I feel conflicted.  Hearing what Donald J. Trump says and seeing what he does, I am alarmed and frightened.  On the heels of fear comes anger.  Then, I consider the roots of Donald’s words and deeds and realize the poor man cries out for compassion and love.  It’s complicated.

For compelling reasons, Donald Trump should never again be closer than the distance of one day’s casual stroll from the Oral Office.  In The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,three dozen psychiatrists and others with firsthand experience agree that Donald exhibits classic symptoms of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-5) “Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder.”  Considering Donald’s words and acts, you do not have to be Sigmund Freud to concur in this diagnosis.

Despite scores of failed court challenges and incontrovertible facts to the contrary, Donald continues to allege the 2020 Presidential elections was “rigged.”  When attempts to strongarm state executives into overturning their election results failed, on January 6, 2021 the then-President orchestrated and ordered a seditious assault on America’s Capitol, Congress, and Constitution!

In the face of the Presidential Records Act of 1978’s (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22 § 2202) stipulation: “The United States shall reserve and maintain complete ownership, possession, and control of Presidential records; and such records shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of this chapter,” on leaving office Donald ordered thousands of official documents taken to his Mir-a-Lago home/resort.  Over the subsequent year-and-a-half, Trump defied repeated requests to surrender these records to the National Archives and Records Administration.

Seemingly ignorant of protocols of civil discourse, Donald—at heart a sixth-grade Bully—lashes out!  Hardly a day passes when the erstwhile President does not insult, demean, or slander others.  To ameliorate his fear, feeling so alone, the frightened child inside demands unquestioning loyalty from others.  So long as they march in lockstep with Donald’s needs, enablers are intelligent, of sterling character.  When they question, challenge, or—curiously often—abandon him, these folks become stupid, suckers, and losers.        

In Too Much and Never Enough How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, niece Mary Trump explains how emotionally detached parents deprived young Donald of the experience most essential to healthy human development: Love!  Attempting to fill this aching void, Donald collects things: millions of dollars, trophy girlfriends and wives, Shaquille O’Neal‘s shoe, a world wrestling belt and, of course, “my” documents!

Nowhere is Donald’s yearning for love more explicit than in clinging to his “love letters”—doubtless the only he ever received—from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.  Only wholly irrational thinking could pervert the January 6^th mayhem, suffering, and death into an expression of love for Donald Trump.

I feel conflicted.  Hearing Donald’s words and seeing his acts, I feel bewildered, terrified, and angry.  Considering the roots beneath his behavior, I am compelled to feel, if not love, genuine compassion for this sad, lonely man.  It’s complicated.