Introduction

In podcast 88, “Unraveling the Facade: Understanding Trump’s Alarming Behavior,” I analyzed Trump’s eight dangerous behaviors. In this podcast, I delve deeper into these behaviors, particularly in light of the recent Republican National Convention.

A Ray of Hope: Civility, Its Collapse And Project 2025: A Blueprint for Authoritarianism

I am entering this podcast with a heavy heart, feeling dismay and disturbed by the outrageous claims and accusation that are coming forth in the speeches at the Republican National Convention. After Trump was shot at on Saturday, July 13^th, Trump and other Republicans were talking about toning down the violence and usual rhetoric they use to hype up their audiences. Saturday there was a ray of light to say civility and discussion of two different views of America can at least be talked about. As usual, MAGA Republicans exhibit the same disturbing patterns of behavior that Trump has enjoyed, and he has trained them to do. I am choosing to use an outstanding newsletter that has a similar description to what appeared in The Atlantic by “Lone Star Project—Election Commentary: Politics Must Change, But Don’t Rewrite Trump’s History, which was published on July 15, 2024, 2:54 PM:

“The MAGA rally shooting in Pennsylvania was reprehensible. A loving father was killed protecting his family. Two other men were hurt badly. Thank goodness Donald Trump suffered only minor injuries.

Most of the commentary in the days that have followed the shooting has been responsible and constructive, with the notable exception of Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance. The immediate statement from President Biden and calls from many Republican leaders to turn the temperature down on divisive rhetoric are important and badly needed. It seems naïve given the red-hot politics of recent years, but we do have an opportunity to change the tone and finally begin to debate differences—both in policy and in ideology—civilly and constructively.

Changing the tone and returning to civility; however, does not mean rewriting history and ignoring the hard truth that Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are fueled and driven by divisive rhetoric along with extreme actions and proposals. The very real things Trump has said and done and the un-American policies he and his allies promote should not be set aside or downplayed. Accurately recounting and describing them requires terms like extreme, immoral, and authoritarian.

As a candidate in 2016, Trump encouraged rally goers to “knock the hell out of them,” referring to Americans that didn’t support him. At the same rallies, and even at the 2016 convention, chants of ‘lock her up’ were used to stir the crowd. As president, Trump ordered police with rubber bullets and batons to clear peaceful protesters so he could stage a photo-op holding a Bible. He sent a mob to the Capitol to stop the fair elections of Joe Biden. When told the mob was threatening to hang Vice President Pence, Trump said he ‘deserves’ it. Even now, he praises the mob he sent that attacked and beat police officers while trying to overthrow the 2020 election. Days after Nancy Pelosi’s elderly husband, Paul, was nearly beaten to death with a hammer by a Trump supporter, Trump attacked Pelosi and ridiculed her critically injured husband.

Project 2025, the policy guidebook for a new Trump administration, is a ‘how to’ for authoritarians. At least 50,000 professional civil servants will be replaced by partisan loyalists doing only their leader’s bidding. Books will be banned. Public money will be used to fund private religious schools. Abortions will be outlawed in all circumstances. Access to contraception will be denied. Incarceration camps will be built, and mass deportations will take place. Many of these same policies are contained within the Republican platform itself.

Donald Trump really was convicted by a jury of his peers after committing 34 felony crimes. Another jury of his peers found him liable for tax fraud and fined him a half billion dollars. And another jury of his peers found that Donald Trump illegally defamed a woman who he sexually assaulted. It all really happened. It is history. Recounting and explaining these hard facts to voters in the days between now and the election is nether unfair nor inciteful.

The media’s job is especially hard right now, but it’s more important than ever that they get it right. Giving Trump credit for adjusting his tone to a slightly more civil register (which only last on Saturday and part of Sunday) while continuing to promote policies that diminish our democracy is a disservice to the public. The truth is necessary for voters to make a fair and fully informed choice regarding the type of person who should be trusted to lead our nation.

Trump and his MAGA movement set the divisive and violent tone that permeates our current politics. They lowered the bar to this dangerous level, and we saw the consequences play out in Pennsylvania.

The Reality of MAGA’s Rhetoric

I have read 26 articles, which 12 I tossed, since they were repeats of other articles. There are clearer presentation of the events and Republicans inciting divisiveness and even more comments in speeches and comments at the convention that increase the insane and disturbing comments of Project 2025. Choosing JD Vance to be his Vice Presidential running mate cannot be denied as the worst possible choice. Take time to read the details of the reason that Trump chose Vance and learn about who encouraged him to do so. Since Vance has been a Senator from Ohio for only a year, and his comments are a repeat of Trump then Trump has his loyal person to feed his ego, and do what he wants done. Here are some of the articles I have read and kept so I could provide you reference at the end of this podcast: The Atlantic, July 15^th, “MAGA World’s Reckless Point-Scoring,” prominent Republicans turn up the temperature within minutes of Saturday’s shooting. They immediately blamed Democrats for the attempt on Donald Trump’s life. “Such Charges are cynical attempts to immunize Trump from any further criticism.” On July 14^th, “Kinzinger says JD Vance’s response to the shooting should ‘disqualify’ him from VP consideration.” “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all cost,” Vance said on the social platform X, and added “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.” Kinzinger—a former GOP member of Congress who became a frequent Trump critic—responded to Vance’s post, saying, “This should absolutely disqualify @JDVance1 from VP.” Vance has little governing experience should he ascend to the presidency. He has never directly competed against Trump, and his political career exemplified how devotion he is to Trump has practically become a precondition in Republican politics. You can go to The New York Times, Time Magazine, CNN and almost any other media to hear “Why Trump Chose J.D. Vance.”

The speeches include any candidate that are running against a Democrat, and their comments are extreme and irrational even though they are appearing at the Republican National Convention. Most have no political experience and are “way off the charts” with insane comments. Let us take Hung Cao, who is running in Virginia. Cao is a democracy denier. Not only has he peddled conspiracies about the 2020 election, but he is also pledged to release and even compensate convicted January 6th insurrectionists. Cao opposes women’s reproductive rights, supported legislation that would drastically and cruelly limit abortion access all across the country, and even compared abortion to the Holocaust. Cao refuses to accept the reality of the climate crisis—he is said he doesn’t think climate change is real and even called the entire concept a “boogeyman.” More detail will be provided in future podcasts.

Unmasking Narcissistic Behaviors that Has Destroyed a Party and the Members of the Party

I detailed for you in podcast 88 narcissistic behaviors that are exhibited by Trump, Vance and his major supporters. Here are the eight behaviors: Grandiose Sense of Self-Importance, Belief in His Specialness; Preoccupation with Fantasies of Success and Power, Required Need for Excessive Admiration, Sense of Entitlement, Interpersonal Exploitativeness, Lack of Empathy for anyone that is not loyal to him, and Arrogant and Haughty Behaviors. Mental health professionals have described trump’s behaviors, and they paint a picture of a deeply disturbed individual. I will extend this podcast longer so you can have more detail what professionals have said about him since 2016 and still hold that opinion today.

The eight behaviors are part of the definition of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In fact, there is so much information that it can be daunting and exhausting to determine which to read about this disease. Here are some of the better-known authors on the subject: 1. Wendy Behary, LCSW, 2. Jennifer Litner, LMFT, CST, 3. Timonthy J. Legg, PhD, CRNP, and Rebecca Zung, ESQ, who is an attorney. I presented in my article on 1-11-2020 entitled “Narcissist’s Unraveling Behaviors and Their Impact on Others,” and well respected mental health professionals.

Wendy Behary was featured in “Science of US,” written by Drake Baer. Drake says, “The presidential rise of Donald Trump has thrust Wendy Behary’s Field into the national spotlight: She is the author of ‘Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with Self-Absorbed.” Behary “notes that while it’s dangerous to diagnose at a distance, Trump’s need for dominance smacks of self-absorption. Like Science of US Reported, “Trump is a Near—Perfect Example of Needy Narcissism.” Drake goes on to describe Trump’s personality is “a conversational demagogue, a constant, forceful center of attention.

Here is an article entitled “Why And How Narcissist love to Play the Victim” by Heather Davidson she describes the following:

• “The Narcissist is living in deep levels of denial: The narcissist creates a delusional world to protect their fragile egos.” This means that narcissist do not cope with reality, if it creates doubt within themselves due to the difficult emotions that go on with reality. They will lie to themselves and others to maintain the story they have told themselves about situations or events. Trump will continue to find every way possible to not take responsibility for his criminal actions. He currently has the Supreme Court in his pocket and certain judges.
• “Spinning the Narrative to Receive (false) Validation:” Narcissists are motivated by proving that they are right. They get other people to support their perception, since they are seeking validation. They weave their distorted story (which is built on lies) to get reassurance from others. They create a distorted reality. Johnson, Vance and other MAGA Republicans who went to support Trump in New York City where he was found guilty of 34 counts of criminal charges is a perfect example of spinning the narrative to create false validation for Trump.
• “Projecting:” Whatever traits or behaviors they cannot accept about themselves they project “onto others.” Through the projection the narcissist makes others responsible for their behavior, so they do not have to be responsible for themselves. Trump has never taken responsibility for his behaviors in his business, in his political career, and he is not taking responsibility for the efforts he is making to destroy our democracy, women’s rights, persons of colors or LGBTQ+ rights. In fact, he feeds hatred of anyone that is not white and loyal to him. Do not be fooled by the drama of the convention that is going on this week.
• “Presenting the Story to Others:” When the narcissist tells stories they leave out any of their behavior or make it about the other and how they were the ones that were not at fault. They give no context or backstory to a situation, and do not mention their own aggressive behavior. They utilize their anger to stir others to act on their behalf. All the speakers at the convention have abandoned making any effort to quieten the violence and destain. Every speech will be an effort to attack, attack and attack any action that is taken by Democrats to counter Trump’s destructive plans, which are outlined in the 2025 Project and the Republican Platform.
• “Engaging in a Campaign of untruths:” Davidson uses the word campaign since the narcissist will go to extremes to falsify documents or anything to manipulate others hoping they will not find out the truth. They invest in gossip and slander and “engage in full blown character assignation (example, attacks on Liz Cheney and anyone who is not loyal to him).” It is common for narcissists to file false reports (massive false reports, constant statements about the election, and his testing of any level of the judicial system to see what he can get away with).

Voices Against a Dark Future

Grandiose narcissism includes dominance, vengefulness, and a lack of regard for other people’s boundaries. In the many articles, books, and materials along with my experience with clients who have been involved with narcissism, the smear campaign is devasting. I have seen the impact on families, children and spouses who have been involved with narcissist. The pain they feel with the lies and untruths told about them are appalling, and hurtful to the person the narcissist is focusing on.

I want to end this podcast with a courageous statement from a leader in “Voters for Tomorrow.” You and I cannot let our younger generations down. Here are her statements. “I’m 16 years old and I don’t want to live in JD Vance’s America. Vance, who Trump just announced as his VP pick, supports a TOTAL abortion ban, He cozies up to white supremacists. He supports Project 2025. He’s denied the 2020 election results.

We can’t let a person like JD Vance be in charge of Gen Z’s future…and we surely can’t let him be in charge of certifying future presidential election results.

The whole VOT PAC team was already mobilizing against a fascist future, but now we need your help more than ever.

So please, will you rush $27 so my friends and I don’t have to grow up in JD Vance’s dark vision of American >>vot-pac.com/l/LWk1ub.

I am asking each of you to hear my message, take it to heart, keep listening to Hot Topic Bold Talk, and please support the “Voters of Tomorrow” all of us have a responsibility to those who come after us. The materials I used for this podcast will be in my reference list. The future of our democracy hinges on our ability to see through the facade and confront the dangerous rhetoric of Trump and his supporters. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and together, we can protect the values we hold dear.