President-Elect Trump is Gaslighting America

I’ve blogged about Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) since 2008, long before Donald Trump descended that golden escalator in Trump Tower.

I thought I’d pretty much said all I wanted/needed to say about NPD. I put up two blog posts earlier this year noting that the consensus of numerous professionals in the mental health field is that Trump is the walking definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. You can read  Is Donald Trump Actually a Narcissist? Therapists Weigh In  published by Vanity Fair. (FYI: The article is in error on one thing. Narcissistic Personality Disorder does appear in the DSM-5. You have to scroll down several pages to to find it.)

Which brings me to the insightful Op-ed piece Trump is Gaslighting America by Lauren Duca that appeared last week in Teen Vogue of all places. Duca explains that gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse using manipulation.

Think of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and gaslighting as besties. What better way to keep control of the game (and yes, those with NPD look at everything as a game) than to keep other people wondering if you really meant what you said? Or if you even said it? It’s been called a crazy-making behavior because the  person with NPD deftly maintains the upper hand by using a virtual sleight of hand card trick using words instead.

Have you noticed how easily Trump, when confronted with something he said or did or promised, without hesitation denies that he ever said it? Even if there’s a video of him saying it, he shouts, “Wrong!” or changes the subject with a provocative tweet. Or dismisses it because “nobody cares about that.” I’ve watched as veteran journalists seem at a loss for how to interview someone who says whatever he needs to say in the moment and while denying things he said in the past. When you are a narcissist, yesterday is ancient history.

Clearly you misunderstood them because a Narcissist can never be at fault. Geez, are you really that ________? (fill in the blank with a derogatory word).

It’s like trying to have a conversation with a petulant child who screams, “I know you are but what am I?” Over and over and over. Asking a Narcissist for clarification or explanation just opens the door for more half truths and boldfaced lies.

Dealing with a Narcissist is exhausting. Let’s face it,  you can’t reason with crazy. But Trump’s “crazy” has a name, so please check the DSM-5s list of characteristics if you have any doubt.

Trump’s masterful ability to gaslight and distort the truth is dangerous as the goal of the Narcissist is to wear people down and eventually silence them altogether so no one will dare question them for fear of retribution and more lies. Do you really want to die on that hill?

Please read the imbedded links as it’s important to know when someone is gaslighting you or in this case the American people. It’s the first step to understanding how to get your/our voice back.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
                                                                               Martin Luther King, Jr.