A politician boasts about his brilliance. Critics face insults. Allies learn that disagreement can invite retaliation.
These patterns help explain why Donald Trump is frequently called a narcissist. But what does that word mean—and what can we responsibly say about the president?
Narcissistic traits include exaggerated self-importance, a need for admiration, entitlement, exploitation and difficulty recognizing other people’s feelings and needs. Having traits does not necessarily mean someone has narcissistic personality disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, narcissistic personality disorder is a persistent condition involving significant impairment or distress.
Despite demonstrating narcissistic traits, Trump has no publicly established diagnosis of that disorder.
Grandiosity—presenting oneself as exceptionally capable or important—is evident in Trump’s public language. At the 2016 Republican convention, he declared, “I alone can fix it.” In 2018, he called himself “a very stable genius.” These statements illustrate claims of exceptional ability, although political rhetoric alone cannot establish a disorder.
Entitlement means expecting special privileges. In the 2005 Access Hollywood recording, Trump described sexual advances toward women and said celebrity status allowed him to “do anything.” That language suggests status confers permission to disregard boundaries.
Exploitation involves taking unfair advantage of others. Trump University students alleged they were persuaded to spend up to $35,000 through misleading promises about learning Trump’s real-estate methods. Trump agreed to a $25 million settlement without admitting wrongdoing. Those allegations offer an example of alleged exploitation of customers’ trust, rather than a psychiatric finding.
Empathy concerns recognizing and responding to others’ experiences. Trump’s 2015 remark about former prisoner of war John McCain—“I like people who weren’t captured”—dismissed the experience of captivity. It demonstrates a lack of expressed empathy in that moment; it cannot establish his complete emotional capacity.
The effects on others matter, too.
The effects on others can be easier to recognize than the psychological terminology. People around someone who repeatedly behaves this way may experience:
- Feeling unimportant: Their needs repeatedly take second place.
- Walking on eggshells: They avoid disagreement because they anticipate anger, humiliation or rejection.
- Feeling used: Their money, labor, connections or emotional support are treated as something the other person deserves.
- Eroding confidence: Repeated criticism or dismissal can leave them doubting their own judgment.
- Difficulty resolving conflict: Problems persist when one person cannot acknowledge responsibility or accept another perspective.
Trump’s treatment of Republican dissenters illustrates how these dynamics can operate in politics. Republicans who publicly disagree with him find themselves publicly insulted him and with pledged support for a primary opponent. For other lawmakers, that sends a message: disagreement can carry consequences.