Consider these quotes and reflect on this question: In thinking about his place in our world, does this man (Donald Trump) have a reassuring grip on reality?
“And I don’t mind making the speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working. I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless and that way you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen. But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood. And then a teleprompter that didn’t work. These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”
“… the guns of war have shattered the peace I forged on two continents.”
“One year ago, our country was in deep trouble, but today, just eight months into my administration, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world and there is no other country even close.”
“Under my leadership, energy costs are down, gasoline prices are down, grocery prices are down, mortgage rates are down and inflation has been defeated.”
“In my first term, I built the greatest economy in the history of the world. We had the best economy ever, history of the world and I’m doing the same thing again, but this time, it’s actually much bigger and even better. The numbers far surpass my record-setting first term.”
“My administration has negotiated one historic trade deal after another, including with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and many, many others.”
“… in a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars. They said they were unendable. … No president or prime minister. And for that matter, no other country has ever done anything close to that and I did it in just seven months. It’s never happened before. There’s never been anything like that. Very honored to have done it. It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them.”
“I’ve also been working relentlessly stopping the killing in Ukraine. I thought that would be, of the seven wars that I stopped, I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one.”
“I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell. In America, we’ve taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration.”
“And I’m really good at predicting things. They actually said during the campaign, they had a hat, the best-selling hat. Trump was right about everything. And I don’t say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true. I’ve been right about everything.”
“He liked me. I liked him and I only do business with people I like.”
In reflecting on his words, consider this summary from Google AI:
“Grandiose overt narcissism is a subtype of narcissistic personality disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a need for constant admiration and a lack of empathy, all of which are displayed outwardly. Unlike more hidden “vulnerable” narcissism, grandiose narcissists are often charming, outgoing and appear highly confident, using this persona to achieve their desires for power, prestige and control. While they may seem successful, this facade masks a fragile ego that relies on external validation and their behavior often involves arrogance, entitlement and a tendency to manipulate others.”
Key characteristics:
-Inflated self-importance: A grandiose sense of self-importance, believing they are superior to others and destined for great things.
-Need for admiration: A deep need for excessive admiration and praise from others to validate their perceived superiority.
-Lack of empathy: A profound inability to recognize or care about the feelings and needs of others.
-Charismatic and outgoing: Often possess superficial charm and charisma, drawing people into their orbit, especially when they want something.
-Sense of entitlement: A firm belief that they deserve special treatment and automatic compliance with their expectations.
-Arrogance and haughtiness: Exhibit an arrogant or haughty demeanor and behavior.
-Manipulation and exploitation: Willingness to lie, cheat or manipulate others to achieve their goals.
-Fragile ego: Beneath the outward confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that requires constant external validation to maintain.