CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

No Guardrails for Trump’s Dark Triad

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

Donald Trump’s instability and insanity have finally provoked discussion of two possible Constitutional guardrails that would allow for his removal from power: the impeachment power and the 25th Amendment.  On a theoretical basis, either guardrail could prove capable of addressing the terrible—even apocalyptic—problem that the nation—and the world—currently face.  But on a practical level, neither tool is likely to succeed.

Trump could be the poster child for the Dark Triad, which refers to a cluster of three overlapping yet distinct personality traits linked to manipulative, self-centered, and socially harmful behavior.  The triad refers to narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, which help to explain toxic behavior in personal and professional settings.  The symptoms associated with these traits include moral hypocrisy, arrogance, poor impulse control, a lack of empathy, and a lack of accountability.  Sadly, unlike his first term, Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists who have no interest in limiting or countering these behaviors.

The more progressive members of the Democratic Party, such as Representatives Jamie Raskin of MD and Al Green of TX, are leading the charge for impeachment or the invocation of the 25th Amendment.  Raskin even wrote the White House physician to demand a “comprehensive cognitive........

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