Mary Trump is the niece of US President Donald Trump and has been his longtime critic, too. She has criticized her uncle’s temperament and leadership style. In an interview, she offered a deeper explanation for what she sees as the root of his psychological issues.
Her explanations are not something random, as she is also a certified psychologist and understands the implications of her words. Mary claims that an emotionally turbulent childhood has shaped the president of the United States as he is now.
She also mentioned a critical event when he was just two-and-a-half years old.
According to Mary, Donald Trump’s emotional and psychological development was severely disrupted during this formative period. It was because his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, fell seriously ill. Her prolonged absence from his childhood left young Donald without the emotional care and security that only a parent can provide.
Mary recently had an interview with Times Radio. During that, she explained that during his mother’s illness, Donald was left in the care of his father, Fred Trump Sr. When asked about his father, Mary described him as a “sociopath.”
I’m 3/4 of the way through Mary Trump’s explosive new book. Highly recommended.
Donald Trump grew up in a “dysfunctional” family that believed “money stood in” for acts of love pic.twitter.com/QthrdEqzuE
— Holly Figueroa O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) July 15, 2020
She claimed that Fred was a cold, authoritarian parent, and rather than providing comfort and stability, his parenting caused lasting psychological harm.
“So, she [Mary Anne] was psychologically, emotionally, and physically absent for about a year, which is devastating,” Mary explained. “One problem is that during that time, the only person he had as a quote unquote caregiver was his father, who was a sociopath.”
Such an environment during childhood deprived Donald of essential emotional support and development. This created a lifelong deficit in feelings of safety, love, and trust.
“Donald grew up in a family without love… he realized that bullying and being cruel were the things that were going to advance him in the family.” @MaryLTrump on how Donald Trump’s dysfunctional upbringing translates to his campaign strategy. pic.twitter.com/7TDewUU9FE
— AYMAN (@AymanMSNBC) September 15, 2024
Mary Trump’s description of Donald Trump’s family painted a desolate picture of a fractured family dynamic. In Trump’s life, emotional neglect and psychological manipulation were present from an early age. Her grandmother’s illness left a void in
Donald’s upbringing that was filled with damaging influence from Fred Trump. Mary believes that, for these reasons, her uncle became emotionally hardened. He then constructed a persona that masked deep-seated insecurity. “He never felt safe, he never felt loved,” she said. “If you start from that kind of deficit and never find somebody to heal you, then you are at the mercy of anybody who may find you of use.”
Mary Trump laid much of the blame on Fred Trump. She accused him of exploiting Donald’s vulnerability rather than nurturing him. She argues that this led to the development of a personality marked by several issues. These included emotional detachment, bullying tendencies, and a belief in self-sufficiency at all costs.
Ultimately, Donald Trump is nothing more than a garden variety sociopath, he only continues to act badly in ever more disinhibited ways because for 71 years American society has given him the undue privilege to do so. #AmericanSociopath https://t.co/LtZlIFWs6T pic.twitter.com/R15eZKSVvR
— Propane Jane™ 🔥💣 (@docrocktex26) January 15, 2018
These formative experiences explain many of the behavioral patterns seen in Donald Trump’s public and private life. One can see this in his combative leadership style and his apparent discomfort with empathy and vulnerability.
Chris Sununu backs Trump after calling him a crazy asshole. Marco Rubio backs Trump after calling him a dangerous conman. Bill Barr backs Trump after calling him a consummate narcissist. The GOP’s bottomless bullshit. pic.twitter.com/Y0y2MfOBaM
— anyone_want_chips (@anyonewantchips) April 19, 2024
Mary Trump’s reflections arrive in the middle of a fresh controversy involving the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including a freeze on student visa interviews and increased scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity.
A need for validation and adoration can be seen in the ways he talks to people around him and favors those who talk nice about him. It is also visible in his demand for a parade, which is being organized on the 250 year anniversary of the US Army.
