…………………….. Contents of this Page …………………………………….
COMPLICATED TIMES, COMPLICATED PEOPLE
MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGY ARE RELEVANT ISSUES
PRIDE IS AN OBSTACLE TO UNDERSTANDING THAT LEADS TO CHANGE
CREATING A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR CHANGE
WHEN CHANGE DOES AND DOES NOT HAPPENS
CONSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO
ESSENTIALS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
APPLYING UNDERSTANDING TO POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING
COMPLICATED TIMES, COMPLICATED PEOPLE
It is not unreasonable to say that America’s current social and political turmoil stems largely from the fact that voters have historically based their choices on party loyalty, policy positions, and economic interests—rather than on politicians’ mental health, character and fitness for office. Historically, “mental fitness” and character have been an under‑the‑table issues. This website brings them into full view as the most important issues in American politics and social life
When discussed in politics, if it is discussed at all, mental health and character are discussed quietly in the context of age or “fitness for office” rather than diagnosable mental health concerns. However, new research and polling suggest that mental health awareness is becoming more salient in politics, but this has mostly shown up in policy preferences (support for mental‑health coverage, treatment, crisis services) — not in terms of purposeful, systematic screening of politicians’ mental health before or after they are elected.
Unless voters make politicians’ mental health and character non-negotiable litmus tests that trump party loyalty and electioneering promises, America’s political and social chaos will continue under the same flawed voter calculus it has followed for decades. Voters who do not understand this truth are part of the problem — not the solution.
This fundamental shift in voter priorities is the hidden crisis in U.S. politics that this website hopes to trigger.
Any serious attempt to “understand Trump and Trumpism” has to hold several concepts together at once: personal traits, economic and cultural grievances, identity needs, media ecosystems, party affiliation, fears about status and security, and genuine policy disagreements. Trump and MAGA are layered and sometimes internally contradictory realities — not simple policy issues. Anyone who reduces America’s social/political environment down to hate, greed, malice, ignorance, stupidity, conspiracy theories, race, culture and politics does a disservice to themselves and all Americans.
Voters who study Donald Trump: Understanding the Man and His Followers will learn that President Trump, his followers, and his opponents are all complex people shaped by a dense web of psychology, history, media, and institutions. They will gain insight into the multifaceted influences—psychological vulnerabilities (e.g. shame intolerance, fear, authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, institutional distrust etc.) that shape President Trump, his supporters, and critics alike.
Superficial media clips capture raw rhetoric but miss underlying drivers, such as Dark Tetrad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism) that resonate powerfully with Trump’s base. Trump’s rhetoric appeals to his supporters because it promises to restore social/economic dominance that they believe they have lost due to incursions of people who are not like them. This deeper understanding reveals Trump’s “shame-ridden core self” in which he projects his fears and shame onto followers who excuse his volatility as genius and strength to avoid dealing with their own fears and shame.
Fear and outrage dominate headlines that fuel cycles of polarization without offering actionable paths forward. Media focus on real-time events avoids complex relational dynamics where Trump’s strongman persona acts as a surrogate for his base’s anxieties. Policy battles become identity wars where facts, logic and reason are irrelevant. Donald Trump: Understanding the Man and His Followers avoids policy and outrage while focusing on deeper issues like mental health, fear, shame and social dominance orientation.
People who want their information about politics and government in convenient, small, soundbites will be frustrated by what they read here. Their political and religious beliefs will be challenged. They will get a sense of just how complicated Trump, his followers, and his enemies are.
Coming to deep understanding of any issue takes time and effort. Some issues are worth the effort and others are not. True patriots know that the issue of hyper partisanship in America is worth the effort. Readers who make the effort to wade into this website will be challenged and rewarded with understanding of issues they didn’t know existed or didn’t think were relevant to politics and democracy.
This website is for people of all political persuasions who want to go deep in their understandings of their fellow Americans. It is for people who accept the truth that understanding of the needs of others is a critical foundation for positive change that leads to good government.