Opinion | Donald Trump’s narcissism betrays a fragile ego lashing out in rage
- The popular notion that narcissists are endowed with an extraordinary reservoir of confidence, self-importance and unconditional self-regard is mistaken
- Narcissists like Trump try to mask their shortcomings and constantly attack others to protect their own fragile egos from being exposed and collapsing
Negative reviews rained on Trump’s self-congratulating parade, criticising him as a bully for bulldozing Biden and steamrollering Chris Wallace, the moderator of the debate. The 90-plus-minute barrage of personal attacks, insults, interruptions and incoherence was often credited to Trump’s lack of integrity, intelligence and decorum.
Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist and Donald Trump’s niece, wrote the book Too Much and Never Enough which gave an insider’s view of how family influences helped shape Donald Trump. She said her uncle’s “debate performance was a grotesque combination of lies, racism, breathtaking callousness, and threats against our democracy”.
One of the labels mental health professionals often ascribe to Donald Trump is narcissism. In fact, the extensive broadcast of Trump’s ruthless thoughts and reckless behaviour has raised such alarm that many psychiatrists and mental health professionals in the United States are warning about the dangers of Trump’s narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).