US President Donald Trump shows signs of malignant narcissism, bipolar disorder and early-stage dementia. This was stated by psychologist Daniel Strobl in an interview with Czech Radio Plus.
According to Strobl, narcissism in itself is not a problem, but in Trump’s case it has taken a malignant form, which philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm described as the “quintessence of evil”. Such a combination of traits, he said, becomes especially dangerous when held by a person with vast political and military power.
The psychologist said he first became seriously concerned about Trump’s behaviour after the 2020 presidential election, when Trump refused to accept the results. In his view, it was then that Trump appeared to have lost touch with reality.
Strobl also argued that these traits have intensified with age and that Trump is showing signs of dementia, including changes in movement and episodes of falling asleep in public. He added that the combination of paranoia and sadism poses a particular risk, as such a person views any criticism as an attack and is incapable of compromise.
At the same time, Strobl acknowledged that public assessments of politicians’ mental health violate the so-called Goldwater Rule, which discourages remote diagnoses. However, he said that in this case the duty to warn society about potential danger outweighs that restriction.