In September 2020, after Vince Greenwood, Ph.D., had previously explained to readers of this newsletter that Trump was, indeed, a clinically diagnosed psychopath, I asked him how far Trump might go to steal that year's election.
In that interview, which I titled "The Frantic Psychopath," Dr. Greenwood correctly predicted.
Psychopaths are frantic over the threat of losing status and would be remorseless in their attempts to prevent that from happening. I don’t think he will accept the results, even in the case of a clear-cut Biden victory.
Four years later, it's looking almost certain that Trump will lose the popular vote for the third consecutive election—and increasingly likely that he will fall short of the 270 Electoral College votes he needs to regain the White House.
Video based on "Diagnosis: Psychopath," my 2020 interview with Vince Greenwood, Ph.D.
Democracy is, of course, on the ballot in 2024. But as we prepare for the final two months of this election campaign, Trump is, on a personal level, facing two very different futures. In one, he is not just a President, but a Supreme-Court-anointed King, with unprecedented power to live above—and beyond—the law. In the other, he is a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist, facing additional trials for election interference, insurrection, and violations of the Espionage Act. These are inexcusable crimes for which he knows he is guilty.
If justice is served, Trump will die in prison and his name will live in infamy. In this new Q&A, I asked Dr. Greenwood just what Trump would be willing to do to make sure he escapes justice yet again.
Q&A with Vince Greenwood, Ph.D.
In 2020, your reply to one of my questions began: “How much will Trump be willing to do to steal this election? I’m afraid the answer is: anything at all.” Is that still true today?
Certainly. The stripes of a clinical psychopath do not change. In particular, we need to recognize the political power of remorselessness. A man with no embers of shame or guilt and no capacity for restraint is an alarming opponent. He will do anything to win, whatever the risk or collateral damage.
We can see this in real-time.
Trump has already delegitimized the election for a large swath of the country. He has successfully mounted an assault on the concept of truth. He has shattered the norm that operating outside the rule of law is unacceptable. He has loyalists in election boards and crucial government positions who are prepared to unleash chaos to undermine the election.
Right now, Trump is flailing. But he’s also crafty. And in 2024, he is far better prepared. He has full control of the RNC, corrupt cronies and known criminals back in his inner circle, allies like Elon Musk controlling X and releasing new “uncensored” AI tools, plus enemies of the United States, such as Putin and Kim Jong-un who might donate to his campaign by engineering an October Surprise or two. How likely is it that he will attempt to activate these forces in ways that could unleash mayhem and misinformation—and possibly make the true election result unknowable?
Unfortunately, all these scenarios are plausible. There are many national and global actors whose interests are best served by Trump's return to power and the erosion of democratic norms that heralds. I quibble with the notion of Trump being the one who activates these actors or forces. It’s more like the other way around. Trump’s planning skills and ability to collaborate with others are quite limited. He is a "useful idiot" to others who know how to flatter and manipulate his ego to serve their interests.
If he senses defeat, how might his attacks on Kamala Harris change? Will he debate her? How might he act in the debates that’s the same as or different from what we’ve seen before?
Trump’s hand-wringing over whether to debate Harris reflects the narrow, feral terrain over which the battle of the "soul" of a psychopath takes place. That battle, the only struggle for the psychopath, is between the calculating "what’s in it for me?" side and the arrogant "win at all costs" side.
The psychopath is adept at sizing up a situation in terms of how it might benefit or hurt him. He may be stupid in many ways, but he is not a stupid predator. That Trump seems to want to squirm out of the debate reveals his egocentric appraisal of the debate as not a "win" for him. But, backing out would likely cast him in the role of a "coward" or "loser," which clashes with his arrogant and grandiose self-image as the "stable genius" and "better-looking than her." The psychopath can’t abide the perception that he is a "loser," and I would be very surprised if he backed out.
In or out of the debate hall, Trump will continue to treat Harris in the same disrespectful way. Trump may be colorful at times, but because of his personality disorder, he has a limited bandwidth of emotions and behaviors. If we can step back and look at him dispassionately, we see that he is a two-trick show horse. His two moves are disparagement and deceit.
Even more than in 2020, there’s a concerted effort to makeTrump's psychopathy part of the conversation. George Conway has started the Anti-Psychopath PAC specifically to question Trump's mental fitness. That PAC is running ads and doing stunts that are getting under Trump's skin. Project Lincoln has taken the same approach and some of its ads. And how effective do you think they might be in: a) educating the public; and b) triggering Trump into acting out in even more disqualifying ways?
Anti-Psychopath PAC and Lincoln Project provide invaluable and effective service. I also recommend Shrinking Trump, a recent podcast series devoted to explaining his psychopathology.
The messages generated by these groups are relevant and solid. The challenge is to get this content more frequently and forcefully to the general public. These organizations are very creative, and I think they are making some headway with mainstream media. Trump’s firehose of psychopathologically driven behavior is a challenge. We need to keep underscoring how consequential his unyielding and dangerous personality disorder is and the harm that would be unleashed if he is re-elected.
We know intimidation is a big part of Trump and the RNC’s plans this November. How much violence might Trump provoke before, during and after the election?
The clinical psychopath is a creature who "carries disaster lightly in both hands." They lack the human qualities of kindness or conscience. There is simply no brake on impulses that might harm others. How much violence might he provoke? Whatever it takes to win.
What else do we need to prepare for if Trump is defeated? What do we need to prepare for if he wins?
Scholars who have studied failed and successful authoritarian regimes, such as Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Timothy Snyder, and Heather Cox Richardson, are grappling with and game-planning these scenarios. I look to them for guidance on this issue.
Right now, I’d like to make a pitch for devoting all of our focus and energy to preventing Trump from winning and, ideally, delivering a decisive outcome by election day.
As we get closer to that day, we will better understand what to prepare for concerning a close Trump victory or defeat. With regard to Trump’s psychology, we have to brace ourselves. I have to repeat the core message of what we know about his personality disorder: he is more dangerous than even his harshest critics claim. He is like a man behind the wheel of a car with no brakes or steering and takes satisfaction in mowing down whoever crosses his path next.
Follow Dr. Greenwood at https://x.com/dutytoinform. Learn more at: https://dutytoinform.org/. Further reading:
THE SCIENCE BEHIND DONALD TRUMP’S DANGEROUS PERSONALITY DISORDER
by Vince Greenwood, Founder of DutyToInform.org
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