Too late!

I'll drop this here...

Donald Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist is reportedly down to these 3 men

I guess we can take a little comfort in the fact that this first appointment, filling Scalia's vacancy, simply restores the previous status quo. If Trump (or Pence) gets another appointment- replacing either Ginsburg (83) or Breyer (78) then we've got a definitive hard-right SCOTUS majority for the foreseeable future. Even replacing 'swing' Justice Kennedy (80) would be an ideological shift.

With False Claims, Trump Attacks Media on Turnout and Intelligence Rift

24 hours later...


Spicer: 'Our intention is never to lie to you'

24 hours later

White House Press Secretary Defends Trump's Bogus Allegations of Voter Fraud
Sean Spicer sows more misinformation about the voter fraud myth.

24 hours later????

Wolf!.... Wolf!!

The comedic thing about this is that I don't think anyone can seriously claim this is the usual right wing misinformation campaign a la Fox News or Bush II putting "Iraq" three words from "terrorism" in every speech to tie them together.

If this started out as some kind of attempt to massage facts, it's pretty clear that's no longer the case. This is Trump unable to handle being unliked by most of the United States, if not the world. His bubble is popping and his ego can't stand it. He's used to being able to surround himself with people that keep that self-image nice and inflated, but he can't do that with the entire nation, let alone all of Washington, DC.

The alarming thing now is what will he do when he realizes he can't force pro-Trumpism down people's throats like he can with the people who are on his payroll?

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. You may be generally unhappy and disappointed when you're not given the special favors or admiration you believe you deserve. Others may not enjoy being around you, and you may find your relationships unfulfilling.

Narcissistic personality disorder treatment is centered around talk therapy (psychotherapy).

Given what he's like in court depositions, I don't think talk therapy would be terribly effective.

As I understand it, NPD can't really be treated so much as managed. Basically, the Narcissist can be trained to not do narcissistic-asshole things, and that's about the best one can hope for, but it requires some significant threat before the Narcissist will find that the worthwhile course.

Otherwise, the Narcissist will happily just ignore that those people exist or will act the matryr that those meanies would spurn their attentions, depending on how they roll.

The bubble can't really pop. NPDs are missing the wiring to really grasp some things, and Trump has a history of surrounding himself with yes-men or at least people who will act the part (notice how his family switches to stretched over-the-top-smiles whenever he looks directly at them), and there's never a shortage of sycophants to someone like POTUS.

Assuming this diagnosis actually pertains to Trump (which is certainly plausible), he has the advantages of being both hugely privileged and now, having gained the most powerful position in the fucking world, hugely successful- not merely in spite of his narcissism but actually because of it.
There's an old joke- how many psychotherapists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but the light bulb has to want to change. In Trump's case there's absolutely no reason to want to change, or seek any sort of treatment, management, or humbling counsel. Look at where his narcissism has gotten him. If anything, it'll only get worse.

Until that rubber band snaps.

I don't think there's any rubber band to snap. We're clearly dealing with somebody with an unlimited capacity for rationalization and denial. Even Nixon had some sense of proportional humility.

His compass is the social media mindset. When they turn against him, which is inevitable, his depression will make Nixon during Watergate look down right chipper.
And I am drawing a direct comparison ...which is why his Sec. of Defense is important.

I guess we'll see. I doubt Trump has the complexity or depth of character to experience the kind of regret and depression that Nixon did. More likely he'll make excuses and lay blame elsewhere- that seems to be his pattern. Not that this is any less dangerous, but at least Sec. Mattis appears to be fairly level-headed, despite his nickname.

That wasn't me that was the Mayo Clinic. Diseases and Conditions
Narcissistic personality disorder

Point is this is Trump to a capital T

I figured DSM. I've done a ton of reading on the subject, having been subjected to a NPD parent. To a T is quite right IMO.

The scariest bit IMO isn't expressly in that Mayo or in DSM... the total lack of empathy doesn't just make them cruel, it means they can't actually understand cruelty. They don't see other people as sentient. This is why Trump is happy to lie, then deny the lie even in the face of evidence. He doesn't think other people are capable of identifying something as a lie. When they do, he sees it as not unlike when we see a dog saying "I love you."

I thought it was more like Trump discovering that he can lie with impunity since there are never any consequences for him when he gets caught lying.

He'll eventually throw such a titanic hissy fit that he can be declared unfit for office and yanked. This will clear the way for Pence and Ryan, who the Republicans really want in power.

If this doesn't force a change in two years I'll be deeply amazed. Congress and the Senate will get a major enema.