If nothing else, Trump is known as a compulsive Liar, and his political ascendance was built on lies. He really believes that if one repeats a lie time and again, it becomes the accepted truth, and that is good enough for his base. Trump has lied about voter fraud, protesters paid to oppose him, Obama wiretapping his phones, how many times he was on the cover of Time -- the list goes on and on. His file in Politifact says he has outright lied over 48% of the time. At a rally in Pensacola, FL, he said "Black homeownership just hit the highest level it has ever been in the history of our country," but it has actually fallen almost yearly since 2004. Trump is in his element when he is living in a world of colorful lies.
As a master Manipulator, Trump uses language to galvanize voters; for instance, by using the marketable slogan "Make America Great Again," he made his politics an easy sale. He has licensed and sold his name to give the appearance of success and stability. He used terrorist attacks in London and Egypt to push his travel ban. He condemns actions that others have done, to cover his own despicable delinquency (like his tweet in response to Al Franken's sexual misconduct, when in fact he is the sexual predator-in-chief). His manipulation tactics are commonly known as "Trumpism." For Trump, manipulation is a sort of twisted art form, and he should probably have his picture on the cover of Time magazine with caption, "The Manipulator of the Year."
When it comes to being a Narcissist, Trump trumps them all -- Putin, Erdogan, Netanyahu, and even Kim Jong Un. Everything Trump does is designed to make it solely about him. When campaigning for failed Republican Senate candidate Luther Strange, he said "I'm taking a big risk because if Luther does not make it, they are going to go after me." Even in tragedy he pulls attention back around to himself: "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism..." On his desk, instead of having a Truman-esque plaque that reads "The Buck Stops Here," Trump's should read "It is me, me, me, all about me."
Like many others, I wonder how a person, let alone the president, can be as Obnoxious as Trump is. Will he ever quit his disdain of Hillary Clinton? His tweets about her pour out like waste from a corroded pipeline. During the second presidential debate, Trump loomed behind Clinton, following her and making faces at her throughout the duration of the debate. He is still obsessed with Obama's birthplace, and when Obama won reelection, he had a meltdown on Twitter and even went as far as calling for a revolution. In a competition for the title of the most obnoxious person in the world, Trump would win it handily.
When it comes to Polarizing, you've got to give Trump an A+. His policies and behaviors polarize the public: such as the wall, the travel ban, his reactions towards the press, his treatment of immigrants... Trump's name itself is polarizing. He sees everything in black and white, no middle ground, which has become increasingly painful for him in dealing with seriously complex issues. Since he came to office, the political and social divisiveness in the country grew ever wider, and "Us vs. Them" became the refrain of the day. To keep his base, Trump plays one group against another while enjoying the tension he creates.
One other trait that distinguishes Trump is his Querulous nature. He constantly picks fights on Twitter, makes wild statements like threatening to attack North Korea, and engages in derogatory statements to pick fights with senators, judges, football players, and many others, only to score a point. After Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called for Trump to resign due to increasing sexual harassment, he showered her with insults and went as far as clearly implying that she traded sexual favors for campaign contributions. He craves mean fights, which seem to energize him and give him that psychopathic satisfaction.
Trump is a Racist man to the bone. Only a person who is disposed to white supremacy could draw a moral equivalence between white nationalists in the Charlottesville rallies and law-abiding counter-protesters, some of whom turned violent. He claimed that one of the federal judges acting in the class action case against Trump University couldn't do his job because "he's a Mexican." And no one can deny the fact that there was a notable difference in his response to Hurricane Maria (which devastated Puerto Rico) vs. his prompt and immediate generous aid to victims of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, which affected Florida and Texas. From Trump's perspective, white supremacy is only natural, as is the "inferiority" of minorities.
Being a Showman is to a great extent the means by which Trump covers his shortcomings and lack of self-confidence. Everything, starting from his candidacy announcement riding on a golden escalator, has been a performance. He has a predilection for props, from comparisons of Obamacare vs. its replacement, scores of folders purportedly containing plans to disentangle himself from his businesses, to his most recent giant stacks of paper adorned with red tape (to be symbolically cut with gold scissors) to symbolize his efforts to cut regulations. Trump lives on showmanship, and without a stage he feels empty -- because he is.
Toxic: There has been a rise of hate crimes and anti-Semitism since Trump took office. The spread of toxicity is known as the "Trump Effect." Trump's selfishness poisons the civilian and political atmosphere, infecting Congress and splitting the GOP. Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flake have spared no words to describe Trump's toxicity. The list of current and past government officials, conservative media editors and columnists, and intelligence officials in opposition to Trump is incomparable to any of his predecessors. Trump wanted to "drain the swamp" in Washington, but all he has done is leave toxic waste in his wake.
Many people are concerned about Trump's Unstable behavior, and even more are deeply troubled about its implications on his mental instability. Time and again Trump has demonstrated how unhinged he is. He is compulsive and reacts to matters unrelated to governance, getting into Twitter fights with people like Michael Moore, ESPN commentator Jameel Hill, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, with no logical reason. Trump is dangerously losing touch with reality. By freely taunting North Korea, for instance, he raised tensions while disregarding the potential dire consequences. Psychiatrists and psychologists strongly suggest that given his erratic behavior, he has a mental illness.
The record on Trump's Vulgarity is astounding. He seems to relish his vulgarity and his meanness that goes with it. He called women like Rosie O'Donnell dogs, fat, slobs, pigs, and disgusting. He said about Senator Rand Paul: "Truly weird... reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain. He was terrible at debate!" Trump enjoyed mocking a disabled reporter at a campaign rally. And in a feud with Megyn Kelly, he blamed her criticism of him during a presidential debate on her menstruation ("blood coming out of her wherever"). For Trump, vulgarity is his drug of choice, on which he regularly overdoses.
Trump himself openly and repeatedly admitted that he is Whiny. In a statement to CNN's Chris Cuomo, he admitted: "I do whine because I want to win and I'm not happy about not winning and I am a whiner and I keep whining and whining until I win." He has complained that "No politician in history -- and I say this with great surety -- has been treated worse or more unfairly" (this he did immaturely at a graduation ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy). Trump will soon realize that no matter how much he whines, in the future he will end up the loser because he has nothing to offer, except for whining.
Trump was born Xenophobic, a chauvinistic fool with no sense of what is right or wrong. He led an assault on immigrants -- whether they be Muslim, Arab, or Mexican -- which he reinforced through his refugee and travel ban and "America First" campaign. He has attempted to cut off funding for sanctuary cities, which house thousands of immigrants, through Executive Order 13768. And through AG Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department, he has been sending letters that attempt to harass jurisdictions that he feels have weak immigration policies into working with ICE. Trump's xenophobia is a consuming obsession based on illusions far removed from reality.
Trump is simply a Yellow-bellied coward, which has been plain to see for decades. He dodged the draft in Vietnam, and reacted to being gifted a veteran's Purple Heart by saying "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier." In his efforts to end the Russia probe, he fired FBI Director Comey. He is terrified of what Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation may eventually reveal. At the very least, Trump is facing obstruction of justice, let alone Russia's interference in the election and the potential collusion to help him win the presidency. Deep inside Trump knows he did not earn the Presidency, and he is horrified that it will be snatched away from him. Perhaps he should not hold his breath, because the writing is on the wall.
Trump is an unbending Zealot -- not as much about his religious or ideological convictions, but far more so about his possessions and the image he wants to project. To show his conservative credentials (albeit he would trade them for any self-serving interest), he nominated two extreme right-wing federal court judges to lifetime positions. One helped craft voter suppression laws in North Carolina, and the other professed that the promotion of transgender rights is "Satan's plan." Trump delivered a speech in Warsaw this July that was highly reminiscent of alt-right rhetoric, leaving the unmistakable impression how zealotry will guard his conservative white base.
There is a touch of humor here and there to lighten up this alphabetic review of Trump's first year in office, but the subject matter is fateful to America's future. Trump is dangerous; his shortsightedness, mental instability, and ominous off-the-cuff statements could spark unintended horrifying violent conflagrations.
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