A Lonely Pro-Trump Psychiatrist Speaks
As a lonely psychoanalyst Trump supporter, I feel the need to exercise my First Amendment right to speak up. I think the majority of my psychiatrist, psychologist, and psychiatric social worker colleagues feel dislike, distain and antipathy towards Donald Trump. Many psychologists state that he is mentally ill and could damage mental health in America. I disagree with these colleagues.
American voters usually are exposed to a variety of clever political demagoguery, obfuscations, deceptions, and a spectrum of lies from little white ones to whoppers. With Donald Trump’s bombastic campaign style, a new glossary of terms is needed to understand his evolving policies and predict his way of leading and governing if elected. The new glossary would include words and concepts such as bombast, sarcasm (cruel at times), overt insults, crude personal verbal attack, hyperbolic impulsive statements to focus large group attention, paradoxical intention, mixed simultaneous use of an object as symbol and reality (i.e., a wall as the need for clear national boundaries and rules of behavior as compared to an actual wall). And, extemporaneous free associations about the powerful emotions beneath political issues, ambivalent political relationships and evolving policy statements.
The author imagines the following inner soliloquy of Donald Trump as he decided to run for president:
I observe America floundering. I see the economy sputtering after almost eight years of Obama’s incompetent leadership, mushrooming regulations that hamstring job creation and ever mushrooming national debt. I see bad trade deals with China, Mexico and other countries that hurt America. I see tax policies that drive jobs and industries out of America. I see increasing unemployment especially of young black Americans. I see law and order declining especially in big urban areas like Chicago, Obama’s hometown. I see migrants and illegal immigrants given government assistance as Americans go deeper into debt and poverty. Big expensive government programs favored by Democrat politicians are redundant and often failing.
I see American military power, political leadership in the world decline to the extent that other nations laugh at us behind our backs as they give smarmy smiles to Obama. The Obama administration seems bound and determined to teach white America and Americans in general to be ashamed of their/our alleged hidden racism, bigotry, islamophobia, homophobia and xenophobia. He shames us and our political leaders who he paints as bad guys if they disagree with him.
The constant search for micro-aggressions and political incorrectness by Obama-ites repulses me. I watched Obama and his minions insult, lie about, and distort the motives, intentions and character of sweet gentlemen like John McCain and Mitt Romney. I know I can be a strong, powerful and benevolent leader to rescue America. Obama uses his sneaky phone and pen to bring America down a peg or two and share it’s /our wealth around in some neo-socialist ways. I know and have participates in the rigged American political system that is floundering. I know where the crooked bodies are buried. I made billions legally through the flawed system in America. I will be a benevolent Trojan Horse to lead a hopefully bloodless revolution in America. I will use a P.T. Barnum, applied reality TV model of politics to win. I can’ t be bought by anyone. America will be great and safe again. I love America so much that I will make mistakes and try to honestly correct them. I will listen to as many Americans as I can. I will talk straight to them about what I see as the truth of where America must go to be great and safe again.
I will re-make the Republican party into a modern this time successful Bull Moose Populist Republican Party. Here I come, a new TR!
In recent days, psychologists have defied the Goldwater Rule. Most of the opinions from the American Psychological Association members have been extremely negative about Trump. They call “Trumpism” fascist, bullying, misogynistic, bigoted, racist, homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic. Some psychologist colleagues even say Trump would be destructive to the mental health of America. I suspect many psychiatrists and psychoanalysts would agree.
In my opinion, these psychologist colleagues miss the paradoxes about Trump, his motives, character and extremely unorthodox campaign style. They express a shallow and superficial view of Donald Trump.
Trump and Hillary Clinton have viciously attacked each other in ways similar to John Adams and Thomas Jefferson early in our country’s history. Trump is by no means an angel and has some macho traits similar to many traditional American men.
It is easy to say Trump flip-flops and insults in order to hurt. I think it is refreshing that Trump is defiantly politically incorrect and says what he thinks at campaign free associative moments. He behaves unlike the usual American candidate’s canned talking points, tested at focus groups.
Many or most will disagree with me, but I think Trump knows how to listen, is flexibly sincere about changing his mind. He is confidently unapologetic about such changes. I think he will follow the principles of his best seller, The Art of the Deal, when negotiating with Congress, foreign and community leaders.
I think Trump, unlike typical spineless political leaders, knows how to hire and, most of all, fire incompetent administrators. Trump will not tolerate all the “Smidgens” of corruption at the IRS, the VA, and the unjust racially divisive Justice Department. He will effectively lead civil service reforms enabling incompetents to be disciplined and fired, as in the private sector.
Building walls around American to form healthy strong borders is analogous to clear firm personal boundaries that give evidence of ego strength. Trump can be a strong flexible father figure who by making our streets and borders safe can help our citizens to find opportunities for individual growth and financial success. Dependency on government assistance will only be for those citizens truly unable to work and support themselves.
Trump as a strong successful father figure for America will encourage black American youths to find mentors in a safe work world, not in destructive drug gang leaders. Building a strong well educated and trained military will allow young Americans to serve their country in a military deserving respect and in other ways of serving America at home and abroad.