Clinical psychologist Dr. Tracy King has a very different analysis of President Donald Trump's big speech on Tuesday.
While there has been discussion about his energy level waning and his excitement around describing violent and graphic gore, Dr. King thinks that Trump's true purpose was a "well-established political psychological framework."
Trump follows the model "victim-persecutor-rescuer," Dr. King explained to the Mirror US.
"The Victim–Persecutor–Rescuer pattern shows up clearly in the speech," she said. "The 'victim' moment is the wounded, obstructed framing: 'an unfortunate ruling... very unfortunate ruling,' and 'Democrats in this Chamber have cut off all funding.' That wording is not simply saying a problem exists, but that something has been taken away and blocked."
"It invites the viewer to feel that the country, or the speaker, is being treated unfairly. The 'persecutor' then arrives fast. Sometimes it is a named opponent in the room. Sometimes it is an abstract enemy, like when he says 'corruption is plundering America.'"
She said that Trump sometimes names an outside and nebulous target responsible for all that ails Americans. Sometimes it's a scapegoat like immigrants or "an external threat: Iran and missiles 'that can threaten Europe and soon reach the United States.'"
"The emotional effect is to keep the audience in a sense of siege, with multiple targets available depending on what most worries them," she said.
Then he offers solutions that are easy, so he can appear as the savior.
Heat and energy too high? Trump announced during the speech that he'd get a promise from AI companies not to suck up all the energy, driving up demand and costs along with it. There won't be a law or a call on Congress. Trump will get multinational corporations to make a promise.
She said: "Then comes the 'rescuer' switch, and you can hear it in the verbs. 'I am officially announcing the war on fraud,' 'Tonight I'm demanding the full and immediate restoration.' 'I used these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions.'"
Then he appears "decisive and immediate" in addressing the challenges faced by American families. Details are thin.
"This is the crucial part of the pattern: once people have been emotionally guided into 'we are being harmed' and 'here is who is harming us,' the promise of rescue becomes more persuasive," said Dr. King.
The keyword that Trump then uses, however, is one that assigns responsibility
Amid all these strategies, however, there's a hidden technique according to Dr King, and it lies in how the responsibilities are assigned. To achieve this, Trump deploys a single word with maximum effectiveness. The problem faces all of "us" but Trump will fix it by using the word "I."
"'I'm announcing,' 'I'm demanding,' 'I used,'" she said. "That creates bonding and ownership at the same time: 'we' for belonging, 'I' for agency. It is psychologically tidy. The audience gets to feel part of something bigger, while also being offered one clear person to trust as the solution."
It gives his pledge a whole new meaning: "I alone can fix it."
Then he deploys an empty argument about fixing it with his grandiose claims, such as his statement Tuesday night that Americans will soon pay the lowest prescription drug prices "in the world."
