I have come to a place of clarity as of late. It was tough going for a while, I was worried and wasting tremendous amounts of time on Youtube and news articles studying the Trump phenomenon. It was worrisome, scary, fascinating and a waste of time that could have been spent on other more constructive things. Then it recently hit me once I listened to a podcast on NPR's Fresh Air called "Trump Revealed". It hit me like a wave of calm because I could finally put my head around the guy, compartmentalize him and deal with his persona. I have dealt with his type before and I actually had the equipment to move on without being bothered by him. I could finally get through it all. There are two situations that can help you deal with Trump:
Have an argument with a drug addict
Confront a pathological liar on one of their lies
Here's what will happen if you do either of the above scenarios. The person that you are confronting will behave like a child, resorting to name calling and eye rolling. Then, they will blame you for confronting them and try everything they can to make it feel like it was all your fault. Whatever the scenario, you are the one to blame, not them.
"You took money from me."
"God, it was only $20! Get over it, I'll pay you back." (storms off)
Or
"You told me you'd be here at 2 PM."
"(Insert excuse) It's alright! You'll be fine."
What you won't get is an apology. No, "I'm sorry" and no accountability for their actions. That's because you are a problem in their lives at that moment and you need to be silenced. You are their source of strife at that time, their enemy and not their friend, family or loved one. It's incredibly painful for you to deal with because you care and their actions hold value to you personally. The drug addict and the pathological liar are unencumbered by empathy because they at least for a brief amount of time are sociopaths. You are encountering someone who is a shell of a human being who is out for their individual interests only. You only matter if you are an asset, a way of getting what they want. If you are a hinderance, you need to be dealt with. These intentions may be benign or nefarious. A pathological liar wants very badly to be believed and that they are a victim of their circumstance, whether or not this may be true. A drug addicts goal is drugs and money for drugs. You only matter once their goals are reached.
I've had the unusual privilege of being in both scenarios with people I care about. I learned a lot from it and I have compartmentalized these individuals. Here's what I've learned from dealing with high functioning psychopaths:
They will say anything to anyone to get what they want.
They care little about the consequences of their words and live "moment to moment" with no particular long game in mind.
If you impose normal societal expectations on them they will fortify their positions because they know they have been "caught" and can't be made vulnerable.
So, once I recognized the patterns, it all fell into place. Donald Trump is crazy. No, that's not hyperbole. He's a functioning psychopath that's been lead out into the mainstream of society. People have all kinds of theories, "He's trying to shake up the system." or "It's all a plan to secure a media deal." If any of these theories are true, they are merely accidental. Crazy people don't have a plan. They just go out, be crazy and let the pieces fall where they may.
Is Donald Trump racist? Yes, but unconsciously. He settled with the government for a lawsuit in which he denied housing for black people. It appears that his worldview has always been shaped by race. Has he gone on to correct this behaviour? No, crazy people don't do that. He believes that he is not racist because he's crazy.
People like Donald Trump because he's candid and authentic, unlike the other politicians. Is he faking it or being truly authentic? Yes, authentically crazy. He actually believes all the things he says at the time he says them. Any contrary information is ignored, crazy people do that. Sure, you can build a wall between the US and Mexico and have Mexico pay for it! Sure, lots of illegal immigrants are murderers and rapist. Why not? Sure, Obama founded ISIS and he's not really a US citizen. Whatever insane scenario floats into his mind, that's the truth to him. Sane people around him will question it, but he can't be bothered with facts. You see, he's crazy.
There's no way he's crazy. He's a very successful business man. You think that the wealthy are exempt from severe psychosis? He inherited his wealth and his posh upbringing shaped his entire life. As a kid he threw rocks at the neighbor's toddler and acted out in school. He got sent to a military academy where he learned to mold his psychosis into normal society, fraternizing with the "every man" so that he could relate to normal people. His career is fraught with controversies and constant legal mishaps. He is only successful because he swindled the right people at the right time. He is the "king of debt" as he puts it. He's filed for bankruptcy at least four times and hurt a lot of people financially on his way there. His fortune is based on the image of success, not the ethical acquisition of success. His actions are one of a complete narcissistic sociopath. His talents begin and end in his deceitfulness and his willingness to manipulate people as well as the system.
Once I started analyzing his behaviour in context of what I knew of sociopathy, I knew I was on to something. News analysts have no idea how to deal with him because what he says and does is so unusual in terms of the type of people they are used to covering. "Normal people don't behave this way. His behaviour is so bizarre" That's because it truly is, he's not playing by the usual rules. You cannot hold him to the same standards as normal people because he is not normal at all. He is mentally ill. A sociopath will make you believe you're the crazy on if you are listening long enough. It can tire you out and drain you.
He also has the ability to hide his neurosis to the right people. However, get him in front of a crowd and the crazy comes out in full force. He loves attention and loves to push his brand. So if he says something insane and crazy in front of a large audience and they react positively to it, he will keep going down the crazy rabbit hole. Attention is his currency and the more of it he has, the wealthier he feels in the moment. When confronted with the inflammatory remarks he made, he will put on his "civilized hat" and explain it away.
A bonus asset that you can do to arm yourself against Trump is to know someone completely delusional. I mean a person who does one thing and then completely thinks that he has done another. It's really scary and I have know a few types like this. You've probably seen this video, but take another look at this shining moment in the Trump campaign.
It's beautiful. When confronted he lightly attacks the person asking the question. A common tactic. When he gets to the "he was a hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured." He going for entertaining but completely misses the mark and exposes the utter shallowness of his character. Then he doubles down and repeats himself even though he knows he went too far then backtracks, "perhaps he's a hero." That's to cover his ass when he's brought to task later for his statement, a formality. Most importantly he attacks McCain because Senator McCain used the degratory remark "the crazies" when refering to the people in attendance at the Trump rally. That hit a nerve. Then Trump reveals his soul.
“Trust me, I know crazy”
Trump is actually somewhat aware of his psychosis but doesn't possess any of the tools to correct it. He woke up one day and said, "I'm going to be president" and he actually went after it with all the brazen tact of a psychopath with zero self awareness. He clenched the nomination because there is a certain segment of the American population which is not of sound mind that relate to him.
These strange individuals are in full support or at least have to pretend to be. That's why you see hard-line conservatives who usually go along with whatever the party chooses jumping ship and saying, "Never Trump" These people are taking a stand against the real insanity that they can patently see. The sane people who still support Trump are being compliant and that's a dangerous route to take. Craziness cannot be reasoned with. You cannot expect an insane person to develop discipline and character. Sane, normal people question themselves and try to improve, insane people do not. Sane people will prepare themselves and inform their minds of facts because they know that their words carry implications especially as a presidential candidate. Trump will not develop the skill set of self improvement because he has never needed to. Why would he start now? Any attempts to vet him and reel him in will backfire because impetuous children will always take the bait once provoked.
He's a sad, sick little man and his legions are wounded people.
Once you have stared into the mouth of madness and walked away from it, you are armed with the most powerful weapon of all. The ability to remove yourself.
The solution is to starve them of their currency
Trumps currency is attention. The more people talk about him the more he is pushing his brand. Learn to ignore him because he is dim and predictable. Here's what's going to happen.
He will take a dip in the polls or media coverage will decline slightly
He will say something insane and inflammatory to get attention
The cycle will continue ad nauseum
If you tune him out, ignore his cries for media attention, he will get bored and try something else. You can't care, or more accurately you have to care so much that you are in control of your reaction and you've removed yourself from attaching value to their words. This is difficult, the antagonist will try again and again to get what they want. What you have to do is leave them alone and ignore their cries for attention. The next crazy thing he says has to be followed by, "Oh, look who needs attention." and that's it. No credence, no value, no trying to see his point of view because as a sane person you cannot truly relate to a lunatic.
I put the damaged people who tried to manipulate me in their proper place and starved them out of their currency. It looks like America is in dire need of a Trump cleanse and that starts with recognizing how damaged he is and ignoring him.
That said, I truly believe he is dangerous and the fact that he made it this close to the presidency is a black mark on American society and the election system. He must be blocked because you cannot put insane people in positions of power. After that, we can safely put him in the category of failed American experiments like McCarthyism and Prohibition.
Fortify yourself and see the damaged for who they truly are. Express kindness but not support. Feel sorry for them but don't enable them. Allow yourself the clarity and peace of mind that comes with editing out the crazy from your life. It will help you sleep better at night.