So far we have explored the nature of myth in a positive sense, various useful myths, and some destructive myths in America. Now back to the myth that some see as creating an American crisis but others see as the key to our salvation as a nation. We are talking about the Trumpian myth. Let’s see what Trump brings to the table.

Greek mythology contains the myth of Narcissus among many others. According to legend, Narcissus was known for his beauty. He was predicted a long life as long as he never recognized himself. He rejected the love of a nymph and fell in love with his own reflection in the water and eventually died of frustration or possibly suicide.

There have been many theories about what is going on with Trump. One is that he has a narcissistic personality disorder. Another is that he has antisocial personality disorder. Both are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM 5). A third option is for him to have a combination of the two.

A person diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder must display at least five of the following symptoms:

1. A great sense of personal importance.

2. Preoccupation with dreams of unlimited power, success,

physical attractiveness and love.

3. Belief that he or she (usually he) has a special or high status.

4. A need for excessive admiration.

5. A sense of entitlement and expectation of favorable treatment or compliance.

6. Exploitation of other people to achieve personal goals.

7. Lack of empathy for other people’s needs and feelings.

8. Envy of other people or thinking that other people envy them.

9. Arrogant behaviors and attitudes.

A person diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder must show

at least three of the following symptoms:

1. Repeated breach of social norms resulting in cause for arrest.
2. Participate in deception.
3. Impulsivity and lack of planning.
4. Irritability and aggressiveness.
5. Reckless disregard or concern for the safety of others.
6. Chronic irresponsibility.
7. Lack of remorse for hurting others.

I had no difficulty finding all of these symptoms in both groups as present in Trump. Does that mean you have to choose one diagnosis or another? It clearly shows patterns consistent with both diagnoses.

Although there is no combined diagnosis in DSM-5, Arlin Cuncic at http://www.verywellmind.com discusses the idea of ​​a narcissistic sociopath with features of the two personality disorders just reviewed. Here each of the two diagnoses intensify and worsen each other. As with each of the separate diagnoses, the combined pattern first shows up during adolescence and is most likely due to genetic and environmental factors.

Cuncic describes a person with both as “on a quest for power and control, using the love and admiration of others as a tool to dominate and manipulate. There will be no blame, no apology, no remorse on the part of the narcissistic sociopath.” “This also strikes me as a very apt description of Trump.

All of this brings us to the Trumpian Myth. Wikipedia describes A Big Lie as “a propaganda device by a politician used for political purposes, a gross distortion or misrepresentation of the facts.” He goes on to describe the term Hitler coined in Mein Kampf as “so colossal a lie that no one would believe that anyone could have the nerve to distort the truth in such an infamous way.”

As I see it, there are currently three parts to the Trumpian myth:

1. The first is MAGA. Paul Blumenthal describes the part of the myth as “predicting a great and catastrophic future event where liberation will come through the effort and sacrifice of believers. The present order will be swept away.” This is the promise that Trump ran on and that he promised to continue if he is re-elected through the slogan “Keep America Great.”

as if he had achieved his goal during his administration to make America great.

In my assessment, he made a good start in laying waste to our democracy by watering down and crippling many of the federal agencies that support democracy. It did this primarily through restrictive policies and installing agency directors who either had no idea how to run their agencies or had ideas on how to cripple them. However, he deserves credit for supporting COVID vaccines, even though he undermined other aspects of containing the pandemic. Aside from supporting vaccine development, I had trouble finding anything positive unless I was very wealthy and wanted a tax cut.

2. The second part of the myth is that the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6 was not an attack but a “love party” and that Trump did not incite it. Additionally, any Republican who blames Trump for any part in the insurrection (or lack of insurrection) should be removed from the ranks.

3. The third part is that Trump actually won the 2020 election. The fake votes were allegedly introduced by Democrats or others acting in their interest. Seemingly endless counts and false counts have been the order of the day to expose the “Great Robbery” with more planned across the country.

Under the pretext of electoral fraud that must have taken place in his opinion,

Republicans are working hard in many states to reintroduce restrictive laws to limit the voting of undesirable people who might vote against Trump, such as blacks and other people of color, as well as poor and younger voters.

These aspects of the Trump myth are trumpeted by the strongest voices in the Republican Party with virtually total support or at least no objection from House and Senate Republican congressmen.

The final post in this series will focus on what to do with all of this.