psychologist Mary Trump, Donald Trump's niece and a vehement critic of the U.S. president, often describes her uncle as a "narcissist" whose poor mental health is reflected in his combative style of politics.

In an article published by HuffPost on October 9, journalist Jillian Wilson takes a look at what others in the mental health field have to say about Trump's volatile personality. And some of them argue that Trump's admirers view him as a blueprint and a green light for "bad behavior."

"Should President Donald Trump's campaign slogan be 'Make America Mean Again?' It turns out, maybe," Wilson explains. "Many people in the United States are only learning to get meaner as Trump continues to name-call, disparage, mock and intimidate his opposers. He regularly calls other political figures 'nasty' or 'low-IQ,' and has referred to the entire population of Democrats in this country as 'gnats.'"

Wilson adds, "He isn't afraid to insult and belittle citizens and politicians alike, which teaches people that treating others badly is actually acceptable, contradicting every 'treat others as you want to be treated' life lesson."

Kristen Gingrich, a clinic social worker in Maine, argues that President Trump is "not someone worth looking up to."

Gingrich told HuffPost, "I would not want my child looking up to someone who calls people 'crazy,' or makes fun of them, or any of that, because that's not the person that I want my child to be…. At the end of the day, at the core of it all, we are normalizing bullying…. We are normalizing that it’s OK that you are mean to the people you don't like or have different beliefs than you."

Similarly, Brittany Escuriex — a licensed psychologist and co-owner of Empowered Healing Dallas — told HuffPost, "For me, what's concerning is when it becomes commonplace for the president of the United States to insult, belittle, mock and threaten other people, it's not surprising that we're also going to see that behavior become more widespread."

Read the full HuffPost article at this link.

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