Part 1. Trump Will Refuse to Leave Office
Clinical Perspective: Trump’s Wet Dream
“I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.” — Donald Trump, Breitbart News, March 14, 2019.
Lafayette Square
On Monday, June 1st, Donald Trump awoke furious and deeply humiliated by accusations of his cowardice in scrambling to the White House bunker two nights earlier, panic-stricken by the sometimes violent protests over yet another videotaped police murder of a black man, George Floyd, that sparked a world-wide spasm of outrage.
Aching to restore his phony image of muscularity and toughness, Trump hatched a plan with his inner circle to forcefully disperse a crowd of peaceful protesters across from the White House in Lafayette Square, thereby clearing his way for what he believed would be a triumphant walk to a preposterous photo-op, holding aloft an upside-down bible in front of St. John’s Church nearby. In a seven minute speech from the Rose Garden prior to his stunt, even as he professed his staunch support for peaceful protest, loud explosions of flashbang grenades could be heard in the final minute as the surge began from mounted police, National Guard troops, swooping military helicopters, and Secret Service (what Trump, in all his exquisite sensitivity, described as “SS” in a tweet).
Virtually everyone is aware of the bizarre theatrics that ensued.
And yet, few are aware of a lengthy phone conversation Trump had that very morning with none other than Vladimir Putin, for whom Trump has repeatedly gushed his admiration. (The call, ostensibly about other matters, was not reported by our press — nor would it have been — until after having appeared in Russian media). Fewer still have made the connection that the conversation with Putin doubtlessly inspired what was soon to follow.
Following the Putin call, Trump immediately went into a phone conference with every state governor he could summon, with his inner circle of advisers listening in. In a forty minute rant, Trump pounded the table about the need to “dominate” the streets and not look weak. Secretary of Defense Esper spoke of controlling the “battlespace” against American citizens (for which he has apologized), along with similar fascist verbiage from Attorney General William Barr, Trump’s de facto personal lawyer (for which he has not apologized). Crushing unarmed, peacefully protesting citizens was the basic message. Vintage Putin. (On a related note, Russian physicians who have protested the government’s dictatorial response to COVID-19 have been mysteriously flying out of windows from upper floors).
For several days thereafter, scattered throughout the city were massive numbers of National Guard troops, military vehicles and helicopters, police, and scores of elite military troops locked and loaded on the outskirts of DC. Most disturbingly, heavily armed men in full riot gear roamed about with zero insignia of any kind from which they could be identified. This profoundly un-American tactic, though ubiquitous in totalitarian regimes, has never before been seen in our country. Taken together, these events ignited an outraged backlash from the public and horrified politicians from both parties, journalists, and military commanders at the highest levels, both current and retired.
Vladimir’s advice was not well received by our nation.
Though Trump has repeatedly and explicitly mentioned in speeches and tweets that he might decide to stay in office if he loses a “rigged” election, this event is a vivid foreshadowing of the acts of tyranny he will likely employ.
Understanding Trump’s Tyrannical Psychological Make-up
In order to understand the imminent danger of a deranged rogue president refusing to leave office, we need to revisit the extensive psychological assessment published early in Trump’s presidency that anticipated so much of what has transpired. Rather than trying to cover ground already well-traveled, I am liberally citing my own work from a paper first published on September 19, 2016, immediately following Trump securing the Republican nomination. The paper was updated one year later for the NYT bestseller, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, which contains similar predictions from 27 experts. My conclusions, dating back four years, were as follows:
”There is considerable evidence to suggest that absolute tyranny is Trump’s wet dream. The unopposed dictator is …able to demand adulation…and to eradicate all perceived enemies with the simple nod of the head…:
• Kim Jong-un: “You gotta give him credit … when his father died, he goes in, he takes over these tough generals and he’s the boss. It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle, wipes out this one, that one. It’s incredible”…
• Bashar al-Assad: “I think in terms of leadership, he’s getting an A and our president is not doing so well”…
• Saddam Hussein: “Okay, so he was a very bad guy. But you know what he did so well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good [sic]! He didn’t read them their rights. They didn’t talk. You were a terrorist, it’s over!”…
• Vladimir Putin: “If he says great things about me, I’m going to say great things about him. He’s really very much of a leader … very strong control over his country … and look, he has an eighty-two-percent approval rating!”…
During the campaign, Trump spoke of “fighting for peaceful regime-change” if elected… suggested that maybe “the Second Amendment people” might be able to stop Hillary… quoted Mussolini’s “Better to live one day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep,”…and expressed genuine bewilderment about why we build nuclear weapons if we don’t use them.
In the clinical assessment of such frightening characteristics, why would Trump admire grotesque tyrants while never praising our own past presidents?… throughout life, we all look for role models to emulate…who guide us by their example of how to get it right. We search for what has been called an “ego ideal” who best personifies our own highest intentions…Trump is drawn to leaders who already fit his fundamental personality makeup…
…Once elected, many argued that Trump would certainly moderate his words and actions in a so-called “soft pivot.” When a person is character-disordered or worse — one who always blames others, never apologizes or displays accountability, and who never for an instant believes there is anything wrong with himself — the only possibility for change is for him to become worse, not better…He has tried to become more of the tyrant he wants to be, not less…
…Like the despots he idolizes, Trump intends to rule, not lead; to control, not compromise. The 2016 presidential election was not about traditional Republican-versus-Democratic views. Quite literally, it was about apocalypse, not politics.”
From Hillary Clinton in 2016 to convicted personal attorney Michael Cohen, Madeline Albright, psychologist Elizabeth Mika, comedian Bill Maher, Joe Biden, and a rising chorus of authoritative voices, we have been warned that if Trump is unable to steal the election, he will refuse to leave office. Beyond his insatiable greed and thirst for power, he also knows that he and his family will immediately be inundated with serious civil and criminal charges already prepared by the city and state of New York, along with whatever federal investigations may be pursued.
In closing, like a psychological ankle bracelet monitor, this series will scrutinize Trump carefully for ongoing signs of totalitarian intentions, with frequent updates in the run-up to the election. Concurrently, psychological guidance will be offered regarding Trump’s personality make-up, supported by concrete indications of deterioration in his words and actions. This will include full discussion of the terms solipsism and delusional disorder, about which much has been written
The time has come to shake ourselves from our Trumpian numbness and exhaustion. We are much less afraid than we must become.
Michael J Tansey, PhD
Chicago, IL
