What type of household was Trump raised in that he turned out so damaged?

[guillaumeb]

The man is an emotionally immature mass of anger and hate. He directs that anger against anyone who does not blindly support him.

He directs his hate against women, persons of color, the disabled, the military, and people in general.

And we all know that he is completely unfiltered. What he thinks, no matter the consequences, he says.

And because he is from a rich, white family, so far in his life the legal consequences have been negligible. If he were a brown man stealing some food, he would be arrested and charged with theft. But because the rich enjoy a different standard, his lawyers make things go away.

But what happened in the Trump family that caused this fortunate son to have such hate for everyone? And, does anyone here think Trump has ever been happy, or in love? Is he even capable of experiencing these emotions?

[MFM008]

1. No

Sociopath.
Wives are trophys
Kids to benefit him.
No pet love.

[guillaumeb]

2. And so sad, to be cut off from normal emotions.

So sad to be unable to really see others as human.

[dewsgirl]

28. I still remember a Keith Olbermann Resistance video about

this subject.

[BigmanPigman]

37. I'm so glad you posted this one.

I remembered Keith yelling,"Why didn't anyone tell me" about how great dogs are. If you visit his twiiter account practically half of his posts are about dogs who need a good home. I miss Keith!

[dewsgirl]

86. I miss him too, I followed him forever after the Resistance

series, hoping for him to say anything political.😞
I love what he said, about a piece of your soul missing.

[treestar]

81. I bet his father talked like that

"like a dog" is an insult to him. If he never had one growing up, it's on his parents. Dogs are just inferior things to kick around, and don't make money for the owner, other than those who sell them or breed them specifically. So that habit of speech came to him.

[dewsgirl]

83. I loathe people that treat dogs like that.😔

[at140]

176. Our dog died this year at age almost 16 y.o.

and I miss that dog every day. What a great companion dogs are. They are obedient, can be house trained, never talk back, wag their tail and welcome you when you come home, and are the best burglar alarm!

[dewsgirl]

183. I am so sorry, I lost mine this year also. She was my best

Pal, always there, always happy to see us/ protect us.

[jls4561]

96. Oh, thank you for that clip!

My favorite line was "Have you ever seen a dog beg for money?" I laughed so hard I woke up, Jake, the beagle mix. He stared at me, and I asked him "Jake, have you ever begged for money?" He took a second or two to ponder and then looked at me quizzically. I said."No, honey, 'money' is not another word for 'chicken'." He then gave me a "Why are you bothering me, then?" look and went back to his nap.

I am fortunate to have a dog that puts up with my nonsense.

[dewsgirl]

100. Adorable story, I love dogs.❤

[MLAA]

204. Lol

[Sucha NastyWoman]

179. Who was our last President who didn't have a pet?

Not that I would wish Trump on any animal. They’d be abused and neglected for sure.

[Berlin Expat]

191. That's not entirely fair - Trump does in fact have two pets

Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

199. They are more like well-trained livestock

With pers, there is an emotional bond, not just a deal with the devil.

[Faux pas]

3. He was born

that way. MHO

[guillaumeb]

4. I think he was socialized/raised to be that way.

What a horrible existence.

[Faux pas]

10. I think he

was sent off to military school because his parents couldn't deal with him. Back in those days, we didn't know much about mental illness or personality disorders.

[guillaumeb]

13. True, many with personality disorders were called trouble makers.

Or slow learners.

[lunatica]

46. Or CEOs, Captains of industry, leaders.

Our society has a really sick love of money and power. So may think that psychopathic leaders are the norm in life. People envy them. Want to be like them.

[guillaumeb]

52. Very true.

To value money above people is truly sick. In my view, the Koch brothers, and the Waltons, and Jeff Bezos, are truly sick. They have far more than they need, and still they oppress their workers and do so much harm.

[bdamomma]

90. so all the people who voted for him want to be like him

Little do they know the rich learn how to lie, cheat and steal, (not in all cases), but the majority think they are entitled by divine intervention.

[MyOwnPeace]

82. Yeah...........

threw him out - LIKE A DOG!!!!!

(see the Olbermann piece above!)

[trickyguy]

149. I read that his parents "caught" him abusing small animals and that they

couldn't deal with him and his behavior. That's why they sent him off

to a military school to get him out of the house and straighten him out.

A lot of good that did.

[Faux pas]

152. I believe everything

bad that anyone has ever said about him. He ain't any kind of human

[SergeStorms]

181. Ahhhhh....military school.

That explains his penchant for socializing with the top military brass, and of course, knowing more than any of them. At least he thinks he does. He's reduced his time schmoozing around Generals lately since they don't seem to want to kowtow to his every whim. I suppose he saw himself as being on equal footing with them since he went to military school and all. What a tool.

[mercuryblues]

197. You would think cadet bone spurs would never claim equal footing

with the military. You would be right. He claimed better footing.

Trump said in Sept. 2015-

“more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military,”

[stopdiggin]

29. no. blaming the "parents" or "upbringing"

is a cheap, inaccurate, and thoroughly discredited shorthand for what we all know to be a complex set of factors.

Trump wasn't "made" by his social environment .. and more than Ted Bundy, or Tim McVeigh, or Mahatma Gandhi were "made" by theirs.

[guillaumeb]

35. I in no way seek to excuse Trump, or the choices he made.

but he is, in part, a product of that environment.

[MyOwnPeace]

84. I agree........

but we see so many examples of people with intelligence and innate abilities rise above the obstacles placed before them and go on to do great things.

With IQ45, ain't gonna' happen..........

[OregonBlue]

93. Nature or nuture? It's some of both but from what

I've read his mom was a real doozy. They owned a chain of laundromats and she'd have a chauffeur drive her down to pick up the quarters dressed in a mink coat. LOL. Apparently she was very greedy and clueless.

[VWolf]

133. Why would she have the chauffer dress in a mink coat?

I know, I know

[LisaM]

138. Why were the quarters dressed in a mink coat?

That seems very ostentatious to me.

[VWolf]

139. And greedy and clueless

Who speaks for the oppressed dimes, nickels and pennies????

[OregonBlue]

168. Too funny!!

[smirkymonkey]

108. +1000

[Texin]

131. No. It's actually not. The family is a microcosm environment and has a profound effect

on the development and maturation process of a child's mind.

Fred Trump was the quintessential authoritarian father of Caucasian European descent. DJT's mother was an immigrant who worked in service jobs (she was actually a maid or domestic servant), and was a very lovely young woman in her appearance - which was a good thing for her because it allowed her to marry an affluent and viciously ambitious man. Fred Trump ruled the roost and believed that women - like children - were to be seen and not heard.

DJT's mother had one child after the other in succession virtually every year and she got pregnant again shortly after DJT was born. That pregnancy, which resulted in the birth of his younger sister, was fraught with physical problems. His mother near died during childbirth and was not expected to live. She was in hospital for weeks following without any explanation by their father about her whereabouts. During this period, DJT was about eighteen months old to the age of two, which is one of the most profoundly important period in a child's emotional development process. It's a period in which the child depends on his parents - primarily the mother - to develop an emotional and physical bond with others, and a period in which a child forms trust. It's a critical period for children - especially males - and essentially influences their future psychological and emotional relationship with women. That period in very early in infancy through about the age four forms the future emotional and psychological maturity of human beings. Trump's was fucked. It doesn't excuse it, but it (partially) explains some of his psychological stunting, as does the vicious authoritarian streak of his father, which included extreme criticism, belittling, bombast and threats that grooms a future mini-me tyrannical set of behaviors.

[stopdiggin]

136. will acknowledge all of your very good information

and still go on to say, "And that is part of the story."
Anyone that doesn't acknowledge that there are various and diverse factors that go into the development of personality, is either woefully uninformed .. or a pedagogue. I just can't buy in to a wholly "deterministic" platform as far as what we see with Trump (or indeed, any other personality).

[Texin]

186. Absolutely! There's a whole 'nother set of issues he displays.

Some of them are partly imprinted by societal *norms* and, of course, I won't deny that he's got more than a few psychologically obvious deviations. He's not normal. The question is whether some of those were stoked further by the lack of punitive consequences he's faced for his aberrant acts (and I believe that's a big factor in that it's made him bolder in continuing them rather than feeling compunction for having done them). I think the latter is the single driving force that has made him the monster he is.

[Caliman73]

208. It isn't simple.

Have you looked into Attachment Theory. There is a great deal of research on the concept that the initial attachments you have can have significant consequences in later life.

Here is a primer:
http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/attachment.htm

Also, a lot of research into family systems theory indicates that we are shaped by our environment. Not "made" but shaped. You can have different siblings come out with different personalities and behavioral patterns, but they will likely share in some of the thought patterns and values that were created systemically through intergenerational patterns of behavior, communication, and family rituals.


All of the people that you mentioned were definitely influenced in major ways, by the familial, community, and larger societal values that were transmitted to them, along with other physiological traits inherited and shaped by geography and society.

We can't state a causal relationship, but you can certainly argue that a person raised in an environment that was cold, where emotional abuse occurred regularly, and where their was a great deal of tension and insecurity mixed with wealth and a lack of social limits; is more likely to develop some very negative behaviors and attitudes. If that person's wealth and status goes on to shield them from consequences of negative behaviors, then the negative behaviors and attitudes are likely to be reinforced. Again. Not 100% and not causal, but it is a good bet that Trump did not have a supportive, nurturing home environment.

[pnwmom]

44. At least one of his parents, probably his father, was probably also a malignant narcissist.

He stole Trump's soul, which is why Trump is nothing but a black hole of neediness.

I hope Melania is somehow protecting Barron from that fate. Time will tell.

[guillaumeb]

48. Melania Trump is her own, separate mass of pathologies.

I cannot imagine her having maternal instincts, but we can hope.

[bdamomma]

89. Maternal instincts???

she rubbed caviar on Baron's skin when he was a baby. I read it somewhere.

[42bambi]

122. I told my hubby a couple weeks ago that Trump does not

have the ability to love. His only other choice is to hate … and he does that "perfectly".

[King_Klonopin]

195. I think you are both correct; it is both a hardware AND a software problem.

Neurologists have shown a disconnect between the right side and
the left side of the brain. Emotions don't cross over into the conscious
awareness. Also, the frontal lobe is deficient. Many sociopaths exhibit
signs or red flag behaviors in early childhood.

Psychologists believe that our personalities are formed by the time we
are 6 years-old. Trumps mother and father were probably enablers in
shaping his personality as well, such as never setting limits or calling him
to account for bad behavior. Shame is taught, and so is the concept of
action-consequence. They probably condoned immoral behavior (lies,
abuse, bullying) and took his side if anyone else tried to intervene and set
him straight. He is someone who was taught as a child that he is never to
blame nor ever wrong, which creates a monster child who believes he is
infallible and invincible -- better than the rest of all humanity.

Empathy was never expected or taught. Conscience was never developed.
Higher-order morality was never modeled or expected. His father is described
as antisocial. Grandiose to the extreme, he believes he excels at everything he
touches, although the facts contradict this perception -- yet, he despises Barak
Obama because (I believe) he sees in Obama everything he could never be
and he is jealous of the affection people feel for him. The only person Trump
loves is himself, and the only person who loves him back is himself. He is
completely hollow and empty. A man who has a gaping hole where his soul
should be.

We all know Trump is severely damaged. I am a psychiatric nurse, so I've seen
all kinds of personality disordered patients. He ranks as one of the worse persons
regarding his character pathology. He distorts reality to fit his world view that he
is perfect,and rages against anyone who would dare to challenge that view.
The reality is that he has created and achieved nothing in his life. Everything he
has was handed to him. He has been protected from having to admit defeat, fault,
error, failure, loss or any wrong-doing. He takes credit for things others have done.

He is the consummate asshole. This would be irrelevant if he were not the POTUS.

The Senate has just given his ego an enormous ass-kissing.
Worse behavior is yet to come.

[guillaumeb]

200. Thank you for the insights.

And yes, if he were not from a rich family, this would be a local problem, confined to his immediate relationship circle.

[2naSalit]

30. I agree. His home life was probably not helpful

and served to feed his illness. My father was just like that without the financial advantage... they are usually born with the defect. My brother has it too. It was hell having to be in my family with them both since I was the usual victim of their sadism.

Many are born like that as with many other illnesses established in the womb. What their upbringing does is either contain them and nurture them, usually unsuccessfully, or feeds the sickness resulting someone like the ogre in the Oval Office. Not sure if it's hereditary but I can make a strong argument that it could be looking at the cases in my family and the crime syndicate in the WH.

[Faux pas]

130. I was raised in a houseful

of predators, needless to say, I didn't fit in. What 'saved' me is that the man who raised me wasn't my bio father. The older I get I can see that in the nature vs nurture battle, nature seems to have the edge.

Good on those of us who evolved past our environment!

[smirkymonkey]

62. I also think he was born that way.

I think his upbringing probably exacerbated the problem that was already there, but he is evil to the core. There are plenty of people in this world who have grown up with neglectful and abusive parents, but they don't all turn out like him. There is something fundamentally wrong with him.

[MyOwnPeace]

85. BINGO!

"There are plenty of people in this world who have grown up with neglectful and abusive parents, but they don't all turn out like him."

There can be NO excuse for him to hide behind his being a serious, number ONE ASSHOLE! (sorry, I really hate to swear like that, but, hey, you know.........).

There comes a time when we have to stand up and be responsible for who we are and what we do.

He never has.

He NEVER will. (attn: Senator Susan Collins)

GET OUT THE VOTE!!!!!!

[Bettie]

94. I grew up with abusive and neglectful parents

and I manage to act like a decent human being.

But, I had grandparents who gave me the love I needed to function. I sat on my grandma's lap at union meetings from the time I could walk, went with her to vote every year, as she explained who she was voting for and why.

[Piasladic]

158. yea team!

Your granny is exactly who I needed when I was growing up. I get why mine wasn't around; nevertheless, I am so glad things turned out with you.

[Bettie]

167. I was very lucky to have her

she'd be horrified at what is happening now.

But, I can't be anything but a liberal!

[OregonBlue]

169. Twins separated at birth who grow up to lead

almost identical lives give a lot of credence to the nature theory.

[bdamomma]

104. He does not have any empathy

just all hate.

I hope it eats him alive.

[Faux pas]

129. Failure to evolve

because you're the only person who matters. It's a choice for sure!

[ginnyinWI]

147. he was psychologically damaged and then

grew up in an atmosphere of privilege so that he had unlimited money and power to do whatever he wanted to. A toxic mix. He never has been able to and never will be able to fill the hole that opened up during those early years. As much as he takes and as much as he hurts others, he never will be really happy.

There is nothing to do about it except to take his power away.

[DENVERPOPS]

173. Yea FP

Actually, what happened, was the OBGYN delivering him, saw what was being spawned out of her uterus, cringed, and tried to shove it back in. The doctor had to exert so much force it damaged it's brain. (Think "Alien&quot LOL

[Caliman73]

207. There is no ONE thing. People are a complex combination of things.

Some internal, some external. You cannot attribute something as complex as human behavior and long standing thought processes and attitudes to one specific thing.

There are physiological traits like arousal threshold, pain sensitivity, tolerance of discomfort; that influence how a person acts. Then there are environmental things like attachment that can shape how a person perceives the world. There are hormones, and learning that shape us into who we are.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. He's damaged because he's drug-addled or has a undiagnosed STD. Which I wouldn't be ...

one bit surprised, being that his choice of doctors over the years is somewhat 'weird', probably easily manipulated doctors who'll write him up some Xanax or the like.

Common side effects of Xanax include: ataxia, cognitive dysfunction, constipation, difficulty in micturition, drowsiness, dysarthria, fatigue, memory impairment, skin rash, weight gain, weight loss, anxiety, blurred vision, diarrhea, insomnia, decreased libido, increased appetite, and decreased appetite. Other side effects include: hypotension, sexual disorder, muscle twitching, and increased libido. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects.

[guillaumeb]

6. That certainly describes much of what we see in Trump's actions.

I feel there were also elements of abuse. Possibly physical and emotional.

[struggle4progress]

27. General paresis of the insane, perhaps?

[DENVERPOPS]

174. Can Xanax be snorted??????

People who are qualified are thinking Adderall (sp?)

[KatyaR]

7. The problem is that there are no consequences.

Unlike the rest of us.

[guillaumeb]

8. And his damage affects the rest of us.

If he were simply a local NY crook it would not be such a big deal.

[pandr32]

80. No consequences for him, that is

His wealth and privilege have insulated him and an antisocial personality disorder has festered without psychotherapy.

All of us are facing the consequences of DT's behavior.

[bdamomma]

98. All of us

[krissey]

9. A grandpa that sold women and girls. A father in the KKK. I dunno, how did the man

get so messed up with that type of parenting.

[guillaumeb]

14. A history of family dysfunction? eom

[krissey]

17. Imagine the conversations in that house about women, girls and black. Dysfunction?

He was raised in filth. Nurture does have influence.

[guillaumeb]

18. Indeed.

And the worst thing is that Trump's severe dysfunction affects every one of us.

[smirkymonkey]

65. I honestly believe that a big part of his pathology is genetic.

He came from a family of scum, his children are scum. That entire family is a complete moral black hole. There is no goodness in them at all.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. Hostile rejecting father, alcoholic mother and brother

(I believe I read his mother was an alcoholic, and his brother died from alcoholism- correct me if I’m wrong)

[guillaumeb]

15. I do not know.

But someone here will. So sad to think that someone so damaged could, because of family wealth, do so much damage to others.

[kskiska]

32. His brother was an alcoholic

but I never read that about his mother. She was submissive, not much of a presence, a housewife who didn't have much to do with her kids, who drove a Rolls Royce to collect quarters from the washing machines in their apartment buildings.

[bdamomma]

101. Hmm....

His mom could have messed him up (hence he hates women) , but I have never read about his miserable life.

[PatSeg]

12. As I listen to his language

I can visualize what he heard as a child - loser, disgraceful, stupid, lazy, low energy, low IQ (he's really sensitive about that one), liar, dishonest, "crying ____", disloyal, etc. I can hear his parents and teachers denigrating him on a regular basis. Then after constant criticism, they sent him to military school, which must have felt like abandonment to him.

I am sure he was a difficult child, but his problems could have been reinforced by the adults in his life.

[guillaumeb]

16. Agreed.

He needed help, and his parents did not recognize how much help he needed.

[PatSeg]

23. He was probably told to man up or

get your act together. It was a different time and parents didn't seek therapy for their troubled children. If you had money like the Trumps, you sent your children to boarding school.

[bdamomma]

103. and he turn

treated Don Jr. like POS too. Deep mental issues all over.

That is why the 25th Amendment should have been considered. He is a risk to himself and others.

[PatSeg]

110. Unfortunately

damaged people end up damaging their children and family. He is definitely a risk to himself and others. Such people should never have power over the lives of others.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

190. I kind of think his defects start in the brain,

so that no amount of help could change him. I’m sure he’s a predator personality and would use the “help” as a way to further hone his predatory skills.

He needs his power taken away. For our sakes, not his!

[bdamomma]

102. Yes he does have

learning challenges, is not willing to listen to others, does not want to be educated and the list goes on and on. And we will be the recipients of all his hate, we have been abused so far, it could his payback for the way he was brought up. He could of chosen the right path, but others influenced him and the wrong path was chosen.

His daughter esp. Ivanka could have been abused, but they rally around that ole man to support him no matter what.

[PatSeg]

105. I certainly wouldn't make any

excuses for him and his horrific behavior. He is hardly the only person in the world with unsupportive parents growing up. He had far more advantages than most, yet he repeatedly made poor choices. I do believe, however, that his parents contributed to what he has become.

I also believe there is something seriously wrong with him mentally, but I don't know if it is inherent. Descriptions of his behavior in the White House sound like a seriously mentally ill person.

[bdamomma]

118. scary situation

we are all in. We will have to save ourselves. There is no other way to put it, we must all VOTE. Plan B...…waiting in the wings.

[PatSeg]

123. Yes, I am truly scared

I can see where we are headed and I'm not sure we can stop it. A few years back I was incredulous as to how quickly and effectively Erdogan had eliminated democracy in Turkey. Little did I realize we were on the cusp of such a takeover here. So many of the built-in safeguards have been compromised and the leader is an idiot. It feels like a really bad movie.

[moondust]

19. Plus insufficient accountability.

When you inherit a half billion $$$$$ you've got all the leverage you'll ever need to get away with almost anything if you play your cards right.

[MoonRiver]

20. I've wondered about this for a long time.

It's the classic nature versus nurture argument. My guess is there was a lot of both involved in creating this monster.

[Midnight Writer]

24. Exactly. Probably a genetic predisposition reinforced by terrible family.

Dad was domineering tyrant, mother distant and emotionally absent. I suspect the President is very much like his father.

[MoonRiver]

66. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Last edited Mon Feb 10, 2020, 09:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Also I think Chump’s grandpa made his fortune running brothels.

[klook]

21. Self-centered, shallow, pretentious, regimented

Lots of info in this Washington Post piece from 2016, for example:

Fred Trump, with his thick mustache and hair combed back, was a stern, formal man who insisted on wearing a tie and jacket at home. A conservative Republican who admired Barry Goldwater, Fred Trump and his wife forbade their children from cursing, calling each other by nicknames and wearing lipstick.

Fred Trump “was really very kind of tightfisted,” said Peter Brant, a newsprint magnate who was among Donald’s closest childhood friends. “He didn’t give Donald a whole bunch of rope.”

[snip]

Dennis Burnham was four years younger and lived around the corner from Donald. He inherited his own impression of his neighbor from his mother, who warned that he should “stay away from the Trumps.”

“Donald was known to be a bully, I was a little kid, and my parents didn’t want me beaten up,” said Burnham, 65, a business consultant in Texas.

Once when she left Dennis in a playpen in a back yard adjoining the Trumps’ property, Martha Burnham returned to find Donald throwing rocks at her son. “She saw Donald standing at the fence,” Dennis Burnham said, “using the playpen for target ­practice.”

[snip]

“He (DT) had a reputation for saying anything that came into his head,” said Donald Kass, 70, a retired agronomist who was a schoolmate. When Trump misidentified Rocca, the pro wrestler, Kass recalled, “We would laugh at him and tell him he was wrong, and he’d say he was right. The next time, he would make the same mistake, and it would be the same thing all over again.”

In his neighborhood, Donald and his friends were known to ride their bikes and “shout and curse very loudly,” said Steve Nachtigall, who lived nearby. Nachtigall said he once saw them jump off their bikes and beat up another boy.

“It’s kind of like a little video snippet that remains in my brain because I think it was so unusual and terrifying at that age,” recalled Nachtigall, 66, a doctor in New Jersey. “He was a loudmouth bully.”

Sounds to me like he had cold, narcissistic parents who imposed harsh discipline at home and taught him by example that being an asshole was the way to get ahead in life. Like many kids with a constricted home life, young Donny chafed against the yoke and acted out when he got the chance. And he learned the lesson about being an asshole.

[bdamomma]

109. wow it was inbred

in him.......and he still acts like that today, what a pitiful POS.

I'm sure a lot of people will be pissing on his grave. He deserves it.

[klook]

116. Yeah, makes me appreciate anew

all the people who’ve managed to overcome crappy childhoods to be exemplary adults. Not so DJT — he embodies and embraces the worst aspects of humanity, despite all the opportunities he had to turn toward the light. He deserves rebuke for doubling and tripling down on assholery.

[CentralMass]

22. An article on what he was like as a child

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/young-donald-trump-military-school/2016/06/22/f0b3b164-317c-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html

[Dave Starsky]

25. I read that when he was a kid, he threw rocks at a baby...

Who was playing in a playpen in the yard next door. No provocation whatsoever. He just did it for laughs.

Some people are just wired bad from birth. "Bad seeds" is what we called them. Trump is a bad seed.

[stopdiggin]

31. thank you. all kinds of people have very unfortunate childhoods

(including many that far exceed anything that has been described in the Trump household)
And very few end up throwing rocks at a child in the neighbors backyard.
That's all Donald J.
The end.

[bdamomma]

112. He does things for laughs???

and not accountable for anything.


This election is for our survival and generations to come.

[CentralMass]

26. Or for a laugh.

[Demovictory9]

33. maybe bullied in military school?

[SMC22307]

114. He was the bully from what I've read.

Total asshole protected by Daddy's money.

[FM123]

34. Good question!

Even his own mother asked "what kind of son have I created?"

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/03/mary-macleod-trump-donald-trump-mother-biography-mom-immigrant-scotland-215779

[Desert grandma]

36. He was treated harshly and not given much affection.

Last edited Mon Feb 10, 2020, 12:56 AM - Edit history (1)

And now he is raising his own sons that way. I remember reading that he was picking up one of the older boys at college, he was very upset at the way he was dressed and slapped him in front of the other guys. Poor Barron. The kid looks starved for attention.I guess maybe that is what is meant by that verse in the Old Testament about "visiting the iniquity of the fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation". Unfortunately, when someone grows up in an emotionally abusive household, there is a choice to be made in adulthood. Either you raise your kids the way you were raised or decide to raise your children the total opposite way you were raised. I guess we know which way the Trumps chose. The man doesn't know how to love because he was never really shown love. That's my guess. It explains the lack of compassion and empathy too.

[DeminPennswoods]

180. Jr was the son involved in that incident

The story was told by Jr's college roommate. Trump was picking up Jr to go to a NYY game and jr was wearing an NYY jersey. Trump slapped him and told him to put on a suit and tie.

[llmart]

38. Does anyone else find it ironic that he never talks about his family?

Other presidents have. Granted, I try never to listen to him but I have never heard anyone repeat stories that he's told of his childhood or upbringing or happy memories, etc.

He's just one damaged person that's for sure.

[guillaumeb]

40. He is very damaged.

But considering that he constantly lies, if he did say anything about his family, in all probability it would be a lie.

[llmart]

42. You're right.

That's even more disturbing. You'd think since he lies about everything else he would have lied about his upbringing/parents too. Must have been a nightmare of a family.

[bdamomma]

113. Very damaged.

were other dictators abused and had bad childhoods? The lashing out at others bothers me. They can be totally innocent., and they can experience the wrath of this sick SOB. We have seen that already he goes after those who oppose him. We are in deep trouble.

[guillaumeb]

119. In N.Korea, Kim followed Kim.

And the son seems to be just as unbalanced as his father.

And yes, to say that he is vindictive is understating the situation.

But like bullies in general, he sees himself as the victim, not the aggressor.

[Berlin Expat]

193. Both Hitler and Stalin

had violent and abusive fathers, though authoritarian father figures were not exactly unheard of in the late 19th Century.

[lunatica]

63. He tells everyone his father only gave him a million dollars

and he, Trump, turned into billions all by himself. It’s a total lie, of course. It’s been completely debunked.

[llmart]

74. "Only" a million.

Such gratitude. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie or embellishment of the facts.

His net worth is probably less than zero.

[bdamomma]

115. and he pissed

away all that money.

[Mariana]

39. Mary Trump:

?3

[guillaumeb]

41. I see where Trump inherited his hair. eom

[nuxvomica]

45. Oh man, is this a Norman Bates situation?

[guillaumeb]

49. Mother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Totally Tunsie]

182. LOL - It sure ain't Norman Rockwell!

[dchill]

127. I believe you meant inhairited.

[guillaumeb]

155. Trump's "inhairitance" seesm to have decreased. eom

[llmart]

43. Doesn't she just look like the mother you just want to cuddle up to?

Egads! What a horrid, hard-looking woman.

[TheBlackAdder]

175. Every time I see that image, it reminds me of the movie, Mars Attacks!

[klook]

177. LOL - reminds me of the guy in "From Beyond."

Also of the character in "Brazil" who's always getting her face stretched.

[TNNurse]

47. No matter how he was raised,

I am not sad about him. You cannot make me feel bad for him. He has seen enough of the world to change if he so desired. He is a sociopath and enjoys that life.

[guillaumeb]

51. I feel bad for the small boy he was.

But there is no excuse for the horror he became.

[womanofthehills]

95. I think sociopaths and psychopaths are pretty much not able to change

As toddlers, they often torture animals and siblings. You cannot learn empathy.

[smirkymonkey]

106. Exactly. He has had every advantage handed to him in life and could have become

a better person if he had the desire to change. I know people who have gone through much worse, did not have any advantages in life and who have struggled and turned out to be kind, productive and loving human beings.

There are no fucking excuses for this monster. He is evil to the core.

[bdamomma]

117. smirky

I only wish someone could totally break him down to confess what kind of childhood he had, and then commit him.

[47of74]

184. Same here

The few fucks I have left to give I will not waste on this orange Shitbiscuit

[bucolic_frolic]

50. Look at Jr.!

I think you have to reverse engineer from antisocial personality disorder. Origins are known, generally speaking.

Based on people I've known, I suspect focus on external results to the detriment of inner strength and normal goals, and blaming others.

[guillaumeb]

53. Indeed.

One generation leading to another. And not one member of the family exhibits any trace of self-awareness or decency.

[Sancho]

54. The same family that damaged his father and grandfather!!

Genetics? Whatever it was, the record seems clear.

[guillaumeb]

55. Genetics? And as another poster noted, his children are also

horrible people.

[leftyladyfrommo]

56. I don't think he feels anything except anger.

I don't think he has ever felt anything but rage.

Some people are just born that way. He is constantly setting up situations where he can rage. Every day it's another chance to vent.

He is just an empty shell. A dangerous empty shell because he lives for revenge.

[guillaumeb]

58. Imagine the physical effects of living in a constant state of anger.

Anger is so corrosive, physically and emotionally.

[leftyladyfrommo]

67. I don't know how he has survived this long.

Rage kills people.

I knew a woman who died if cancer in her 50's. I always swore that her constant anger and meanness killed her

[bdamomma]

120. I keep on

saying that hate is going to destroy him. Soon I hope.

[Grasswire2]

57. he was never taught American values in the home.

His father and grandfather were MOBBED UP.

Father Fred was KKK.

Grandfather was born into the stew of Bismarck Germany, emigrated to U.S. and then begged Germany to repatriate him because he hated living here. Germany refused.

Both had mob connections. Racists, cons, grifters.

Donald was taught to fight, to punch hard, and allowed to be a bully.

Narcissism begins with a "narcissistic injury" -- being considered both exceptional AND flawed.

I'm a survivor of marriage to a pathological narcissist. And triggered every time I see the red face and snarl. I know what it means.

[guillaumeb]

61. Congratulations on being a survivor.

I have read that Trump was capable of projecting a front of charm, and friendliness, but he has obviously lost that capability. That would help a con man to deceive his victims. All that is left is his constant display of anger.

[Grasswire2]

68. There is said to be a "discard" phase when the narcissist takes steps to shed people..

...who have seen the narcissism for what it is.

Said to be the third phase of interaction with a narcissist.

Some are saying that's what is beginning to happen here.

And we do know (and I know personally) that a pathological narcissist will try to destroy those who stop flattering them. It's their first instinct.

[guillaumeb]

70. So the narcissist requires comstant flattery.

To compensate for hidden feelings of insecurity?

[Grasswire2]

97. absolutely

It's called "narcissistic supply". And the person who stops providing it is subject to destruction by the narcissist.

[guillaumeb]

99. Thta would certainly explain Trump's behavior,

especially his rather immature outbursts when anyone criticizes him in any way.

[dmr]

198. Would you explain more about the "third phase", please?

The third phase is the discard phase? That would mean there is a first and second phase? Is there a 4th phase?

Is the 3rd phase similar to the warning Michael Cohen gave during a Congressional hearing early last year about those who blindly follow Trump?

Trump will essentially chew you up, then spit you out once you're no longer useful to him?

Would it be right that phase 3 is in play whenever he perceives a threat to his perfectness?

I've often wondered if a narcissist knows or understands the insincerity or the falseness of people who shower him with love, loyalty, etc. I mean, if I were Trump the mind games would drive me crazy!

[rickyhall]

59. I read somewhere

That his mother, Mary, had a lot of trouble with her last pregnancy and withdrew from mothering through Donnie's early years. With his father out scamming real estate he was mostly raised by servants who could not tell him "No!", couldn't discipline him correctly. Naturally, he grew up believing he could do anything he wanted without consequences and still does.

I understand him but I think he's still a grown man who acts like a spoiled 4-year-old brat that who needs his ass whooped. (IMHO)

[randr]

71. I suspect fetal alcohol syndrome

[rickyhall]

75. I know some people who suffered FAS but they don't seem like him.

It's hard to get them to believe in themselves, but dump doesn't seem to have that problem. He mostly knows nothing about love, absolutely nothing.

[k2qb3]

111. My folks adopted a baby with FAS.

She's a low functioning narcissistic sociopath.

The rest of us are raising her own daughter because she just completely failed to bond with her.

I see a lot of her in Trump actually, never occurred to me before.

More broadly, I think a LOT of the sickness and dysfunction we see in people stem from complete disconnection from the world humans are actually adapted to living in. The world that died with the megafauna and was replaced by the plow and the lash.

There are so many things missing from our lives, and people in Trump's position are worse off than anyone in that regard. I don't think Trump has any conception whatsoever of his own dependence on other beings.

[smirkymonkey]

107. Look at the shape of his eyes.

They definitely are similar to someone who has FAS.

[shanti]

144. Was his mother an alcoholic?

Because that's where he'd have gotten FAS from if he had it. Chump's brother died from alcoholism, so one or both of his parents had the alcoholic gene.

[smirkymonkey]

148. I don't know, but she could have been a closet alcoholic. Sounds like her husband didn't

pay much attention to her, so she easily could have been a secret drinker.

[Kitchari]

73. I read similar info

That his mother suffered hemorrhaging after his birth and was in and out of the hospital for a year. Baby Donald did not bond with his mother, probably did not get held much, which all babies need to thrive.

[vlyons]

60. His sister says that he was called Donny Dimwit

I imagine that as a kid he had dyslexia and ADHD. So he was always academically behind in Grade school, which must have set the pattern for his deep insecurity about being thought smart, and his anger at being teased and made to feel stupid and inadequate. As a teen, his parents couldn't control or discipline him, so they packed him off to a military boarding school. Out of sight, out of mind.

Trump's greatest fear is being thought a loser. Which he is, of course. He's quite delusional. He's not a happy man. He gets great satisfaction and pleasure at hurting and humiliating his perceived enemies. What he's attempting to do is whittle them down to his size or less. Which ain't much.

As a Buddhist, I have to remind myself not to hate him. Beneath all that vile and vulgar ugliness, there is Buddha nature, although probably so teensy that a microscope is needed to find it. I try to see him as a master's class in ethical morality, or rather the lack thereof. He is a lesson in what dishonor and non-virtue look like. Won't we all breathe a sigh of relief, when he's gone?

[guillaumeb]

64. Hate and anger are corrosive.

They truly are. Hating someone requires such a negative emotional investment.

I have read of the "Donnie dimwit" label. And that would certainly explain some of his anger.

But not everyone who is abused becomes an abuser. Trump must take the blame for that.

As to his delusion, it is matched, in my view, by the delusion exhibited by his most fanatical supporters.

[bdamomma]

121. After reading all these posts

we all see he has deep seeded mental issues, deep insecurities from childhood to adulthood, lack of love a person who never received love does not give love. What a pitiful empty shell.

Now if we can sense this does anyone think the Democratic/Non existent Republican party leadership has been briefed about his particular mental issues?? Or they just don't want to say anything to cause a panic among the American people. Or will he do something much worse for our leaders to realize he's a danger.

[guillaumeb]

153. The media and the GOP covered for Reagan.

And both are doing the same now.

[alphafemale]

69. Far from any abuse as some see

I see him as someone that was never corrected in his behavior and always told he was the smartest and the best.

[guillaumeb]

72. Or, he told himself that he is/was the greatest.

Perhaps Trump was his first victim. Repeat a lie often enough.....

[ProudMNDemocrat]

76. Lots of things...

Being physically inadequate. (I will leave that to one's imagination.)

Not being loved by a parent(s).

Failing to meet expectations.

Being bullied by a parent or other kids.

Being taught that it is other people's fault if you screw up.

Not having structure in life.

[WyattKansas]

77. The same kind as many republicans all over America, where...

Money is God and they have a divine right to screw over and cheat others to get more money.

Sadly, since pensions and retirement funds are now heavily invested into the stock market, all Americans seem to think it is a lot better if Wall Street does better than Main Street now... After all, as long as their 'retirement' looks good, nothing else matters, until another Republican Pump & Dump Crash comes along and they get to see how much they are really worth on paper only.

[thegoose]

78. Who cares?

We're all this brain-damaged fuck's household now.

[dalton99a]

79. I don't care if his father beat him 5 times a day and his mother fed him dog shit

I wouldn't waste time trying to find out

I just want the motherfucker to be gone

[guillaumeb]

91. I understand that view.

And I agree. But I still wonder what type of atmosphere existed in the Trump family.

[bdamomma]

87. Any Mental Health workers among us?

I work in a psych hospital and when tRump stole the presidency a Consultant Psychiatrist did a presentation and called him King Donald, had him assessed right then with his dangerous personality.

[guillaumeb]

92. And even the non-professionals among us, including me, can see how

truly bizarre and dysfunctional he is.

[empedocles]

88. Reportedly, both parents were minimally involved. Servants, who wanted to

keep their jobs catered to him.

[BlueStater]

124. He's a sociopath and he was mostly likely born that way.

But his parents and lifestyle also contributed to turning him into the deranged manchild he is today. Because he's gotten away with every rotten thing he's done his entire life and the concept of actual consequences is completely foreign to him, he believes anything he does is totally okay and normal.

[TexasBushwhacker]

125. He wasn't the first born or the youngest

Middle kids often feel they never got enough love. They may be right, but they don't have to take it out on the whole world.

[tanyev]

126. The thing that mystifies me is his extreme narcissism and the very low profile his siblings keep.

I was surprised to learn that he had several siblings. If the problem is entirely the nurture aspect of the equation, it seems like they would all be fighting for their share of the spotlight.

[shanti]

145. That is actually very telling

that his siblings don't show their faces or say anything about him. Maybe that will change when Chump takes his dirt nap.

[Zambero]

128. And Trump has zero sense of humor

Of course he'll make snide joking remarks about his enemies in order to get a laugh at a red-hat rally, but has anyone ever seen him actually laugh or react to humor in a spontaneous manner? The emotional emptiness of this man is beyond belief, regardless of where or how it originated.

[guillaumeb]

156. True, he has no sense of humor, or sense of self.

He loves to bully, and humiliate others, but he has no sense of humor.

[no_hypocrisy]

132. Look no further than Roy Cohn who became

Trump's mentor, the Lord Henry to Dorian Gray. Cohn was a wellknown POS who knew a good shakedown vs. being a formidable advocate. He showed Trump how to threaten, how to extort, how to get stuff without paying for it, how to "win" an argument by being loud, crass, and obnoxious. Fred was not Father of the Year, but his influence pales to that of Cohn.

[Rider3]

134. His story...

His story should be entitled, "How a Sociopath is Created."

[malaise]

135. Money and no class

a classic low life

[Dan]

137. Read somewhere that even his mother

Thought that at an early age there was something seriously wrong with him.

Personally, I just think that Trump is an abortion that lived.

[LiberalFighter]

140. As far as I am concerned he did it all on his own.

[mahina]

141. Born stupid and mean

And his family couldn’t fix it, or didn’t.

I was just remembering all the brilliant concerts we enjoyed with Barack and Michelle. Aretha Franklin,

Gospel
https://www.pbs.org/inperformanceatthewhitehouse/shows/gospel-tradition/


I wonder if they even listen to music now at the White House at all.

It will be over soon.

[coeur_de_lion]

142. Read Noel Casler's Twitter feed

He worked in production on Celebrity Apprentice. He says tRump used to throw rocks at babies in carriages when he was a little boy.

He has loads of stories about what a sicko tRum is and his kids too.

[paparush]

143. Roy Cohn

That is all.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/19/roy-cohn-donald-trump-documentary-228144

[extvbroadcaster]

146. untreated personality disorders

Trump's upbringing must have been awful, even with the money. He is clearly suffering from several personality disorders at once. Most of the time people who have personality disorders pay a price for them, and then seek help. Say the person bounced from job to job, could not hold a relationship, or ran afoul of the law. The price would be a poor income, shattered attempts at romance, perhaps jail. Now think about Trump. He has never had a job. He always worked for his father or himself. Women threw themselves at him because of his money and power. Trump has been caught repeatedly ripping people off and committing fraud. But he never goes to jail. He never faces consequences for his actions. Instead, he becomes President of the United States.

[Heartstrings]

150. He's a textbook narcissist....

How or why he became one is irrelevant at this point in his life. He’s 74 years old and it’s worked well for him his entire life!

[tclambert]

151. When Donald was young, did a Hispanic housemaid once tell him "NO!"?

Young Donald would have pitched a fit and demanded that Daddy fire her, of course.

[Brainfodder]

154. Criminal parents, criminal spawn, just be glad the ones front and center are all incompetent fools?

Takes bestest brained folk to follow/emulate such a stellar cast of classy boobs, EH?

I get it, some people are/were fooled by the bluster, their media choices, and such, but stay fooled after 3 years of this much daily whatever?



Speaking of their sheeple:
There really is still a WRONG and RIGHT, the problem is they think being on the RIGHT is akin to being RIGHT, maybe? Or is it just lacking the reasoning gene?
Or just so zombified/taken by Fox News / troll dumps on their social media over such a long stretch of time that they can't be woke?

[guillaumeb]

159. Many of them only value power.

And many of them do not truly value democracy.

And many of them love Trump's open racism and misogyny.

And they wonder why HRC called them deplorable.

[Brainfodder]

161. YUP, selfish and with tiny world views.

[guillaumeb]

162. They share that with their hero. eom

[Yavin4]

157. He's the second son. He was not supposed to be the heir apparent. His older brother was.

He probably developed his personality as a coping mechanism for being over looked by his father. He created his own reality.

[The Mouth]

160. This is pretty well done and factual

https://www.netflix.com/title/80219941

[guillaumeb]

163. The photo belongs in a horror movie. eom

[The Mouth]

171. No one would believe it if it hadn't have happened

But the documentary is pretty good. It's set before Trump took office, but a lot of good background on his grandfather, father, and older brother that do give quite a bit of insight that I'd not really seen before.

Done more from a British point of view, a tad bit more impartial than would come from a Democrat or Republican.

[Miigwech]

164. trump's father was the sociopath. trump wanted to love his mother, the maid

but his father constantly put the mother down so trump felt guilty for loving her ... mother spoke broken English, was a poor girl and came over from Scotland to be a maid for wealthy family. Thus, trump had such a love/hate relationship with mom and a total fear/respect/hate for his horrible father ... recipe for one fucked up kid. Combine all the pathology, trump having severe learning disability, rich privilege, and well, that equals trump ... another fucked up person running things (but in Third World Countries or Russia) that have been around since recorded history ... for example, Nero.

[guillaumeb]

165. Good points.

Unfortunately, we are also the victims of his dysfunctional family.

Imagine the level of rage he carries with him every day. The feeling of being a failure, and the need to lie and reinvent his history to cover for that failure.

And his well know abuse of his various wives, and probably his children as well.

[soldierant]

166. I'm sure the household

was so abusive that it can barely be grasped. I'm sure Mary was abused in multiple ways (certainly the remaining photos make her look "ride hard and put up wet." And of course the kids were abused. Am I wrong in remembering that Donald was not the oldest son, but that the oldest son died - was it while Donald was in his teens? - so "second-best" Donald had to take over for "son and heir" after having been raised with no training for that position. Historically, this has happened to some Kings of England -such as Henry VIII - I think I see a resemblance.

But none of that accounts for his malignant narcissism. Does narcissism come from nature (DNA) or nurture? And, even if it comes, or comes primarily from nature, I expect nurture can exacerbate it.

[AtheistCrusader]

170. Fred Trump was such a piece of shit, Woody Guthrie wrote a song about him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Trump

[guillaumeb]

172. That is interesting.

Perhaps Arlo Guthrie would consider recording it, with updated verses.

[AtheistCrusader]

185. It seems not, unfortunately.

https://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/article62241957.html

He doesn't do 'attack' songs anymore.

[DeminPennswoods]

178. Obviously one with no love

or conditional love.

[guillaumeb]

188. Well said.

Mental health issues are rarely covered by health insurance plans, and we see the result every day as undiagnosed people cause harm to themselves and others.

[FiveGoodMen]

187. What type of home are his followers raised in?

One damaged person could be from any number of things, but 100,000,000?

[guillaumeb]

189. In a country that is almost always at war,

at war with itself, or with others, violence and anger are everywhere.

And many of his followers like him for his open racism, and his open misogyny.

[Withywindle]

192. What does Trump even mean when he says something is "beautiful"?

Does he mean something that sincerely moved him? No.

He has no appreciation of music or the arts in any way -except in status terms, remember the fucking Renoir painting he kept insisting was real even though the original is in the Art Institute of Chicago? And the time he deliberately destroyed the priceless Art Deco carvings on the old Bonwit Teller building even though the Metropolitan Museum of Art was willing to pay for their proper care and removal - out of spite because it might delay his fugly new building a few weeks?

Absolutely zero respect for nature, in fact, a real zeal to destroy it. No love for animals. Even his idea of a beautiful woman is completely plastic and manufactured and artificial.

He'll call an ugly racist border wall "beautiful." He'll call a threatening and thoroughly unethical phone call "beautiful."

I don't think that's nurture, I really don't. I think some sick soulless fucks are truly born that way. And his father was like that too, and so are his some of his kids. It's not just that he grew up rich and spoiled (although that certainly doesn't help), it's that there's literally no redeeming quality that COULD have been encouraged.

[guillaumeb]

201. In my view, Trump sees himself and his needs as beautiful.

So what fulfils his needs is beautiful, as long as that thing or person continues to fulfil his needs.

[Collimator]

194. A reason is not the same as an excuse.

Analyzing Trump can provide some valuable insights, but no one should be expected to excuse anything that he has done.

I agree that the man is pitiful. And as much as I value compassion, I will only offer a cursory nod of pity before reclaiming whatever space in my mind that has not been given over to outrage and worry about what his sorry soul has wrought.

I have my own mental health struggles to deal with, many of us in the world probably do also. Someone who will not admit their flaws or seek any assistance in mitigating them doesn't deserve so much of our time and attention.

The statement above is not meant to criticize the OP. Seeking to understand human nature however it presents itself to us is a healthy form of "narcissism". I'm just so worn down with negative feelings since Trump starting acting out his political ambitions.

I need a hug.

[guillaumeb]

205. Agreed in full.

I would not, and cannot, excuse anything he has done. But it is interesting that with all of the warning signs, because he is rich and white, Trump was allowed to develop into what he is today.

[Dorian Gray]

196. I'm sure it was a violent and awful one

and I feel terrible for his childhood self.

Having said that, he's worse. Much much worse.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

202. Hard to say. It doesn't seem to have been normal, but

Little Donnie seems to have been a bad seed. When he was just a small child he was discovered throwing rocks at a baby in a playpen, and eventually his parents (who wouldn't have won any parenting prizes themselves) had to send him away to a military school because he was so unmanageable. Some people are just bad. What causes sociopathy is unknown, but they can come from normal families as well as dysfunctional ones. If Trump hadn't come from a wealthy family that gave him something to do with his badness he might have become a serial killer.

[guillaumeb]

206. And wealthy people are generally excused for their sociopathy.

Billionaire sociopaths are seen as success stories rather than as warning signs.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

209. As long as they're not actually killing people directly, generally that's true.

Rich people are eccentric; poor people are crazy. Watch the old Peter O'Toole movie "The Ruling Class" some time.

[guillaumeb]

210. True. As to killing,

the rich generally support policies that harm the non-rich, killing slowly.

[Thomas Hurt]

203. Scarier thought is why does any christian think this amoral pig is a good leader and man...