President Trump and his MAGA Republican Party were wrecked by the blue wave that hit them in last Tuesday’s midterm elections. By a historic margin, they lost control of the House and the Senate to the Democrats. They also suffered key losses in governor’s races and state legislatures across the country, including Republican strongholds like Texas.
The pundits are announcing that President Trump is now a “lame duck,” significantly weakened, if not broken, and that the tide has decisively turned against his MAGA movement and American fascism.
Unfortunately for the American people and their democracy, Trump refuses to be cowed. Instead, he is on the attack: announcing that the demonstrated hatemonger and white nationalist Stephen Miller will be his new chief of staff, sowing doubt about the results of last week’s midterm elections, and telling CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes that he will never forgive his personal enemies, even if that might keep him out of heaven.
President Trump’s aggressive behavior is no surprise for clinical psychologist Dr. Vince Greenwood. He is executive director of the Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy and author of Puppet on A String: Trump Is Ruled by an Ominous Psychological Condition.
In this conversation, Greenwood shares his assessment that Trump may meet the diagnostic criteria for clinical psychopathy, and explains why Trump is not experiencing a narcissistic collapse: his mind is incapable of critical self-reflection.
President Trump is motivated by a will to dominate and to win in all areas of life. Ultimately, Greenwood concludes that Trump will not be stopped by the midterms or other attempts to constrain his behavior.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
We are speaking several days after the historic midterms, where Trump and the Republicans were routed. Using the metaphor of breathing, it feels like the air is cleaner now. But there’s always that anxiety and fear of what Trump is going to do. How are you feeling?
I definitely had a real sense of relief and fundamentally felt very happy. The vigilance rushes in pretty quickly, though. I appreciate that you are still sounding the alarm. I’m afraid I have to reinforce that message as well.
My particular focus has been on what I see as Donald Trump’s apparent psychopathology, specifically through the administering a pretty rigorous, gold-standard assessment process for a condition called clinical psychopathy. This is something that can be done without a clinical interview. It requires life-history information, not a series of in-person clinical interviews. Trump clearly meets those criteria. It is very rare.
One of the defining qualities of that severe condition is that it is intractable. Conditions may change, but I am afraid that his destructive set of traits is going to continue to require vigilance and pose a threat to the republic. Again, they are immutable.
Your conclusions are not hyperbole or mere opinion.
This is a forensic evaluation. It is evidence-based. My conclusions about Donald Trump and his mind and behavior go beyond mere informed opinion. They are closer to a formal assessment, given the huge amount of evidence available. Donald Trump is probably the most well-chronicled celebrity in history. The life-history information required for this kind of forensic evaluation is widely available.
We need to define terms. What is a sociopath as opposed to a psychopath?
A sociopath is typically a somewhat broader category. Sociopathy in the general population has a prevalence rate of three to four percent of the general population. Clinical psychopathy, a more precisely and narrowly defined set of traits, is seen in about one half of one percent of the population.
I do not believe that Donald Trump is a liar. He is actually one of the most honest politicians in American history. Trump is utterly transparent. That does not mean that he anything he says is factually true.
Trump is very honest in his own world. That does not mean that he is telling the truth. We know that he is a world-class liar. One of the earliest books to explore the psychology of Donald Trump came out in 2015. It is The Strange Case of Donald Trump by Dan McAdams. He is a very esteemed colleague.
Dr. McAdams has developed his own framework called narrative identity. He argues that a key part of our identity is a story about our lives and identity: a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is essentially a plotline for our lives. Donald Trump does not appear to have any kind of narrative arc. He lives moment to moment; he is pure id. Trump’s consciousness is dominated by two questions: What’s in it for me, and how do I win the moment? In that sense, he is genuine and honest. And therein lies the paradox: his genuineness is built on a series of lies.
Contrary to what many in the mainstream media and punditry are announcing, I do not believe that Trump is experiencing narcissistic collapse.
The emotional life of a malignant narcissist is very truncated. Such individuals generally do not experience self-awareness or self-criticism. I believe that Trump is feeling anger. But he is not dwelling on it. He’s not shattered. How do I win the next moment? How do I sell the next moment? What’s in it for me? Those are the questions I believe that he is asking himself. Even in the midst of this political tsunami, Trump’s intractable mind is simply going to march forward.
There is all this misplaced “lame duck” talk about President Trump. This man is not going to be restrained.
I can’t predict exactly what Trump will do. It depends on what triggers him and the specific situations that arise. But what you can take to the bank is that Trump’s remorseless, predatory, “what’s in it for me?” consciousness will be brought to any situation. His urge to dominate is key.
Chauncey DeVega is a politics and opinion writer. He was formerly a senior politics writer at Salon. His essays, commentary, interviews and other writing have been cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC, NPR, The Atlantic and other leading publications. He hosts two podcasts, The Chauncey DeVega Show and The Truth Report.
Read an expanded version of this essay on his Substack, Indomitable.
