Chait: New Reports Suggest Trump Might Not Be a Liar at All, But Truly Delusional

[highplainsdem]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/new-reports-trump-not-a-liar-is-truly-delusional.html

The prevailing interpretation of Donald Trump, shared by all his enemies and many of his allies, is that he is a con man. It is a theory that explains both his career in business and politics, and has carried through his many reversals of position and acts of fraud against customers and contractors. It remains quite plausible. But new reporting has opened up a second possibility: The president has lost all touch with reality.

-snip-

It is of course entirely possible that Trump is lying to everybody, including his own staff. But the lies in these articles do not always fit into any pattern of rational self-aggrandizement. Trump tells senators or his aides the Access Hollywood tape is not him, but they don’t believe him. He has no reason to bring up the birther fabrication in private.

His apparent belief that Mueller will complete his sprawling investigation by the end of the year is not only pointless but self-defeating – rather than prepare allies for a long defense, he is preparing them for a fantastical scenario. (It is also further evidence that, when Mueller fails to vindicate him by the new year, Trump will lash out wildly, firing him, Jeff Sessions, or others.)

If Trump actually has the ability to convince himself of his own lies, it would suggest a possibility far more dangerous than even his critics have previously assumed. He might be in the grip of a mental health issue, or at least one more serious than mere sociopathy. And the mutterings that he might need to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment could grow more serious than many of us expected.

[Xipe Totec]

1. Brazil. Ending scene, as envisioned by the director

Reminds me of Trump's casual acquaintance with reality.

[ProudLib72]

2. I keep saying this

He obviously believes his delusions. No one in the world could be that good of a con man, and we are talking about Dotard who is suffering from dementia. No way could he hold up the pretense for a week let alone ten months.

[SharonAnn]

3. I have watched two close friends go through something like this. It was Alzheimer's.

They became convinced of things that were not real or true. could not be dissuaded, continually returned to these subject in conversation, etc.

During the campaign I thought he probably was suffering from dementia. The simple, ever simpler vocabulary, the delusions, etc.

Havn't changed my opinion, but then I'm not a doctor.

[JohnnyLib2]

5. Same here, with one family member and several acquaintances.

I keep watching for signs that he doesn't have dementia, but can't find them. Grim.

[highplainsdem]

6. I agree that he seems to have dementia, on top of lifelong personality disorders.

It would be hard to imagine anyone less fit for the presidency.

[rainin]

4. His claim that it will be over by year's end

sends chills down my spine. I won't feel safe until he is behind bars. There are so many capable Russians who are already involved and can do the thinking for him. What might be coming? Just terrifying.

[lindysalsagal]

7. It's a relentless Twilight Zone episode. The fool is bonkers, and the GOP won't remove him until he

Hurts them. Lots of destruction will precede that.

[SamKnause]

8. Trump is a liar.

Trump has always been a liar.

Trump has cheated, swindled, and conned his way through life.

How would we know if he is delusional ???

He is an EVIL FUCKING LIAR that doesn't care about anything or

anyone but Trump !!!!!!

[BigmanPigman]

12. I read a good article and it seems to fit him perfectly.

http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html

[steve2470]

9. nit to be picked: "mere sociopathy" is not a minor thing

I get what he's saying (reality contact versus lack of reality contact), but sociopaths are pretty damn dangerous for our country, especially when he/she is President.

[Jules Hey]

10. I could TOTALLY buy that

Seriously!

[certainot]

11. what thinking people don't realize is he's just repeating talk radio!

much of the crap he spews that has already been blasted out of 1500 radio stations while liberals ignored them.

sam nunberg says he listened to 1000s of hours of talk radio and reported to trump in 2014 - probably because the russians told him to

he IS insane, but it's not because he's living in an alternate reality - much of the talk radio base is too, and to some extent the secondary and tertiary recipients of that propaganda operation the dem party and progressive orgs have stupidly ignored for 30 years. the whole fucking republican party has been operating on that alternate reality for decades.

the fix for this isn't just to impeach and jail an insane president , it has to include destroying the talk radio monopoly psyops that's been undermining democracy for the billionaires, and now putin, for 30 years

[SamKnause]

13. Fox 'news' and right wing talk radio has destroyed this country.

They are EVIL FUCKING LIARS !!!

They have brainwashed a large percentage of this country.

Truth has no place in their world.

They have co-opted the Christian religion to advance their agendas.

They are the greatest threat this country has ever faced.

[pansypoo53219]

14. the do use faith based ekkkonomikks. ayn rand forever!! WHOOOO!!!!!