It's a Brave New World...Again

In between watching President Trump and JD Vance tag-team Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy and hearing the whining from FOX pundits about the latest MAGA voter fired by Elon Musk, I had a flashback to my childhood Saturday morning cartoon days. I remembered watching an episode of Superfriends (or maybe Justice League?) that introduced Bizarro World, and I thought to myself: This feels just like that.

Surely, I couldn't be watching the President and Vice President of the United States bully another world leader in the Oval Office—broadcast live to the entire world. Could I?

Sadly, I was. And, more than likely, it was only the first of many surreal moments to come in the next three years and eleven months. Yes, I’m counting the days.

In the days that followed, I reflected on what I had witnessed and the responses—or lack thereof—from both sides of the American political spectrum. So I started asking questions. How did America elect a narcissistic bully to the highest office in the land? Why didn’t anyone notice that two-thirds of his executive orders to date closely align with the Project 2025 objectives? Tough questions. Here are some of the things I found in my search for answers.

How Did We Elect a Narcissist as President?

To understand what it means to be a narcissist, I turned to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). According to the DSM, narcissism is characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. These behaviors begin in early adulthood and persist across various contexts. Clinically, at least five of the following traits must be present:

A grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerating achievements, expecting to be recognized as superior without commensurate accomplishments).

Preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

A belief in being "special" and understood only by high-status individuals.

A need for excessive admiration.

A sense of entitlement.

Exploitative behavior.

A lack of empathy.

Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them.

Arrogant, haughty behaviors and attitudes.

That was a chilling read, but I pressed on. I wanted to understand the distinction between standard Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and malignant narcissism.

Malignant narcissism is not an official diagnosis but is commonly used to describe severe narcissistic traits combined with antisocial behaviors. The differences? Someone with standard NPD has little empathy, while someone with malignant narcissism has none. Someone with standard NPD may feel shame or remorse if their behavior is exposed, while a malignant narcissist will not.

I’m not a clinician or a doctor, but the pattern seemed clear. I leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Why Did We Elect a Narcissist?

In researching narcissism, the answer to my second question started to take shape. Imagine a person—let’s call him Donald Trump—who has a history of grandiosity, lack of empathy, and exploiting others for personal gain. Someone with a demonstrable record of doing whatever it takes to get what he wants. Not exactly what most would consider presidential material. But there’s more.

Trump combined his personality traits with a deliberate strategy of misinformation and disinformation to confuse and manipulate the American people. He offered simplistic solutions to the problems plaguing the poor, the uneducated, and the far right—solutions that were easy to digest but largely ineffective in practice.

You may be saying to yourself, That’s a bold claim. Where’s the proof? In which case, you should be paying more attention. But don’t worry, I’ll use small words.

Misinformation and the Manipulation of Truth

Misinformation is perhaps the easiest of Trump’s tactics to document:

COVID-19 Disinformation: During his first term, Trump promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, despite a lack of scientific evidence. This led to public confusion, shortages, and likely undermined trust in medical institutions.

The 2020 Election Fraud Lie: Trump and his allies repeatedly claimed widespread voter fraud despite lacking credible evidence. This "firehose of falsehood" approach to propaganda eroded trust in democratic institutions.

The Politicization of Government Agencies: More recently, Trump appointed figures known for spreading misinformation to key positions. Case in point: Dan Bongino, a pro-Trump podcaster with a history of misinformation, was appointed as the FBI’s Deputy Director—raising serious concerns about the politicization of federal law enforcement. (Time Magazine)

Trump’s relentless accusations of "fake news" and his attacks on the media? Straight out of The Art of War: All war is based on deception. Throw your enemy into disarray, cause confusion in his ranks, and take advantage of the chaos.

The Far-Right Connection

Trump’s appeal to the far-right is no mystery. By openly welcoming previously fringe ideologies—neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and other extremist groups—he provided them with mainstream political legitimacy. And they rewarded him with unwavering support.

In the past, politicians ignored hate groups because they deserved to be ignored. Trump, on the other hand, embraced them. So they embraced him back.

The Oversimplification of Complex Problems

Oversimplified solutions are harder to quantify, but still obvious. Consider the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump’s supposed answer to wasteful government spending. The narrative is that DOGE would eliminate corrupt, useless federal employees and reduce the deficit. A compelling pitch—except for a few problems:

No real vetting of agencies or employees.

Mass layoffs followed by mass rehiring and contradictory directives.

A federal workforce now more chaotic, ineffective, and demoralized than before.

The messages federal workers have received over the past 60 days:

"You’re fired."

"You’re not fired. Come back."

"You must report to the office."

"There are no desks or computers. Work from home."

"Send us a list of your work this week."

"Actually, send us a list from this week."

"Forget it. You’re fired again."

Was Department of Government Efficiency supposed to be ironic? If so, I missed the joke.

The Bigger Question

Trump speaks like an angry fourth-grader because that’s what his base understands and relates to. The Democrats lost in 2024 because they appealed to people who understood the actual issues at stake—and, sadly, that’s a shrinking demographic.

Are we truly a nation of homophobes, xenophobes, misogynists, and racists? I hope not. But the next four years will put that hope to the test.