Mary Trump’s definitive biography on her uncle Donald, gives extraordinary insight to his character, behaviour and how he exercises authority and power in office as the 47^th president of the United States of America.

Published in 2020 by Simon & Schuster, the book chronicles much of the Trump family’s early life, and how they became a powerful, rich and politically influential New York family. It’s a similar story line about the lineage of all the super-rich elite families in the USA, and possibly throughout the world.  However, what makes this biography different from the outset, is that the author is a clinical psychologist, and uses her professional expertise to offer a psychoanalytical portrait of her Uncle, whom she considers “the world’s most dangerous man”.[i] 

It is probable that had her uncle not became the 47^th president of the United States, his psychological profile would have garnered little attention, apart from  his mentions in the Epstein files, which may have caused him serious legal troubles as an ordinary citizen, albeit a very rich one!

Mary Trump details, her Uncle’s somewhat solitary family life, the death of his mother, and how he was subject to a strict, uncompromising upbringing at the hands of his father, Fred Trump. Disagreements over inherited wealth, family internecine power struggles and often bitter, personal attacks and infighting over family loyalties, shaped the early life of her Uncle.

Her psychoanalysis of Donald while withering and scathing, offers insight into his psychological health:

“I have no problem in calling Donald a narcissist-he meets all nine criteria as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) but the labels gets us only so far”…A case could be made that he also meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder, which in its most severe form is generally considered sociopathy, but can also refer to common criminality (he is now a convicted felon, at the time she wrote this he wasn’t) arrogance and disregard for the rights of others…he may have a long undiagnosed learning disability that for decades has interfered with his ability to process information. He has a horrible diet and does not exercise which may contribute to or exacerbate his other possible disorders”. [ii]

But to what purpose does it serve to annihilate the character and standing of a family member in such a public arena through an unauthorized family biography? Mary Trump’s response to this criticism is that she had witnessed the “complicity, silence and in-actions of his siblings {that} destroyed her father, and she couldn’t let Donald destroy her country”.[iii]

Meanwhile, I doubt whether the family of Israel’s autocratic leader, Benjamin Netanyahu will write his biography anytime soon.

Fredrick M Burkle warned us 2018, that today’s autocratic leaders have limited capacity for empathy, love, guilt, or anxiety that become permanent and guide everyday decision making…character or personality traits that perpetuate the lives of autocratic leaders are further distinguished by sociopathic and narcissistic behaviours that self-serve to cover their constant fear of insecurity and the insatiable need for power”. [iv]  

I guess, none of the above is helpful, insofar as it isn’t going to stop or prevent the USA/Israel/Iran war or future wars. But, perhaps it reminds us yet again, of the former UN Secretary General, U Thants’s words that “Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love and compassion would have built the defences of peace”.[v]

[i] Trump, M.L Too Much and Never Enough, How my Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, pp12-13

[ii] Op.Cit.

[iii] Op.Cit, p17

[iv] Burkle, F.M, Character Disorders among Autocratic World Leaders and the Impact on Health, Security, Human Rights and Humanitarian Care.

[v] UNESCO Digital Library