The book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, authored by forensic and social psychiatrist Brandy Lee, concludes that President Donald Trump exhibits signs of malignant narcissism. Lee and many of the other experts define this as a mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, paranoia, and sadism. Sticking just with narcissism, most of us directly know such a person who demonstrates an excessive love of self, grandiosity, a strong need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. Research and cultural trends suggest that narcissism is on the rise, but it may also be that narcissistic behaviors are simply becoming more visible.
Narcissists frequently ascend to positions of leadership because of their high confidence, charm, and assertiveness, which can be mistaken for competence and visionary leadership. They are often raised to believe that they are born leaders and actively seek power to gain admiration and control, appearing as prototypes of leaders during uncertainty. Their ambition often outweighs their performance, yet they successfully project an image of being the best person for the job. They are also often impulsive, acting on their sudden desires and emotions—judging themselves to nearly always being superlative—with little regard to the views, feelings, and rights of others.
It seems like, every day, President Trump stoops to some new low that falls under these dangerous personality traits. After the recent death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, Trump posted, in part, with his characteristic crass insensitivity: “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.” He previously mocked disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, and has a long history of making derogatory, objectifying, and insulting comments about women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and more.
Narcissism is obviously nothing new, and perhaps your boss, co-worker, ex, a parent, or some other person(s) in your life exhibits related behaviors. What is changing in entities is the ability to more easily and rapidly concentrate power. This is partly due to a combination of technological advancements, economic shifts, and digital surveillance capabilities that enable unprecedented control over information, finance, and public behavior. Key factors include the rise of digital platforms that create natural monopolies, the ability to target individuals through data analytics, and the speed at which technology can be deployed to control communication and infrastructure.
Now, as forensic and social psychiatrist Brandy Lee did, consider the case of President Trump. (Lee taught at Yale Law School for 17 years while on the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine, before joining the Harvard Medical School faculty, where she remained until 2024.)
She writes: ‘Trump is now the most powerful head of state in the world, and one of the most impulsive, arrogant, ignorant, disorganized, chaotic, nihilistic, self-contradictory, self-important, and self-serving. He has his finger on the triggers of a thousand or more of the most powerful thermonuclear weapons in the world. That means he could kill more people in a few seconds than any dictator in past history has been able to kill during his entire years in power.”
Nearly 500 Attacks on LGBTQ+ People
The organization GLAAD has been monitoring President Trump’s LGBTQ+ record and history including executive orders, legislative support, nominations, and statements. Here is what has happened in just the past few days:
– The Trump administration, citing a court ruling last year, is moving to rescind a directive to protect LGBTQ youth in the foster care system. The 2024 directive stipulated that providers affirm LGBTQ identity, receive training to support LGBTQ youth, and offer placements for LGBTQ youth that are safe and appropriate for their well-being. A proposed rule stated that the Administration for Children and Families is seeking to remove the requirements of the policy, claiming without evidence that it deters religious families from participating as foster families.
– President Trump claimed he will not sign any bills into law until Congress passes the so-called SAVE America Act, which would add restrictions on voting including showing proof of citizenship to register to vote, and showing identification that matches birth certificates, affecting every married woman who has changed her name, among others who change their name through their lifetime.
– The federal government has removed questions about sexual orientation and gender identity from at least 360 government surveys, forms, government-funded research projects, and other data collections since President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, according to two recent reports tracking changes to LGBTQ data. Researchers say this is likely a conservative estimate that will grow. The majority of the changes removed gender identity demographics, although in at least 60 cases, government agencies went beyond Trump executive orders to eliminate sexual orientation data elements as well. Other changes include removing the ability for people to report harassment, discrimination, or bias based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
– The federal government has removed questions about sexual orientation and gender identity from at least 360 government surveys, forms, government-funded research projects, and other data collections since President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, according to two recent reports tracking changes to LGBTQ data. Researchers say this is likely a conservative estimate that will grow. The majority of the changes removed gender identity demographics, although in at least 60 cases, government agencies went beyond Trump executive orders to eliminate sexual orientation data elements as well. Other changes include removing the ability for people to report harassment, discrimination, or bias based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
To view the Trump Accountability Tracker, go to: https://bit.ly/41i3GCi
At a Critical Juncture
Lee in another work, The Psychology of Trump Contagion: An Existential Danger to American Democracy and All Humankind, writes: “There is now no more time. We have arrived at the juncture where either we face up to the challenge of our day, save our democracy and the future of humankind, or we lose everything. This is what Benjamin Franklin meant when he said, in 1787, that we have: ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’”
From basic human rights to environmental protections and more, so much is at stake. Protestors on March 28 will be at the rallies and marches for any number of reasons, but are united in the fight for democracy itself and the right to protest. The organizers hope that there will be a shift from “slogans to systems,” maintaining momentum through local community efforts long after March 28.
That momentum must also carry through to elections. According to the organization Fair Vote, voter turnout in the U.S. is much lower than in other countries, hovering around 60% in presidential elections and 40% in midterm election years. As the Trump administration continues attempts to make voting more challenging—through scare tactics and tighter restrictions to supposedly prevent illegalities and interference—it is all the more important to exercise your right to vote.
The 2026 California Primary will be on June 2, and the last day to register to vote is May 18. Nationwide midterm elections will take place on November 3. It just takes 30 seconds to check your voter registration status. You can do so, and learn more about the upcoming elections, at https://www.vote.org/
Published on March 26, 2026
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