Donald Trump and Narcissistic Personality Disorder

In an old DSM training guide I have—the copyright is 1995—there is a Case Vignette about a middle aged businessman with the initials D.T.  It states “all his life his self-image has been grandiose, and his demeanor arrogant.” (DSM-IV Training Guide by William H. Reid, M.D., M.P.H. and Michael G. Wise, M.D., F.A.C.P.)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

The modern DSM-5 lists these symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder:  a grandiose logic of self-importance,  a fixation with fantasies of infinite success, control, brilliance, beauty, or idyllic love,  a credence that he or she is extraordinary or exceptional  and can only be understood by, or should connect with, other extraordinary people or institutions, a desire for unwarranted admiration, a sense of entitlement, interpersonally oppressive behavior, no form of empathy, resentment of others or a conviction others are resentful of him, and a display of egotistical and conceited behaviors or attitudes. (Internet article: “Narcissistic Personality Disorder DSM-5 301.81 (F60.81”) by Dr. Helen Okoye, M.D., M.B.A., www.theravive.com)

The most important characteristics are grandiosity, seeking excessive admiration, and a lack of empathy.  “On the exterior patients act with an air of right and control, dismiss others, and frequently showcase condescending or denigrating attitudes.” (Ibid)

Dismissing Others

In a study by Brookings, 91% of the president’s top level staff had turned over by November 2020.  Not all were fired.   Some resigned because of scandal, duress, or a dislike of their job or working conditions.  (“The Many People Donald Trump has Fired During his Presidency,” by Nicki Swift, www.nickiswift.com).

Denigrating Attitudes

A list was started at the New York Times by Kevin Quealy, deputy editor.  It comprised all the insults Mr. Trump posted on Twitter from the moment he declared his candidacy for president in June 2015 until he was banned from the platform in January 2021.  He targeted 850 individuals, and there were between 6,000 and 10,000 insults.  There was an issue as to whether or not two insults in  one tweet should be counted as one or two.  (New York Times, Times Insider, Five Years, Thousands of Insults: Tracking Trump’s Invective, by Katie Van Syckle, January 26, 2021, www.nyt.com)

Narcissistic Rage 

In 2019 a group of 773 psychiatrists and mental health professionals sent a petition to Congress.  The group felt Trump could become ever more dangerous and a threat to the nation.  “What makes Donald Trump so dangerous,” they said, “is the brittleness of his sense of worth.”  “Any slight or criticism is experienced as a humiliation and degradation.  To cope with the resultant hollow and empty feeling, he reacts with what is referred to as narcissistic rage.”  (www.businessinsider.com/psychiatrists-submit-warning-Trumps-mental-health)

Donald Trump’s Horoscope

Donald Trump’s horoscope is corroborative of the psychiatric findings.  Born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York at 10:54 a.m., he has the last degree of  Leo rising, a Gemini Sun Sign, and the Moon in Sagittarius.*

Sun/Uranus Conjunction

Keys to the nativity include a Sun/Uranus conjunction in the 10^th House of career. “The need for a powerful position incites a near-obsessive driving force in some cases…”  “The subject must consciously develop restraint and control.”  (Parkers’ Astrology:  New Edition, p. 279, 2001)

Sagittarius Moon

Donald’s aforementioned conjunction is opposed by the Moon.  This Sun/Moon opposition indicates a personality conflict; something is amiss.  The Moon in the same negative aspect contributes restlessness, irritability, willfulness, and a tendency to ignore advice.  (Parker, The New Complete Astrologer, p.135, 138, 1990)

Even more telling, perhaps, is Trump’s Moon Trine Mars.  This gives a desire “to do exactly as one wishes.”  (Ibid, 138)

Mercury Square Neptune

Another concern is the Mercury square to Neptune.  This tends to make him scheming and deceptive. (141)  There might also be self-deception.  Mercury is in Cancer, a sensitive sign that does not take perceived insults lightly.

No Earth Planets and Saturn in Cancer

The chart has no planets in earth signs.  This indicates Donald is not particularly well-grounded.  Saturn, the planet of restraint and self-discipline, is not heavily or well aspected. It is in the sign of its detriment.

Birth Chart Shape

Looking at the chart as a whole, there is an emphasis on the south and east quadrants.  This means his life is largely lived in the open and he will seek to control events around him. **

 

Leo Ascendant

*The Ascendant or rising sign in a chart has been likened to looking at the outside of a house but not the interior.  It gives a kind of portent or glimpse into personality. In President Trump’s case, it is in Leo, the sign of showmanship and drama. With the ruler of his Ascendant in the 10^th House, Donald would seem to want to express himself creatively in his career.  His Mars is also in Leo.  It is in the 12^th House of secret enemies and self-undoing.

Disclaimer: This article is in no way intended to express a political position. The astrological “reading” I did was simply what I saw and perceived in a chart.  I think just about any astrologer would come to the same conclusions.  By the way, I too have a Sun/Uranus 10^th House conjunction.  There is a tendency to be willful and to want power.  I sometimes tell friends what I would do if I occupied different positions.  I get from fantasy what I cannot get from reality.  As I grow older, I want to make things better for humanity, have institutions function smoothly, and people to work together in a facilitative fashion.

Brian Hill: MAAS Blog Writer