He is not a smart man, but his cluelessness and incoherence is a product of his mental illness, not stupidity.

He only believes the fantasies of his unrivaled brilliance and power constructed by his malignant narcissism and psychopathic cruelty.

If he does "it" -- whatever "it" may be -- it is destined to be wildly successful (the most successful "it" in the history of the planet).

He only hears what he wants to hear. Occasionally, he is talked down from this or that impulse, but once he makes a decision, it is the most brilliant and best decision ever made.

Any information that didn't support that -- any cautions or doubt -- leading up to the decision, are completely blocked out. As is any blowback. Criticism is all "fake" because his eggshell ego would crumble in a heap if any doubt about his own power and brilliance were allowed to sneak through.

It is his mental illness, not his stupidity that makes him incapable of seeing the shit show the world is seeing. He actually believes the delusion that all "problems" that might arise from this or that action will be solved with a snap of his fingers. He is just that brilliant and powerful.

And when his brilliant "solutions" fail, it's not his fault. It is the fault of others who failed to stumble over each other to kiss his feet (tears in their eyes) in recognition of his brilliant "moves."

Dan

(5,097 posts)

8. You are scaring the hell out of me!

Reply to pat_k (Reply #6)

Mon Mar 9, 2026, 06:59 PM

4 hrs ago

But thank you for your input, but it is scaring the hell out of me - to think that this is our President.

pat_k

(13,199 posts)

9. Everything he does is terrifying, regardless of driving force.

Reply to Dan (Reply #8)

Mon Mar 9, 2026, 07:41 PM

4 hrs ago

But, scary as it is, I came to the conclusion that the man was profoundly mentally ill not long after he came down that escalator. I'm a clinical psych drop out, so can claim no expertise, but a simple review of DSM criteria, as in this 2017 post, supports the conclusion.

Tragically, the "sane washing" of his behavior is a product of hard-wired mental processes. Interpreting and making sense of behaviors is essential to survival. The mental shortcuts include interpreting behavior through a familiar lens -- a lens that is defined by "normalcy." Our brains are biased to look for internal motives over external factors. It's a conundrum. A person who managed to get enough votes to become president can't possibly be profoundly mentally ill, so people come up with other theories of his behavior.

Skittles

(171,086 posts)

10. that's kind of like a slam on idiots

Reply to Dan (Original post)

Mon Mar 9, 2026, 07:44 PM

4 hrs ago

Trump is a complete fucking moron

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