top of page

The Triple Threat of a Trump Triumph



Four times since the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent riot at the nation’s Capitol Building, I have written and posted articles warning sane readers to ignore the emergent media assertion that Donald Trump’s control of the Republican Party is waning (see End the Optimism: Trumpism Is Here to Stay, Nothing Will Tarnish the Messiah's Crown, Turn the Corner and See More Trumpism, Trumpism Is Not Over).


I cited some of the media assertions in those posts, so if you’re interested in them, click on the links above. Meanwhile, it appears now that more and more of those media outlets are finally waking up to the terrifying truth that—unless he’s in prison as a result of one of the many lawsuits he’s facing—Donald Trump will again be the Republican nominee for the presidency.[1] That means he’ll have a realistic chance of returning to the most influential and powerful political position on the planet. If that prospect fails to terrify you, here are three reasons why it should. (I know, these three are just the tip of the iceberg.)

1. Trump’s Impulsive Psychological Instability

2. The Rising Threat of White Christian Nationalism

3. The Rising Tendency to Esteem Ignorant Beliefs Over Verifiable Facts


Trump’s Impulsive Psychological Instability

In “The Mind of a Dictator,” James Fallon[2] stated,

In the brain's lower frontal lobe—the orbital cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex—we find the circuit that is likely to be damaged in the psychopathic dictator, where aggressive impulses originating in the amygdala are inhibited and moral and ethical choices considered through interactions with the orbital and ventromedial cortex. People with low activity in this area are particularly predisposed to impulsive or psychopathic behavior.[3]


It’s unlikely anyone has scanned Donald Trump’s brain and discovered low activity in his lower frontal lobe. (If only wishes were granted.) But merely observing Trump’s words and actions provides abundant evidence of impulsive and—perhaps—psychopathic behavior. This is a man who verbally shoots from the hip on a regular basis. Remember this tweet just before the January 6 insurrection? “Be there, will be wild!” Regarding the FBI, he impulsively tweeted the following (just a small sampling): “didn't do their job,” “Scum,” “created crimes against me,” “Pathetic!” “tremendous bias and guilt.” A comprehensive list of Trump’s impulsive and insulting statements can be found here. (But be patient; there are so many it takes a couple minutes for the page to load.)


As reported in The Guardian, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his spy agency assessed Trump’s psychological makeup as “impulsive, mentally unstable and [an] unbalanced individual who suffers from an inferiority complex.”[4]


So, looking back at James Fallon’s statement that impulsive behavior is a common trait among those predisposed to dictatorial ambitions and activities, it seems reasonable to assess that Donald J. Trump has—at the very least—dictatorial tendencies. And it’s no stretch that an impulsive U.S. President with dictatorial tendencies—and who is unencumbered by the prospect of another election—could pose a grave threat to the entire world.


The Rising Threat of White Christian Nationalism

Only on ill-informed white Christian nationalists is the irony unseen of Donald Trump as the modern-day savior of white Christian nationalism. Don’t attempt to imagine someone more unlikely for the job unless you normally spend your daytime hours sitting idly in front of your TV watching Jerry Springer reruns. Despite the Grand Canyon chasm between Trump’s lifestyle and the standard of living white Christian nationalists ignorantly espouse, these deluded folks have crowned him their champion, and there’s no turning back now. As in most cults, the cult leader is exempt from the strict rules imposed on the cultists.


I can’t imagine a Handmaid’s-Tale-level theocracy ever coming to pass in the USA. Even those who think they’d love living under such a repressive system would recoil when they begin to see how a true theocracy would change their lives. But even a lite version of a hierocracy would upend the democratic rights and privileges Americans have cherished for centuries.


Abortion rights would cease completely. (And, although I oppose abortion and would love to see a time when no one will choose the practice, I do sympathize with those who support the right for women to choose.) Non-heterosexuals would be treated as second-class citizens—and that’s the best-case scenario. Entertainment options would be dramatically reduced and fastidiously censored. Forget about shopping on Sundays. (Never mind that the Bible’s fourth commandment about revering the Sabbath day refers to Saturday.) I can’t help but chuckle, however, when I imagine the furious backlash when the MAGA faithful learn of the cessation of Sunday NFL games. “What the hell did I agree to, Bubba?”


The Rising Tendency to Esteem Ignorant Beliefs Over Verifiable Facts

In a previous post, I wrote this:

It’s no coincidence that many of the most bizarre and dangerous COVID conspiracies and election-fraud conspiracies are spread through the white evangelical community. Evangelical churches are, unfortunately, full of folks who tend to be undereducated, gullible, and prone to paranoia about evil government-based cabals out to get them. So, metaphorical wolves—some of them malevolent and some bonkers believers themselves—prey upon the gullibility and paranoia of these ignorant sheep.


That’s not mere conjecture. I wrote that paragraph based on nearly 50 years living within and even leading evangelical churches.


Similarly, it also is from many decades deep within conservative circles that I wrote this in another post,

I was wrong when I sided with Ronald Reagan’s assertion that “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.” However, correcting Reagan’s statement requires just one word change. Replace liberal with conservative and The Gipper was spot on.


I truly care for my friends and family members who have given themselves over to the MAGA cult. I want the best for them, and the best for them is no different from the best for all of us: the complete defeat of the MAGA cult that is deluding them and threatening our democratic form of government.

[1] “How Trump Can Squash DeSantis Once and For All,” https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/03/31/trump-desantis-2024-strategy-00089758, “Trump surges to a 26-point lead over Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP presidential primary post-indictment: poll,” https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-surges-post-indictment-lead-desantis-2024-republican-primary-poll-2023-4. [2] Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. [3] James Fallon, “The Mind of a Dictator,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychopath-inside/201111/the-mind-dictator. [4] “Kremlin papers appear to show Putin’s plot to put Trump in White House,” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/kremlin-papers-appear-to-show-putins-plot-to-put-trump-in-white-house.

bottom of page