How to Deprogram the Cult of Donald Trump | Opinion

There have been a thousand warnings about the former president Donald Trump. If the polls are to be believed, these warnings are falling on deaf ears. What explains this impenetrability despite clear evidence of its dangerous and glaring shortcomings? This question has surprised many. As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who has long worked with the complexity of the mind, I would first like to offer psychological explanations and then propose solutions that can help penetrate this apparent impenetrability.

He exudes a sense of omnipotence. Trump makes it seem like nothing is difficult, which means it’s easy to be omnipotent. The Civil war? A piece of cake. He would have arranged it. Same with Ukraine. It doesn’t matter that he would have given away the nation with the former and endangered the free world with the latter. He is the strong man who can handle anything. By extension, you can too.

He helps people deny painful realities and threats, instead downplaying them. He wants to live in a fantasy world where real existential threats don’t exist. Climate change? Just a big scam. The promise and danger of artificial intelligence? Outsource the techno-state to one man, Elon Muskwho will certainly deal with it in the best interest of the nation, and not in his own interest. The real enemies are “out there” (illegal immigrants, cancel culture, trans people) or “inside” (Democratspolitical opponents, radical left-wing lunatics).

He resonates with universal experiences of feeling abused and disadvantaged. Trump and his family appear to be no strangers to abuse. Donald J. Trump Jr. told a chilling story to his mother Ivana Trump’s funeral. When he misbehaved in a restaurant as a young child, she took him to the toilet to show him ‘what Eastern European discipline actually meant’. When she was done, she said, “And if you cry, we’ll come back here and do this again.” Families with a history of abuse break or perpetuate the cycle. Adolf Hitler’s father would have beaten him with a horse every day. Trump allows his supporters to identify with the abuse experience, implicitly promising that it will not happen again in his hands if you are on his side. He will throw it away and protect his followers.

He appeals to simplistic, half-baked thinking. Immature thinking that blames others and denies personal responsibility is attractive. It means that there are no rules and you can do whatever you want. If you lose an election, continue to insist that the election was stolen and incite an insurrection.

He takes pleasure in being a provocateur. It’s fun to constantly stick your thumb in the face of those who disagree with you. Retaliation feels good. Reconciliation and working through difficult or infuriating issues is hard work. The eternal provocateur never has to deal with this.

How can using insight into these dynamics reduce Trump’s hold? They are, at least in part, a response to deep-seated psychological resentment and yearnings for protection. While they provide temporary relief and short-term pleasure, they are rooted in illusion. Here is an example of concrete steps:

Talk to the underlying anger. Recognize that changes in society have torpedoed livelihoods and that too many people are struggling while others are thriving, with numerous threats that could make things worse. Acknowledge this: “Of course you’re angry. You feel like you’re being trampled by forces you have no control over.’

Recognize a desire for protection. Trump has been lately Tucker Carlson-dubbed-Daddy who will spank those who are bad while protecting those who express admiration. Tuning in to the desire for an omniscient strongman to provide security helps sharpen the warnings about his wrongdoings and transgressions. Wait until you pay the price for being your ‘protector’ and go to jail on January 6th or your social safety net will be threatened or you will face the consequences of Project 2025or dying unnecessarily from the pandemic, or being defrauded by Trump University, or having your abortion rights taken away, to name just a few actual or potential consequences of his careless, reckless, and dangerous behavior.

Emphasize enlightened self-interest. While the above psychological approaches provide temporary relief and short-term pleasure, they are rooted in illusion and will not solve problems. No one can solve hardships with empty promises, and strongman tactics ultimately break down institutions. It takes hard work, frustration tolerance, and a lot of thought to arrive at solid solutions that come from collaboration and compromise.

You could argue that Trump told a big truth to those affected by globalization, while telling a big lie that solutions would be easy. Those who worship him need to be helped to see that their anger and desire for protection are blinding them to reality. He does little for them except make them feel good while they pose major threats. It is dangerous to worship false gods.

Dr. Jacobson is an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Emory University School of Medicine; Training and Supervision Analyst, Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute; and board member of the American Board of Psychoanalysis. She is in private practice in Atlanta, GA.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.