I've written a lot about Narcissistic Personality Disorder and what makes Trump tick.
This seems like a particularly important time to amplify a few things about how his disordered mind works.
He is absolutely compulsive in his handling of things like the current crisis.
1/
This seems like a particularly important time to amplify a few things about how his disordered mind works.
He is absolutely compulsive in his handling of things like the current crisis.
1/
Trump is entirely consumed by related drives to 1) earn others' esteem and be seen as special; and 2) avoid being seen as shameful or unworthy of respect/admiration.
Those drives control him. They own him. He cannot serve any other masters.
2/
Those drives control him. They own him. He cannot serve any other masters.
2/
In a situation like the one we're in now re: his immigrant family separation policy, he is entirely penned into a corner that his primitive hard-wiring doesn't allow him to escape from.
His software offers only a couple choices. None work here.
3/
His software offers only a couple choices. None work here.
3/
To back down would be to shame himself. In his mind, it would make him look less powerful and in charge; it would make him seem less worthy of being seen as a leader if someone ELSE gets their way.
He is entirely unable to do that, no matter the costs.
4/
He is entirely unable to do that, no matter the costs.
4/
There is also no way for him to turn this into a moment of triumph. There is no way for him to earn praise here.
If he engineers a compromise, his base will scorn him. He has no possible way to come out of this looking like he is worthy of praise.
He's entirely trapped.
5/
If he engineers a compromise, his base will scorn him. He has no possible way to come out of this looking like he is worthy of praise.
He's entirely trapped.
5/
A person without his entirely programmed dysfunction would be able to cede a little ground to get out of this without taking further damage.
A healthy person can lose a battle to win a war.
Trump cannot. He literally cannot. He is unable.
6/
A healthy person can lose a battle to win a war.
Trump cannot. He literally cannot. He is unable.
6/
Even worse, the louder the clamor over the wrongfulness of his policy, the MORE impossible it is for Trump to retreat.
The man cannot handle others seeing him as having been wrong. The bigger the wrong, the less he can handle it.
7/
The man cannot handle others seeing him as having been wrong. The bigger the wrong, the less he can handle it.
7/
The only actual ways out of the escalating conflict over Trump's border policy have very little to do with Trump because his circuitry has already entirely crashed and he can do nothing more or different than he is doing.
Doubling down over and over and over.
8/
Doubling down over and over and over.
8/
The only ways for the actual family separation crisis to be resolved are for Congress to either:
1) Give Trump a face-saving out - craft a resolution that allows him to claim to have "won" something for having taken this stand
2) Steamroll over him by nullifying his policy
9/
1) Give Trump a face-saving out - craft a resolution that allows him to claim to have "won" something for having taken this stand
2) Steamroll over him by nullifying his policy
9/
The question in managing narcissists is ALWAYS "do you want to be happy or right?"
If the answer is "happy", the first of those two is better. Give him enough air-cover to retreat with a cloud of false bravado
10/
If the answer is "happy", the first of those two is better. Give him enough air-cover to retreat with a cloud of false bravado
10/
If the answer is "right", the second is better. Steamroll over him and wipe out his policy... which essentially neuters him not only on this issue but in a larger way.
That would have consequences though. Trump would erupt and their would be collateral damage.
11/
That would have consequences though. Trump would erupt and their would be collateral damage.
11/
This is the way it is with narcissists... if you want to solve today's problem without making tomorrow's problems worse, you construct false exit windows and let them crawl through them.
You get what you want. They go away less than enraged.
12/
You get what you want. They go away less than enraged.
12/
Regardless of what lawmakers do though, there is approximately a 0.0000000000% chance that Trump will exit this crisis through any other means other than those two routes.
He gets thrown a bone for optics or is nullified.
There will be no other route to resolution.
13/
He gets thrown a bone for optics or is nullified.
There will be no other route to resolution.
13/
Democrats have public sentiment on their side and have many reasons to stand pat and let the fire consume the White House until even R's are forced to choose Door #2.
Will they? I don't know.
14/
Will they? I don't know.
14/
This game is entirely out of Trump's hands though because he is all out of moves.
With that in mind, might as well save yourself some indigestion and tune out his rhetoric. It will be an endless loop of the same... until someone cuts the mic in one of the above ways.
15/
With that in mind, might as well save yourself some indigestion and tune out his rhetoric. It will be an endless loop of the same... until someone cuts the mic in one of the above ways.
15/
Trump's primitive circuitry leaves him entirely unable to navigate situations in the chess match where you have to sacrifice a piece to win.
There's no point watching him throw the pieces around like a raving loon.
He isn't the party that matters here.
16/
There's no point watching him throw the pieces around like a raving loon.
He isn't the party that matters here.
16/
Congress may be utterly inept and inert and divided along partisan lines but whether its a day, a week or a month, this crisis will not be resolved by Trump.
It will be resolved by them... whether they know, like or want that or not.
Adults gonna have to adult here.
<end>
It will be resolved by them... whether they know, like or want that or not.
Adults gonna have to adult here.
<end>
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
