President Donald Trump famously does not drink alcohol, but one of his top White House officials said his personality calls to mind her alcoholic father.White House chief of staff Susie Wiles gave a series of 11 interviews to Vanity Fair writer Chris Whipple, author of a well-regarded book on White ...
  • Optional@lemmy.world
    9·
    9 hours ago

    “‘Some clinical psychologist that knows one million times more than I do will dispute what I’m going to say,’" Wiles said, according to Whipple. “‘But high-functioning alcoholics or alcoholics in general, their personalities are exaggerated when they drink. And so I’m a little bit of an expert in big personalities.’”

    “Wiles said Trump has ‘an alcoholic’s personality,’” Whipple wrote. “He ‘operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do. Nothing, zero, nothing.’”

    The triumph of the will, if you will. Leading to shooting oneself in a bunker.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      5 hours ago

      …it’s called narcissism. Calling it a “big personality” only normalizes this kind of toxic behavior.

      But you see this kind of excuse-making everywhere, not just in politics. It can often fly under the radar in some of the worst ways for mothers. Virtually everything Donvict does and says broadcasts to people with some life experience and normal brains: “avoid at all costs”, because I think the culture is starting to do some catching up on at least the male manifestation of this.

      • Optional@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 hours ago

        I very much think the country is in the same headspace of the family member whose dad is an active alcoholic / showing signs of dementia.

        A lot of denial, a lot of pretending, a lot of avoiding, some enabling, and some commiserating.