Trump’s narcissistic personality disorder

Obviously, I’m not a psychologist or a psychiatrist (like fellow columnist Charles Krauthammer), but I’m going to go out on a limb today and argue Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suffers from a posible narcissistic personality disorder. Here are the symptoms:

Has excessive feelings of self-importance

Reacts to criticism with rage

Takes advantage of other people

Disregards the feelings of others

And is preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty and intelligence.

Any questions? I think Trump has exhibited all of these symptoms in his failing quest for the presidency, starting with excessive feelings of self-importance, lack of compassion for the less fortunate (and Gold Star families) and weird fantasies involving power and success. Who knows? He might even re-name the White House the Trump House. With this wild-card candidate, anything and everything is possible.

Trump’s handlers, who change from month to month, keep telling us he’ll become more “presidential” as November approaches. Nevertheless, what presidential candidate in his right mind would celebrate his nomination victory by suggesting publicly the father of his chief primary opponent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, was somehow involved in the JFK assassination? That’s pure lunacy.

And what presidential candidate in his right mind would trash a Gold Star family even if they happened to be Muslim-Americans? Please, enough already!

Trump’s careless use and/or understanding of the English language is highly questionable. When a journalist asked him what sacrifices he’s made in amassing a huge real estate development fortune, he responded he has created tens of thousands of jobs. Huh? That simply makes no sense. And he was able to create those jobs after receiving a “small” million-dollar loan from his father. Some sacrifice!

And then there was his feeble non-response after another journalist asked him about his unstable temperament and ugly habit of insulting those who don’t agree with him. Trump again cited his success in business, which has little if anything to do with his mercurial temperament. Can you imagine this thin-skinned egomaniac with his finger on the nuclear trigger? With apologies to my conservative Republican friends, I can’t.

As retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in the Seattle Times, “Trump is an ‘abusive braggart’ unfit to lead our armed forces.” McCaffrey predicted President Trump (Help!) would “provoke a political and constitutional crisis within one year” and slammed the GOP candidate for insulting Arizona Sen. John McCain, “one of the most venerated American military heroes since WWII.” You’ll also remember Trump said he preferred veterans who hadn’t been captured. What a crass remark from someone who dodged the draft by claiming to have a bone spur on his foot. Which foot? Don’t ask.

Now, does all of this mean I’m going to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, a serial liar married to a serial womanizer? No way! As I’ve written, I would do almost anything to keep Clinton, Inc., from returning to the White House. American voters don’t trust Mrs. Clinton, and for good reason. Just one example: After non-partisan FBI Director Jim Comey said she lied about handling classified material on a private email server, she brazenly told Chris Wallace of Fox News Comey had exonerated her. No he didn’t; he did everything but indict her for mishandling top secret intelligence information.

I could vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson if he wasn’t so enthusiastic about drug legalization, and I just might vote for independent candidate Evan McMullin, a conservative young former CIA undercover operative, if he’s on the Nevada ballot in November. Or maybe even my favorite, “None of the above.” Stay tuned.

Guy W. Farmer, a retired diplomat, is the Appeal’s senior political columnist.