It was a random collections of interviews and videos that I saw today in close quarters that snapped something into place in my head. Fortunately there’s all the room in the world up there. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it started to make. I’ll try to keep this as linear as possible, but it’s made up of multiple parts.
Let’s start here. I can’t believe that someone far smarter than I hasn’t already written about or broadcast this, because on calm reflection it makes perfect sense. The starting point for this line of thought was something I read about Traitor Tot in the book written by his niece Mary Trump, Too much but never enough.
In the book she relates that from his earliest childhood, Trump was desperate for praise and approval from his authoritarian, cruel, and indifferent father. Young Donald wasn’t above elevating his accomplishments with hyperbole to gain praise, and when a younger sibling came along, young Donald wasn’t above mentally and verbally abusing him for his father’s favor.
Mary related how at dinner one night, Donald was verbally abusing his brother trying to get his father’s attention. His older brother Fred Jr. told him to knock it off, but Trump persisted. In frustration, Fred Jr. dumped the bowl of mashed potatoes from the table over Donald’s head. The entire table, including his father roared with laughter. Donald fled the table, swearing to himself that he would never feel weak or humiliated again.
Which leads us to the word nobody is using for Trump, but should be the first to come to mind. Insecure. From his earliest upbringing, Donald J Trump has been one of the most insecure people on the planet, and it has shaped almost everything he has done in his life.
Let’s just go back and do a quick flyby of some of the highlights, or should I say lowlights of Trump’s life, both personal and professional;
- From the time Trump started his first project, Trump overinflated himself to the media. He referred to getting his Manhattan start with a small $1 million loan from his father, which he repaid with interest. Two things. First, there is no such thing as a small $1 million loan. Second, future reporting showed that Trump has never repaid a loan in his life to his father. Image is everything
- Right from the start, Trump’s buildings were a testament to glitz and schlock. Overpriced and over budget, all of the money went into the publicly visual parts of the building. Forget the fact that the windows didn’t seal, the toilets didn’t flush right, and there were crack’s in the walls. The outside of the building and the lobby looked like a high priced San Francisco cathouse. Trump bankrupted four Atlantic City casinos that way, an almost impossible task
- I apologize if I offend, but I think it fair to say that Trump has indulged in a series of trophy wives. And name me another man who would pretend to be his own publicist to give the tabloids in New York the details of his latest sexual escapades with one woman while he was still married to another woman
- As President Trump would hold Oval Office signing ceremonies for signing bills renaming post offices if anybody would show up. He used DC police and national guard troops to break up a peaceful protest so he could march across the square, and hold a bible upside down for a photo op from hell
- In a post presidency interview at Mar-A-Lago, Trump accidentally disclosed the fact that his personal office looks like a flea market in Dayton. He has a WWE belt Vince McMahon gave him, another boxing World Championship belt Mike Tyson gave him, his signed Tim Tebow U of Florida football helmet, and other useless trinkets that most people put in a box in a storage unit
Donald Trump’s insecurity is ingrained in his earliest childhood. And when insecure people make good, they have a natural desire to surround themselves with things. Especially valuable things. And they tend to promote themselves as being more rich, powerful and famous than they are.
This explains Trump’s desire to take all of those classified documents from the White House back to Mar-A-Lago with him. They were valuable, and they were his. Like the character Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, they were his precious. And as the indictment unsealed today showed, he was protective of them. He told his attorneys, Those are MY boxes, and I don’t want anybody looking through MY boxes! They’re mine!
Insecurity. Trump has suffered from it since his earliest childhood, trying to impress a cold and uncaring father. And he has spent his entire life trying to build his ego, his persona, and surround himself with things to make himself feel powerful and successful. But deep in his soul he knows that all it takes is one little f*ck up, and he’s that little kid with mashed potatoes all over his head. And if all goes well, in 6-8 months, in a courtroom in south Florida, Trump will end up with the ultimate legal bowl of mashed potatoes dumped over his head. Don’t touch that dial.
If we had to pick one word, one all-encompassing word, “insecure” would be it.
Good point, Murfster.
Awesome Murf! I’d seen something about the mashed potatoes recently but you’ve put the thing in better context – both how & why it happened and the impact it had. Move over Mr. Potato Head. For Mr. MASHED Potato Head. Urusla noted Trump fluffy new weird hairdo. My reaction was it looked like a thicker than normal frisbee made of cotton candy. Now I’m thinking it’s a replica of Trump’s head covered in mashed potatoes. With him having wiped off his face and the side of his head but being so upset he forgot about the top, hence the new look.
“He referred to getting his Manhattan start with a small $1 million loan from his father, which he repaid with interest. Two things. First, there is no such thing as a small $1 million loan. Second, future reporting showed that Trump has never repaid a loan in his life to his father. Image is everything.”
Well, Donnie might have described it as a “loan” but it could’ve just as easily been a “Dammit boy, here’s some cash–now leave me the f— alone and don’t show your f—ing face to me again!” moment of paternal “affection.” (Somehow, that seems far more fitting–and likely–the way things went.)
You should read the book. Fred Trump gave Donny everything he wanted because he was the favorite son. He was the favorite son because his older brother, Fred, Jr., wasn’t interested in the family business, he was interested in doing real work. He became an airplane pilot. This was interpreted as “weakness” by his psychopathic father and Fred Sr. proceeded to make his eldest son’s life miserable and eventually drove him to an early death. Donny watched all this as it happened and saw that the way to get on his father’s good side was to do what he wanted, learn all the angles of the crooked real estate world, an fit into the family business. From that point on, Donny was the favorite son and got all the favors. It had nothing to do with love. Just that Fred Sr. saw Donny as an extension of his own rotten self.
I READ the book, TQICE…And as Mary explained, Fred Sr gave Donald everything he wanted EXCEPT affection and approval…Highlighted by Fred Sr sending an unruly Donald off to military school instead of dealing with his fuck ups…
I agree 100% you just described a Narcissistic Sociopath. King Baby Syndrome. I see it ,you see it. I’m just not understanding why EVERYONE doesn’t.. What is the draw to him that people are willing to die for him?
” It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men.” Frederick Douglas
So far, this is one of the best articles about the Drumpfster I’ve read. Thank you Joseph “Murfster35” Murphy!
I think a more precise word is “inadequate”. this also explains the whole maga phenomenon, southern resentment, “owning the libs”. dealt with this my whole life. the closer the riff raff gets to you the worse they feel about themselves in comparison (which they are always doing) and the more acutely they experience there own inadequacy. makes them feel bad and they blame you.
Insecure about his inadequacy. Especially the inadequacy in his pants. If that’s not the prime reason men become narcissists, it’s certainly in the top 10.
Yes, Trump is insecure and that explains his gold toilets and hording, but I don’t believe that is why he has the secret documents. At least not directly. I believe he sought and found praise and validation in the Kremlin many, many years ago. That explains his every move during the time the MAGAts had him as a complete dictator as well as his post-Nancy Pelosi period. Before he even became President he was damaging democracy with his racism and declarations that if he didn’t win the election was rigged.
Then he gets in and he implements a pro-Putin foreign policy agenda for the United States. He broke every law he could find knowing the party of fascists would do nothing and then along came Covid19. He didn’t take the stance he did to keep the stock market up. That is nonsense. That is a lie the Republican of Watergate fame was pushing. You know, the one that sat on the truth till he could make a buck off his taped interviews. He used the pandemic to kill far more Americans than Putin could ever kill with his pathetic army.
He had specific reasons for taking the secret documents he did and it wasn’t to satisfy his ego. He has had years to utilize these secrets and I am sure he has. Hopefully once he is locked away what he really did can be determined. I am sure it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. His problem was not being able to have a proper cover-up. The crime required too many actors. I don’t think he is stupid, I think he has bouts of depression that cause him to do stupid things, and for that we should thank God.
This is a great comment, because you are making connections that are not sufficently appreciated. Incredible fact: much of the greatest damage Trump has done to America, and to the world, is not even being addressed by these current law suits! What about the stuff in the Mueller report and the first impeachment, which was not just about obstruction of congress, but about helping Russia weaken Ukraine — neither of which, as we all know, have had any legal consequences for Trump. But even the Mueller report only scratches the surface. Trump has been a Russian asset for the last forty years, helping the Russian mafia launder money and, once being elected, molding American foreign policy exactly the way Putin wanted. Read Craig Unger, House of Trump, House of Putin; Unger, American Kompromat; Simpson and Fritsch, Crime in Progress; Tom Burgis, Kleptopia; Sarah Kendzior, Hiding in Plain Sight. A good argument could be made that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is largely Trump’s fault. Will he ever face consequences for any of this? Yes, it will be great to see him behind bars, there are so many reasons he belongs there. But I don’t think most people realize just how incredibly destructive he has been, let alone what a total disaster it would be if he should be reelected.
Great job, Murf! ((((((((((())))))))))))
Hmmmm I thought you were gonna say “baby”, but it doesn’t take a second to realize that insecure is DEEPER. As always, thank you for your sage wisdom, Murphy 😊
I think the shrinks diagnosed him as a malignant narcissism, a combo of the worst of narcissism and psychopathy.