I guess I’m not spilling any secrets when I say that the Ol’ Pussy Grabber was out of control last week what with his covfefevirus infection being announced and treated with steroids, his debate performance being roundly panned by all the critics, the plethora of polls showing him losing to Handsome Joe by double digits nationally and pert near double digits in all the states that matter, and the abundance of investigations into his crimes taking significant steps forward. You might could even say, it was a bad week. Hell, it could even be the worst week for a candidate ever recorded in the history of elections.

Of course, the Ol’ Pussy Grabber took it all in stride showing his usual cool cucumberiness. There were not admonitions not to let the covfefevirus dominate you or to be afraid of it. There were no jactations about the perfectness of his physique or age. There were no cray-cray interviews with Fox News hosts. There were no hours long call-ins to conservative talk radio shows. There were no day-long Twitter ALL CAPS tweet storms. There was no breaking of the rules and blundering his way into the Oval Office to expose as many of the WH staff as possible to #COVID19. There were no boastful claims about his infectiousness and seropositivity. There were not calls for his AG to arrest his political opponent, previous opponent, and predecessor. There was no amazing display of flip-flop-sweat machine on #COVID19 relief and debates.

He was acting like Trump on steroids! Oh, man! He IS on steroids. Keee-ripes! He’s ruined one of the best metaphors of all time. Is there nothing this caricature of a human cannot destroy? He really does have the feculent touch.

Does anything sum up the dizzying display of disturbing boasts, claims, and lies than what he said during an interview on Fox News Sunday? “I have to tell you, I feel fantastically. I really feel good. And I even feel good by the fact that, you know, the word immunity means something — having really a protective glow means something. I think it’s very important to have that, to have that is a very important thing.” He said that. Seriously. A protective glow. Like he’s pregnant or something.

Dexamethasone or Just Trump on Steroids?

Was it the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s usual cray-cray amplified by dexamethasone or just business as usual? As we’ve documented here at Ye Olde Blogge, anytime the Ol’ Pussy Grabber has been extra out-of-control and outlandish, it has been because of a narcissistic wound, so let’s explore the narcissistic wound, which has also been called narcissistic rage or narcissistic injury.

The Narcissistic Wound, Defined

A narcissistic wound is the negative reaction of a narcissist to criticisms, being held to account for their behavior, or having boundaries being placed on them to limit their behavior. Heinz Kohut defined it as threats to the narcissist’s self-esteem or self-worth. Or when reality intrudes on the narcissistic delusion of perfection. Other causes of negative reactions are a lack of lavish praise and adulation — like when the Ol’ Pussy Grabber can’t appear before an adoring campaign rally or cabinet meeting — or people around them not living up to their expectations, like Jeff “Being Rushed Makes Me Nervous” Sessions or Billy Barr-the-Door.

Essentially, the narcissist harbors a delusion of perfection that must be projected to the world to cover their feelings of impotence and feelings of worthlessness. They feel like losers and suckers. They need that delusion of perfection to counter-balance their extreme lack of self-esteem. When reality intrudes on this delusion, the inner self, the real self of the narcissist is exposed causing feelings of shame guilt, anxiety, and anger. They are reduced to their deeply held feelings of self-loathing and humiliation.

Narcissistic Rage, Reaction to the Narcissistic Wound

To resolve these feelings, they become enraged (narcissistic rage) and lash out. Their emotions go haywire — again, sound like anyone you know? Their rage ranges from pouting in the corner to being irritated and annoyed to raging spittle-filled Twitter storms and maybe even real violence. Do they have a WH intern whose job is to be the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s punching bag? Some gimp they keep locked in a cage in the basement? I’m sure their are several Congress folks who would love to fill the role.

Wherever on the continuum the narcissist lands when they experience their narcissistic wound, they are focused on the person or thing that has exposed them. The resulting emotional dysregulation is frequently so severe, they, literally, can’t think straight. Their extreme responses can included lies, groundless accusations, grotesque distortions, the aforementioned spittle inflected incoherent Twitter outbursts and rants, and, according to Kohut, include seeking conflict. Again, who does that sound like? Not just during the past two weeks, but for the past five years.

The Many Narcissistic Wounds of Trump

The most salient point that Kohut makes about narcissistic rage is that it can be other or self directed. Not only does this explain the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s inability to move past the 2016 election and Hillary Clinton, but also, his ongoing self-destructive behavior like pushing himself to be on the campaign trail when still convalescing.

Perhaps the most illuminating application of our insight into the narcissistic wound is concerns the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s relationship to the covfefevirus. From the beginning he’s downplayed it even while knowing full well just how contagious and deadly it is, if Bob Woodward’s tapes are to be believed. Even after the most overwhelming evidence that we needed a national campaign to contain and limit the virus and treat the infected — Do remember the worry and stress of March and April as we faced rampant PPE and ventilator shortages? Do you remember the relief as New York, California, and New Jersey flattened the curve? Do you remember the insanity of state governments and individual hospitals trying to out bid each other for supplies? Do you remember the red states opening early and the surging infections, hospitalizations, and deaths? Do your remember the endless weeks in June and July of 50,000 new infections and 1,000 deaths per day? — he downplayed the seriousness of the virus. Even after he and many of his closest administration members, campaign staff, and advisors became infected and treated themselves, he downplayed the impact of the virus. Why?

As Mary Trump informs, to Fred Trump illness and disease was a personal weakness that was to be ignored and punished. Germs and sickness form a huge part of that vulnerable part of the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s psyche. One that he must protect at all cost. Any hint that he is sick or is “beaten” by a disease is a narcissistic wound causing narcissistic rage. He had no choice but to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic otherwise, he had to admit that the virus was mightier than he is. If that’s not a level of crazy that warrants the 25th Amendment, I don’t know what is.

The election of a black man to the presidency was a narcissistic wound. The thought of a black man as president was an anathema to the Ol’ Pussy Grabber. Everything Obama did had to be undone, erased, and excised from the history books. It is why he is conflating the bogus and frivolous Nobel Peach Prize nominations that he has received with winning the prize and besting Obama.

Losing an election is a narcissistic wound that triggers the narcissistic rage reaction. He has to make these ridiculous baseless accusations against both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. It’s why he seems like he’s still running against her. He has to make sure we all know that she lost.He can’t let go of Clinton’s emails because in his mind it was disqualifying of her and removes her as a threat. It is the perfect example of how weak and insecure he is. He will forever be seeking to diminish her.

It is why it drives him so crazy that he can’t get anything to stick to Joe Biden. He can’t diminish him. And, now, Biden is winning all of his constituents: older adults, white women, non-college graduates, white men. Biden is leaving him bereft of any ability sooth himself and calm his fears of being exposed as the loser and sucker he secretly knows himself to be.

You might could have pity on the Ol’ Pussy Grabber if he hadn’t caused so much harm to so many people in his effort to maintain his narcissistic delusion of perfection.

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