Can we believe Donald Trump’s recent remark concerning his cognitive ability? He assured us, “There’s no cognitive problem. If there were, I’d know about it.”
This is not humor. Trump’s cognitive abilities are seriously damaged. He is narcissistic and grandiose, and these characteristics prevent him from recognizing any distortions.
Narcissism is a personality disorder with far-reaching consequences, with cognitive impairment being just one. Narcissists have a high sense of importance and entitlement and an obsessive need for attention and admiration.
Grandiose people disparage and speak dismissively of others, often labeling them as inferior to elevate their egos. Exaggeration of their achievements and brilliance, in the extreme, characterizes their perceptions.
These two personality defects interfere with close friendships, listening skills and learning information. Their need for attention and the attention they do receive only keep their disorder in a circular pattern.
Addiction is another way of understanding what is lost. The addict’s mind covers up personal pain and feelings of inadequacy with immediately satisfying diversions, be it alcohol, drugs, or, in Trump’s case, attention. Addiction to attention is every bit as powerful and destructive as other addictions. Like alcohol and drugs, it distorts reality and limits cognitive abilities.
People who show narcissistic and grandiose behavior have opinions on a wide range of topics, but they often have shallow knowledge and little depth in understanding opposing or complex views. Their thought patterns are limited.
The former president often speaks highly of his own intelligence. There is evidence to the contrary. His secretary of defense said Trump’s understanding of world affairs was that of a fifth- or sixth-grader. A study of presidential word choice similarly concluded that he spoke at a fourth-grade vocabulary level.
Trump’s black-and-white thinking — “You’re either with me or against me” — is another expression of his distorted thinking patterns. There are virtually no “grays” in Trump’s world. His hypersensitivity to criticism immediately truncates his ability to understand complexity and nuance.
Projection of his deficits onto others also hides his cognitive limitations. Grandiosity blunts self-awareness, shuts out vulnerability and thrusts his faults onto his opponents.
The former president believes he is unique and the only one able to solve America’s problems — “I alone can fix it.” Reality-based information or any message that doesn’t contribute to his self-aggrandizement is dismissed.
Comparing President Biden’s age to Trump’s cognitive impairment is absurd. Biden may be old and have physical frailties, but he maintains excellent cognitive function and a solid moral compass. Trump may have passed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment or other cognitive measures, but these don’t address his personality and cognitive handicaps.
Trump’s recent action concerning the Southern Border crisis illustrates his personality dysfunction and limitations in thinking.
For the last year or more, Republicans in Congress have claimed border security to be their number-one concern and blamed the Democrats for the Southern border crisis. Yet when Biden and his party recently gave Trump and the Republican Party virtually every demand they requested, Trump stepped in to block the bill.
While enough Republican senators were ready to vote yes on the bill, Trump shot it down. Afraid that Biden might have a political win, Trump ignored the painstaking negotiation and considered his win or loss the priority. Like a true narcissist, he cared only for his political gain, immigrants and residents of border states be damned.
Trump’s actions make sense when examined under the prism of narcissism and grandiosity. There were no signs that Trump discussed or considered other points of view. More important, he showcased his power in a grand demonstration of political strength rather than focusing on the country’s welfare. Narcissists are driven by short-term gain.
The Republican machinery, under the guidance of the former president, is making waves by focusing on Biden’s age. They certainly have stayed far away from examining the much more severe issue of Trump’s mental fitness and his actual cognitive deficits.
