Ezra Klein on What’s Wrong with Trump

[@pamrogers4351]

Well, Ezra, you would all have had the language if you, meaning the NY Times and other major media outlets, and the American Psychiatric Association hadn't shut down the discussion when mental health workers, like me, were trying to get those words out there. I'm a trauma therapist, so I knew I was seeing a perpetrator, but when I looked closer, it was oh so much worse. Thanks for bringing this up again. It's been important all along.

[@raevenrises7595]

This entire fiasco is like the dark side of the Goldwater rule. At what point does the unmistakable profile of NPD become so apparent that those who have seen it speak up? The stakes are unbelievably high.

[@lordbuddybear]

Thank you! Would you elaborare the oh so much worse from your professional standpoint? It's really fascinating to me in a horrified way

[@dwightyokum3700]

Or signs or behavior of a perpetrator

[@lynnwalton814]

None of the media outlets give a sh*t about truth or democracy because lies, hate, racism and sexism don't make them enough money. If democracy dies it will be BECAUSE the media wanted it to

[@pamrogers4351]

@@lordbuddybear well, it's signs of psychopathy, lack of remorse or empathy, stimulus seeking, impulsivity, entitlement, criminal behavior, I hadn't realized he was such a career criminal and such a terrible businessman before due to the marketing success he's had. All around dangerous for any position of power, and as Dr. Bandy Lee and others have stated, a fitness assessment has him unfit for ANY job at all. They used the Mueller report and public observation to complete that BTW.

[@victorjcano]

IT'S NOT "WHAT'S WRONG WITH TRUMP" IT'S WTF IS THE MATTER WITH HALF OF AMERICA???

[@TheFinav]

Indeed, once Trump 1.0 is gone, America must strive to access and rehabilitate the scores of millions who worshipped him. As long as this vast pool of ignorance is around, it's only a question of time before Trump 2.0 succeeds where 1.0 failed. God help us.

[@UnDaoDu]

#Move2Japan :)

[@Eurlanful]

Half? Good lard half this country is not ok with Trump. Please stop the lie.

[@TheOldHippiebilly]

Approximately 30% --which is still far too high. The rest of his "support" comes from spineless Republicans who just can't bring themselves to endorse a (take your pick) Democrat/woman/non-white person. It's pathetic. 💙 VOTE 100% BLUE, Y'ALL! 💙

[@Sure0Foot]

I agree with Eurlandful but I don't assume you're lying. It's common to think "half the country" but it's a third, AT BEST. The cult is just so loud & in your face that it seems much more populous than it is.

[@carolchristiansen635]

No it’s not about age or mental . It’s about what kind of man he is. And he is a cruel man. Selfish to the bone. He will use you and throw you away like the dirt under his feet.

[@justpassingthrough...2492]

It's also on a brain level, i.e., "mental." The pathology of Trump is extremely dangerous. To paraphrase my father: Trump belongs on stage. There's one leaving in ten minutes!"

[@SuperRobertoClemente]

He's insane in the way that Josef Stalin was insane. Stalin was absolutely insane. He was also quite sane when it came to being cruel. He was really good at it.

[@abrahamseo]

Who is "we" kemosabe?

[@lindaflesch7303]

So very cruel, and unable to feel empathy.

[@cheeseheadfiddle]

George Conway, Mary Trump and Bandy Lee. That’s who has been talking about this seriously.

[@andreack9983]

Ruth Ben Giatt

[@peggystoutemorin4529]

The good men of Shrinking Trump have been doing the work as well.

[@wms5253]

Talking about this for a long time?

[@opheliablue3613]

Meidas Touch net work has been hammering on the facts for 4 years

[@lanajones5114]

Trump - America's psychopath

[@thjbird]

When a guy tries to overthrow the government and you don’t hold him accountable, you only have yourselves to blame.

[@kreek22]

The deep state did a coup d'etat in 2020. Not for the first time.

[@bernadean8367]

It's unbelievable that he wasn't taken to GITMO as a deterrent to let his terrorist gang know that our law is FIRM

[@bernadean8367]

Trump hasn't introduced anything but Tax Cuts for his buddies so sad

[@bernadean8367]

The DOJ WAITED OVER A YEAR TO INVESTICATE TRUMP MERRICK GARLAND BARES ALL THE BLAME FOR OUR SUFFERING FROM ANXIETY

[@davidbergman7277]

If he tried to over throw the government he'd be in jail.

[@bionic_woman77]

Well, it’s so nice of you to discuss this less than 2 weeks before the election after both sidesing everything and insisting Kamala be more exact and less inhibited. The entire media establishment has failed the people for NINE years. This election shouldn’t be close.

[@fullercorp]

If one listens to ANY diatribe of Trump's and thinks 'this guy is insightful,' that isn't a failure of the media. That is a failure of the education and mental fitness of his followers. I hear him for the emotionally stunted, spoiled (via money), unfiltered misogynistic racist he is just fine.

[@lettucesalad3560]

Media prefers having something to talk about over holding Trump to a base level of morality.

[@bend3rbot]

95% of a Trump delivery is incredibly electric. It has rhythmic magnetism to it, hard to describe. For those enchanted by that, it takes a huge interrupter LIKE a sleep deprived adderall episode to shake them out of the trance

[@amant7963]

Get over it god damn people just can’t get over trump ..

[@lettucesalad3560]

@@amant7963 There's a Presidential election in 2 weeks.. after he loses, we'll gladly forget when he's safely in prison.

[@declup]

​@@amant7963 -- He's running for office. People have to judge, based on their life experiences, whether, if he wins that office, he would make their lives better or worse. Most commenters here think he would be disruptive and undisciplined -- therefore, a terrible boss for the country. But, whether you agree or disagree with that assessment, the presidency is an influential position, so nobody should get over it or get over the people who want its power.

[@NPC-bs3pm]

If "the Media" which you mean LEFT-WING media then you need to consider your own media with contempt. There is powers at play and people need to address them. If you are politically silly you will never understand that "the Right-wing" is NOT your friend (and that is ok and should be accepted as such)

[@MrRoundel]

You say "disinhibited individual". I, and many others say, "sociopath". Thanks for the great study of a man who will never be equaled for his possession of all of the worst traits a human could possibly demonstrate. Great ending to that segment! Thanks.

[@kreek22]

So much TDS. Many such cases. Sad!

[@js27-a5t]

@@kreek22 But it is true. We are deranged because he is deranged. He is literally deranged.

[@sarahruthsarahruth4847]

"disinhibited individual" = "brainless wang"

[@catherine7484]

He is not disinhibited for healthy reasons though. He isn't incisive, he doesn't see things more clearly and just call people on it. He is a perpetually undisciplined child, totally secure in his belief that he will suffer no meaningful consequence. He does not live in the world of reality as most of us do, He's not a brilliant savant, he's a broken child, a brat who will unleash an epic tantrum on the world without any notion of what is unleashed on the grown-ups, and he will do it just because someone tells him no.

[@paulpurdom8440]

He is only inhibited by his father's abusive ghost.

[@Why-1775]

You give this man too much credit.

[@jahnsgar]

NYT wouldn't stop the wave of Biden articles on the front page until he was gone, so this is a bit special to make the point comparing how they are being treated by media

[@kreek22]

Hey, they ignored his dementia as long as they could--and they continue to ignore his evil.

[@IMSiegfried]

72 articles in one week alone by the NY times

[@judiemeierfranz4329]

Yes!!!! And Trump is definitely showing age related changes. We may not know the underlying cause but it's apparent! Movement, speech have certainly changed. I'm over this pious media portrayal of Trump that makes him more than he is or ever was. He's a stupid amoral person bent on greedy acquisition and able to say or do anything to get it. He's patently unhealthy emotionally, cognitively and physically. He's unfit for anything where he affects others. Yet we're all told to be good boys and girls and pretend Trump is in some normal range. Media pandering. This guy doesn't even have the insight to realize personality tests are fake - they're designed to sell and boy do know how to market it. Just like Scam Man Trump was taught as a young man by Cohen.

[@msvulcanspock]

​@@kreek22Biden gave a Tour de force speech at NATO a few weeks later. Trump wouldn't even understand the basics of that speech. Biden had Covid on the night of the debate. Trump can't string a sentence together.

[@msvulcanspock]

The New York Times ran 196 negative articles on Biden's mental decline vs 6-10 negative articles on Trump's mental decline during the same time period.

[@MissChristine-wo6vp]

My mother always told me, "There are two kinds of people in the world - those who love people and use things, and those who love things and use people." I rest my case.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

good one !

[@thomassenbart]

What case?

[@MissChristine-wo6vp]

@@thomassenbart Just a brief summary of narcissistic personality disorder.

[@beng4647]

No one loves people

[@lynettetanaka8199]

Harris is an attorney and she allowed 10 million+ ILLEGAL immigrants into the US, which is ILLEGAL and UNCONSITUTIONAL! Many of these ILLEGAL immigrants have raped and murdered women and children, with 300,000 missing children, and 100,000 fentanyl deaths. These occurred before the partisan bill. HARRIS HAS BLOOD ON HER HANDS MILES LONG! She doesn't care about Americans. She HAS DONE NOTHING THESE PAST 4 YEARS

[@albertharum-alvarez4381]

Ezra sez “we spoke RELENTLESSLY about Trump.” But they didn’t have the words. Ezra sez lotsa words. Words he admits are inadequate. Good. You’re rapidly approaching an insight, Ezra. Godspeed.

[@keithallen5185]

After what General Kelly spilled today about him, it should scare the sh--t out of ALL of us. Kelly is no Democrat, yet he is warning all of us.....

[@jlasf]

But Kelly MUST go on TV!!! Print allows Trump to dismiss it. Go on 60 Minutes!!!!!

[@Clarence-og9tu]

@@jlasfExactly!

[@1stew3digital49]

The cult already hates Kelly. They hate everyone with a brain, no changing them

[@idrinkfernet]

Ezra's case about how much worse Trump could be in a 2nd presidency because of the lack of guardrails feels like a better case against him for Republicans than John Kelly's comments.

[@logic_rules]

@keithallen5185 Actually i was wondering where was Kelly, Mad Dog, Tillerson. And Kelly said if Trump did not talk about sending the military to the enemy inside, he would not talk. Really? You served decades in the military to protect the constitution and you would not talk if he did not say that? Really. They all should go on TV and campaign trail and spill the beans, what went behind the oval office door.

[@michaelhansen7516]

And the New York Times has done nothing to point this out. It's a little bit late Ezra.

[@kevinwoolley7960]

Yes. You think the American people don't know what Trump is? He's not spent a moment out of the public spotlight in 9 years. There isn't a single piece of new information in this discussion that wasn't well known to anyone with ears and a brain in November 2016. And people voted for him anyway. Maybe, just maybe, you should spend a little more time trying to understand why someone so incredibly abhorrent has near majority support? I'll throw you a clue. The opposition party has moved so far to the left and has governed so far from how they campaign that someone like him can still win. If Biden had made even the smallest pivot to the middle, like Clinton, Trump would not be in this position. But instead he had to be the 2nd coming of FDR and totally ignore anyone not in his party. This is the result.

[@robinantonio8870]

Better now then after the election

[@Abalabexabandraba]

The second best time to plant a tree… I too wish I had heard this earlier. But I’m glad to have heard it now.

[@catsupchutney]

The Times is preaching to the choir. It won't win anyone in MAGA over.

[@Javdoc]

no kidding. this is about as helpful as all the tell-alls from the cabinet members AFTER trump left office. pretty much every media outlet aside from the late night "comedians" have dropped the ball on calling this for what it is.

[@crystalstrader9806]

This piece was thoughtful, balanced and brilliant. Thank you.

[@verlongates2279]

I've said it all along. It ISN'T just age. It's not just "decline." There has never been a time when he was mentally and emotionally okay.

[@Traci-Bolen]

💯

[@jopie1954]

Agree 100%

[@signalfire6]

He was incorrigible back when he was 7 or 8 years old. His parents couldn't handle him so they sent him to military school (where he thrived bullying the other kids).

[@judiemeierfranz4329]

Yes.

[@Ron-Ayres]

Cognitive decline and a personality diorder aren't of course mutually exclusive. It's not or - it's _both,_ and then some... He developed a personality disorder as a young teenager as a coping mechanism, he's now experiencing age-related cognitive decline, and possibly even the beginnings of dementia which would - in addition to his rambling 'weave' - make him increasingly more disinhibited - Arnold Palmer's todger etc.

[@TonySmith79]

Things weren't ok during his presidency even before the pandemic.

[@omfug7148]

He inherited a good economy from Obama and took the credit for it.

[@phillanager6245]

It was chaos or golf 24/7.

[@Abalabexabandraba]

I think that, and you think that, but many people have convinced themselves otherwise. And as bad as it was, it could have been worse.

[@B-Nice]

It cost less to fill your gas tank and drive to the unemployment office 🚗 💵

[@cassandratq9301]

@Abala And it will be worse. Much worse.

[@juliekrolak1450]

The question is why after 9 years the media still doesntbknow how to cover him honestly, accurately and responsibly. Perhaps he brings in too much money for the NY Times.

[@ShebaRomanFilms]

NY times is complicit. Covering Trump relentlessly as they have is at America's expense. Shame.

[@timpattydaechsel5988]

The fact that this election is even close baffles and worries me about Americas future

[@ronaldviens7862]

Look up "The Goldwater Rule".

[@JohnAsmith-f2t]

​​@@ronaldviens7862Yes so strange to think of Kammie as President.

[@nickopeters]

If it's because it means Trump can win, your meaning is already obvious, of course. If it refers to how those who still voted for Trump even if he loses, would then continue to vote in the next election--; that also is true and very important--. Thank You--.

[@ColinPatrickWeiss]

I know right! it's crazy that Kamala has even over 20% of the vote with how much of a puppet she is. Never voted right in my life until this election!

[@glendabarton1914]

​​It's been correctly disputed as now observational criteria is more important than personal contact by a mental health professional. As a group, most psychiatrists are of the opinion that the importance of warning the American people about his deteriorating mental state vastly outweighs that discretionary rule, that is mostly an arbitrary political obfuscation intended to shield the candidate from criticism.

[@jennysteves]

Powerful analysis. Last several minutes were downright chilling. I wish this sort of article had been written months ago. The pieces were all there.

[@morganfalkdesigns]

The book he mentions written by psychiatrists has been available since 2017.

[@vinista256]

Considering we Americans seem to have the attention span of a flea, I think 2 weeks before the election is perfect timing.

[@Abalabexabandraba]

@@vinista256 I wish I could disagree with your comment but heck if it doesn’t feel true

[@declup]

@@vinista256 -- It seems all opinions on the matter crystalized long ago. Two weeks before might get a last-minute jigger in the polls, maybe; but the right time was two or more years ago. And the right place probably isn't a NYT podcast. Undecideds, I'm going to bet, don't go out of their way to listen to politics programming.

[@kreek22]

Propaganda is not really analysis, my dear. Now, it's true that quality propaganda requires analysis to produce, but it is not analysis itself any more than defacing paintings, as one of the world's endless number of crazy Leftist sects have recently been doing, is analysis. In fact, both are designed to discourage analysis by reinforcing prejudices.

[@junekaudeur-anastasi209]

This is one of the best analyisis I have heard recently well balanced and thoughful. I have been facinated by this man. In a way its like pulling the wings off a fly finding out how he will react next. Thank you from an old girl who taught people with learning disabilities livinging europe. I cannot like him he, gives me the creeps. God help poor America if he becomes president for he is a most dangerous man. We on this side of the pond are very worried.

[@liesesadler5295]

In this piece it is stated that the US survived the Trump administration relatively unscathed. Well, if you are a kid separated from your parents you might still be one of the 5,000 not reunited with your family, if you died from the mishandling of Covid and unwillingness to get people testing and masking, if you are a young woman and live under an abortion ban without access to a planned Parenthood for health care the. Perhaps the idea of coming through unscathed might be a little ironic.

[@emmanuelgarcia619]

I’m not a Trump supporter. But my issue with this comment is I personally know people with horror stories of deportation/ family separation during the Obama years. People with tragic economic stories or stories of what they lost during the extended closings of schools during Biden’s time. I’ve never voted Trump bc I prefer Democrat policies but I don’t see his 4 yrs as uniquely apocalyptic. It was just another 4yrs of Republican policies. Nothing that much more uniquely horrendous

[@ck.249]

​@@emmanuelgarcia619 They said "unscathed." Nothing about unique. Hundreds of thousands of people died who wouldn't have otherwise, so I'd agree with them.

[@traviscutler9912]

​@@emmanuelgarcia619precisely. The idea that there's this massive difference between Republicans and Democrats is what I find deeply disturbing.

[@goopah]

@@emmanuelgarcia619 33:34 If he gets elected again, he has made sure to surround himself with people that will not be working against his wishes this time. And it WILL be more uniquely horrendous. Project 2025 exists to dismantle the guardrails that held during his first term.

[@patrikpass2962]

Im so happy i did not take the vaccine.

[@johns.7297]

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerated achievements, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements) 2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love 3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associated with, other special or high-status people (or institutions) 4. requires excessive admiration 5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectation of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations 6. is interpersonally exploitive, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends 7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others 8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her 9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes DSM-IV, p. 717

[@tommcfadden5232]

Touché.

[@wms5253]

Thank you👌

[@war-painter]

How is this different that taking lots of cocaine?

[@IMSiegfried]

Indeed. 🎯

[@zxy78267]

Trump checks every box. He's the most dangerous person who's ever been in power in this country.

[@m.janeroberts8640]

The words exist: dementia, delusion. Use them.

[@ghostmantagshome-er6pb]

EVERY TIME I TALK ABOUT DEMOCRATS

[@e.458]

Unhinged

[@katenoke1571]

It wasn't even a rally. It was supposed to be a town hall

[@winterhtech]

They're all rallies

[@dross24MA]

​@winterhtech That's because tRump doesn't know the difference and no one has the kahonies to call him on it.

[@debramiller7317]

A rally would have energized him. A town hall both taxed and bored him. Also, my understanding is that the fainting spells were caused by excessive heat. Trump knew he could do whatever he wanted - this is the same guy who said he could walk out on 5th Avenue and shoot someone and no one would stop him - so why not take advantage of the situation presented and DJ and sway instead of answering actual questions? If a kid wants to stay up late and there's no adult that will make him go to bed, the little fucker will stay up all night BECAUSE HE CAN.

[@anniemac7545]

I DO know Narcissists get worse as they grow older.

[@tictacterminator]

That's actually not true. Narcissistic traits decrease with age in both the general population AND people suffering with an actual NPD diagnosis.

[@ZX-zw3ge]

And my mom is one of them.

[@ZX-zw3ge]

​@@tictacterminatorIt depends on the person as well.

[@nickopeters]

💯

[@brobinson8614]

@@tictacterminator Actually the main reason narcissistic behaviour decreases with age is from reality preventing their desires and beliefs being allowed. However a narcissist who has never been checked, punched out, lost everything, and everyone, will worsen as long as they get away with it. It's a life of hard brutal facts of life that mellow them. Trump and Musk are some of the few who don't get checked as they age and thats why the get worse. Just imagine if either of them had no money to bail them out. They'd be that annoying drunk in a pub who talks endlessly about their past. and moaning about everyone that prevented them being great. And by the end of the night they'd get roughed up by people who had enough of their whinging lol

[@noneneeded-pj3xz]

yes I have been saying this for years in every imaginable way__"IT'S NOT "WHAT'S WRONG WITH TRUMP" IT'S WTF IS THE MATTER WITH HALF OF AMERICA???"

[@hildahilpert5018]

That,s true. I have no idea were things went wrong. My late father passed at almost 80 years old . He had no cognitive impairment like Biden and Trump. He also was highly intelligent , spoke several languages, and understood Alot of what,s really going on.

[@Lumu321]

It's not half. But there is also the uninvolved. Like a young lady I know that has cancer. We need to vote blue and spread the word 🌊🌊🌊

[@jamesharlanjohnson6882]

Sory Ezra, his lack of inhibition is not aspirational, it is psychopathic.

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

You should have listened to the whole thing

[@gailneuman9049]

@@darrene.vonbraun4421 his inhibition is one of the many symptoms of early stage FTD (frontotemporal degeneration)

[@kendrapittman3252]

For his followers, its sadly aspirational

[@charlotteallmann3981]

Disinhibition is also a sign of dementia. Neither is an excuse for lack of moral character, hatefulness, resentment and self centered grievance, immaturity and megalomania. I’m not a medical professional, but I have a deep background in lay training in dementia, autism spectrum disorder and extreme character disorders. Trump’s behavior is rife with the behaviors I was trained to manage in emergency missing persons cases. Ezra, you are too accepting of the moral disintegration Trump and trumpism have flooded us with. The hate he inflames, the flouting f consequences. He is powerful, and is the worst thing that we never saw coming. I’m exhausted, can’t sleep, in no mood to accept that horrible thing.

[@kreek22]

You and your kind are destroying children daily through the mechanism of the trans movement. Child sacrifice constitutes a depth of moral disintegration that a decent man like Trump could never even conceive. But, I suppose it's a natural transition for atheists to move from murdering babies (Women's Rights!) to sacrificing children. The Carthaginians were enthusiastic child sacrificers, as archeologists have demonstrated in recent years. When the Romans defeated them, at last, they not only destroyed Carthage, they salted the earth where it once had stood. Seasons don't fear the reaper/ nor do the wind nor the sun nor the rain/ come on baby, you can be like they are/ come on baby, don't fear the reaper.

[@maureenbrown6697]

Exactly. This disinhibition Trump is exhibiting is something that occurs in those with dementia. This isn't just an aging problem. Trump's vocabulary and his ability to use language has also deteriorated significantly over the past few years. It seems the stressors Trump is under are also exacerbating his cognitive decline. The Goldwater Rule should be disregarded. There is adequate information about Trump & his psychological profile for any trained mental health professional to draw some basic conclusions about his disordered personality & his obvious cognitive decline.

[@M-T-123]

@@charlotteallmann3981 you’re extremely eloquent. I’m so distressed, disturbed and disappointed in human nature !

[@giorgiofucci3280]

Hear Hear!

[@shirleyhaugaard9643]

Sanewashing

[@Cat-tastrophee]

A part of me is really angry that Trump's team put so many guardrails on him. It gave the perception that he was somewhat okay at the job and now we're having to experience this shitshow again. They should have pulled back the curtain more.

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

Yeah even with those guardrails he still looked like a lunatic masquerading as a President to me 😂

[@msvulcanspock]

Sanewashing by the corporate media has given Trump a pass again and again. Billionaire media owners want their Trump tax cuts.

[@rickblessing2447]

And yet he's not going after Hunter or Hillary if he's elected. I guess that's because he's such a dangerous evil man. Not continually vicious like every Dem's attitude I ever read or hear about.

[@andrewxu3602]

They were trapped between a rock and a hard place. If they pulled back the curtain more, people would realize who Trump really was, but there's also a chance that Trump's damage to the country would've been irreparable at this point.

[@e.458]

No, it's not that they put guardrails on him, it's that they didn't communicate to the public how unhinged he was right there and then. That's what I feel if there is their great mistake.

[@pjtrant]

Please don’t mythologize a bully.

[@mboffield]

absolutely

[@IMSiegfried]

Exactly! I've heard a third of this and I don't like the way he's making excuses for Trump. NY Times writes, "This is what we think he means"! How about he has dementia and is a malignant narcissist. It's no rocket science. Ask the experts!

[@quemoiettoi]

He didn’t. You need to listen to it all the way through.

[@brobinson8614]

He's trying to intellectualize it. Embarrassingly too. However what he said is mostly correct

[@nickopeters]

I'm sorry, but Ezra's later portion fails at properly reeling-back his preceding effect of trying to "image-rehabilitate" Trump or his cornered-rat like brashness--. Preceding, tenacious, heroic presidents drew their own incredible strength from the conscience at their cores. Trump's exhausting insistiveness, instead, really just comes from a runaway malignant greed and contempt for others--: The only analogy I could make for him is that of a "walking, black hole--:" Utterly irredeemable--.

[@dpwatch]

This is a really chilling piece. I came to it naively, thinking "Oh, the NYT is finally coming out with the truth about DT." I totally agree that it's not just his age. While I started listening with the attitude you were being diplomatic, and trying to gently assuage DT loyalists in their adulation and bring them gently to reality, I soon had to give up that illusion. I used to idolize everything NYC. The great minds, artists, the journalists, the music - I went there, and worked there, whenever I could. Living in the hinterlands, it was a symbol of astute awareness and artistic creativity to read the NYT. But that was then. I can be fooled. "Disinhibition allowed DT to say things no one would say". OK. Im listening to you talk about "Trumps honesty" - wow, really? "Undeniable electric?" OK, he's an entertainer, yes, albeit a very bad one. Why, exactly, is it that citizens don't have the patience to listen to candidates who actually talk about the rational issues of governance? "Wealth beyond imagination"? Seems his greatest wealth was before he got his hands on it. Does that give him some kind of carte blanche to be a leader of the country? Apparently your answer is yes. Just because he co-opted a few lines from Bernie Sanders, who really struck a nerve in the populace talking truth to power? Take a little time - I know, you're an editorialist, not an investigator. But delve just a little into DT's history with Roy Cohn and the NY mob bosses, the Russian mafia who all had suites in Trump Tower. It's a history that should have disqualified the dashing "entrepreneur" from ever holding any public office, before he even opened his mouth in public. Wasn't the NYT once the home of astute investigative journalism? But there is an even simpler question - What about his lies? Lies he started telling coming down the escalator, and never stopped. Lies about immigrants, lies about Muslims, lies about the pandemic, lies about dictators around the globe, and lies about himself, his allies and his enemies (many who were previously his allies). The spewing of lies since then, and now in this election, is nothing new for DT. It might be amped up - they say as we age we "become more the way we are". I personally chalk up the dementia talk to just that. But I am sad to say - his lies are, to a large degree, lies that the NYT and may other "trusted" media REFUSED to call out! Ever. The blessing of "legitimacy" given this individual by the media as a whole. There have been many tabulations of the kind of stories that made it "above the fold" in your paper. there is really no good defense for that. OMG, "things were so OK"? You've got to be kidding! What universe were you living in? I guess you were not trying to request asylum from chaos in Latin America. You were not trying to get assistance in Puerto Rico. You were not hoping for a peaceful world relationship with countries in the mid-east? You were not traumatized by shooting after shooting in our schools, our public places? You WERE walking past refrigerator morgue trucks in NYC while "everything was OK"! While Trump was sending sts to Putin! Why is the NYT allowing criticism now, 2 weeks before the election? Did something change? It's been 8 years since the Muslim ban, over 4 years since Jan 6. Nearly that long since the documents were (mostly?) recovered. We walked through the Jan 6 Committee, 4 court cases. I'm sorry, the NYT has been AWOL The NYT has known who DT was for a long time. At the very least since his op ed on the Central Park mugging. But... you are still saying he was a "great man" - because his staff restrained him? Huh? You seem somehow enamored of the entertainment of having a bull in the china shop. And as long as he had "handlers" you seem to approve of the results. Like dismantling the structure of government "because it's costly" and simultaneously giving huge tax cuts to the billionaires, sky rocketing the national debt. Ramming through nominations of SC Justices (and stifling the investigative vetting). Manipulating the FBI and the DOJ in repeated flagrant ways. And we haven't even got to Jan 6 and the NYT treating DT as a legitimate presidential candidate after he openly tried to subvert election results. Look, I am the 1st person to agree things really need to change in a big way, if we want this country, indeed the human race, to be sustainable. But evidence seems to hint that what YOU think and what I think needs to change are not even similar. While I welcome your highly hedged criticism of DT - because I welcome any crticism... the words you have chosen, and the earnest reading you have given us, convinces me that you are only hedging your bet, in case he loses. If that is not true - why is your criticism a day late and a dollar short - and so filled with real adulation!

[@fizzknit9446]

Thank you for your words. I listened again to this video and you are quite right. Whatever his mental state, Trump is really just a Facist who admires, (wants to be), strong Dictators like Hitler and Putin ---- and that should have been enough to never have his name on a ballot paper for POTUS in 2016, 2020 or 2024. The evil Genie was let out of the bottle --- and here we are.

[@hollyfischer1644]

Thank you. This is brilliant! I appreciate every word you have written. The way he has been covered is pathetic and, for me, heartbreaking. I have found the whole process simply unbelievable.

[@judiemeierfranz4329]

Yep

[@Robertseixas-f4s]

Well said!Harris walz 2024💙💙💙

[@annettelynch4088]

Bravo!! 👏 well said!

[@steventaylor6212]

Being outspoken doesn’t make someone a good leader.

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

He's not " outspoken" he's a " Carnival barker" 😂 there's a difference

[@TheSaltydog07]

Thank you.

[@TheSaltydog07]

​@@UnashamedCaliforniagirl Snake oil salesman. Misanthrope. Our worst nightmare.

[@e.458]

outspoken - unhinged: tomato - 🍅

[@peanutbutter3543]

Donnie is a criminal and needs to be treated as such! COME ON NYT!!!

[@bobf5360]

yeah, Ezra really likes Trump deep down. He is a liberal who admires strongmen in the closet.

[@traviscutler9912]

True BUT so is Biden, Obama, Bush 1 & 2 as well as Clinton according to international law. I'm all for holding everyone accountable for their crimes but cherry picking which ones are defensible based on party affiliation is what I have a difficulty with.

[@nosteinnogate7305]

@@traviscutler9912There is no comparison

[@kreek22]

Corrupt Soviet courts do not determine who is or is not a criminal. Trump remains innocent because not proven guilty by an *American* court of law.

[@hninzilwin3288]

@@traviscutler9912 the others did not rape did not commit insurrection, did not sell classified documents. The others did not commit crimes against America.

[@SuiGenerisMan]

It's about time you guys covered this. THE NYT has lost it's self-confidence to publish stories.

[@deniseinacio6503]

I'm sorry Ezra. Disinhibition? Another way to frame no conscience. Not a trait I want in a leader.

[@cassandratq9301]

@Sui NYT normalized Hitler as long as they could, too.

[@susankuhlman6514]

It's the Wall Street Journal that really bothers me. I absolutely do not understand their point of view.

[@Regnbeans]

You mean lost its journalistic integrity

[@Mary-kl4tk]

​@@susankuhlman6514 I think Rupert Murdoch owns the WSJ so that may explain some things

[@petergriffiinbirdistheword]

Whats wrong with Trump? Not enough time in a day to answer that question. And his supporters, they're broken too. 😐

[@jackselvia2709]

Bernie Sanders says what he means and its usually pretty smart and to the point. Trump isn't honest, he's crude and unkind.

[@rickblessing2447]

Yes, let's vote for America to be a Communist country. Of course millions of people around the world want to move here, and not Russia or China. .. What fools they all are!!!

[@frankmaxwell2052]

The part I found most revealing was that he said, “WE, didn’t have guns, they had guns, WE had no guns”. The word “they” is referring to the United Stated Capitol Police. wtf is wrong with him?

[@angelikaopland7880]

...& "we" refers to Trump & his gathering of violent insurrectionists. That's a confession & not his first.

[@ukchanak]

I'm shocked Ezra didn't point this out.

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

And the word "we" implies he was very much involved with the insurrection.

[@sgarcata]

Self-confession right there. It is chilling that the "they" he is referring to in "they had guns" WERE THE CAPITOL POLICE AND THE D.C. POLICE TRYING TO DEFEND THE CONGRESS REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS AND THEIR STAFF! THEY?????!!!!! That tells you everything you need to know about Trump's understanding of government and it's lack of Kings in this country.

[@pacapaca6307]

@@ukchanak It jumps out so strongly that he probably gives his audience enough credo that they can hear that for themselves. Just as you apparently did. 👍

[@rokess5053]

I don't find an uninhibited person exciting, admirable, charismatic, or any of those positive qualities.

[@carmenhealer4635]

There is something so exhausting being around someone uninhibited. Exhausting… We are so over it…I have a great life because I do not have malignant chatter in my ear all the time. I remember the separated children at the border. His staff have been traumatized and probably many have PTSD.

[@baronepam]

Ezra, the English language is rich, filled words that describe complex concepts with infinite variety. Yet also capable of precision that makes English a standard for Aviation, Science, Law and so on. Claiming American journalists like you didn't have the language to write about Trump's personality traits, his declining mental states, his diaper, pretty much everything odd - is self serving. Others had no problem writing about his behavior and choices. Why did the New York Times avoid writing about it? Why didn't you?

[@sirmadam8183]

Because he was part of an exclusive club and it made him feel special and unique and superior. It was a very false world and now the bubble has burst and reality has hit hard. Narcissism exists in all forms, every where including the NYTimes.

[@michaelhansen7516]

Spot on

[@homerroad]

Agree. Why did the NY Times avoid speaking Truth in the face of mental illness and criminality?

[@tommcfadden5232]

Think of how the traits of agreeableness and empathy affect one’s interpretation and view of events and human behavior. Now recall the traits that Klein says he scores highest on at the start of this pod cast. Perhaps there lies a partial answer to your question.

[@siuwahchan]

What's Wrong with NYT.

[@howard5992]

They are too middle of the road.

[@KrisCorby-iv8dg]

You know, I too, used to reflexively ask that question, all too frequently myself! Then one day, about six years ago, (I'm 65) I realized, that I could mostly answer that question, when I hypothesized, how $$$ fit into my query!...try it! It's a much more satisfying, if depressing resolution!

[@judithelaine9285]

I feel that if President Biden had been asleep, he's still smarter than trump ever was. Accomplished so much more than trump. President Biden treated all with respect & empathy too. History will be the judge for both

[@phillanager6245]

Biden is getting old, like a lot of us eventually will. No reason to disrespect him for that or his accomplishments in office. Trump is demented and unfit for the office.

[@zaffo757]

You need help.

[@realdaybreaker8013]

Yep, and 25% of the people side with you

[@saikotikgunman]

Trump doesn't lack intelligence. He knows what he's doing. That means it's character he lacks. In other words, Donald Trump is an irredeemable piece of human refuse.

[@illinnyan4053]

​@@realdaybreaker8013Biden gave us Clarence Thomas. Delaware was still having riots over bussing in 1974 (Brown v Board was settled in 1955!) He eulogized Strom Thurmond, a Southern Democrat who literally switched to Republican when Democrat President LBJ pushed his party in congress to ratify Civil Rights. Biden is 100 percent better than Trump, but they're both racists who are going to Hell.

[@amug.7279]

You are sane washing fascism.

[@imnotracistbut-9559]

You’re making up words to talk about fascism without knowing the definition of words like fascism

[@angelikaopland7880]

@@imnotracistbut-9559 Never heard "sanewashing" before? It's what the news media has been doing with Trump's craziest statements for 8 years now, in the near-universal effort to make him seem normal...which is a gargantuan task made easier by the ignorance & inattention of the public. Yes, Trump's rhetoric checks all the boxes for fascism.

[@cmecre8629]

i think it's more like sane-washing dementia

[@TheHomeICreate]

I’m so taken aback by this episode. It’s almost like praising Trump. This may be behaves as normal and he hasn’t unleashed a cancer in our country of everyone thinking they could be president.

[@e.458]

Feels like you might not have listened to the whole thing. He takes a really long run-up (frustratingly so), but he eventually gets to the point.

[@nonsuch]

This went in one ear and out the other for half the country. That disturbs me the most.

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

Half the country thinks any criticism of Trump is a personal attack on them

[@mrpostnorts5259]

@@UnashamedCaliforniagirl 1/2 the country lol. The Democrats have bee DE-frauding elections for 65 years, brainwashed sheep WTFU🤡

[@CarlosIowa]

Because ... It is the Charisma of Deviance. The ignorant, the indecisive, the angered, the afraid all live VICARIOUSLY thruogh Trump.

[@dukeallen432]

…..and all the while being on gods side.

[@fabianurweider805]

​@@dukeallen432and there was a pale rider.

[@LisaFenton-h7f]

THANK YOU I've been thinking this FOR YEARS

[@TararyzeMcg]

Well said😮

[@CopeStreit]

NYT, the primary reason, in my opinion, that so many Democrats took exception to your coverage of Joe Biden was the bloodthirsty yet unmistakably giddy tone that resonated through your organization’s reportage regarding the subject. We, your readers, could tell how delighted your reporters were to scrutinize every major and minor Biden slip up. It was a tone remarkably different to how your organization normally covers political figures. Frankly, it seemed as if your organization was more content to cover Biden in a negative light than it has been to cover any other subject of political significance in quite a while.

[@ConvolutedSpeech]

💯

[@kreek22]

No organization is more loyal to the Party than the NYT. When the order came, they executed it fast and flawless. It was Biden who sabotaged our glorious hopes of communism in one world: he pushed brainless Kamala into the race instead of allowing a cold clever snake like Newsom or a conniving transexual like Whitmer or a perfectly evil J** like Pritzker to slither the baton forward into our glorious Orwellian future.

[@lesasmart6043]

Yes. It felt like 2016 (but her emails) all over again. NYT now just chases money and clicks, and it shows.

[@JohnKendrick-i4c]

NYT hated Joe Biden for being a blue collar guy without lots of money who became President. The NYT is a newspaper but it is riddled with Ivy League trained people who are snobs.

[@Redcrane05]

@@ConvolutedSpeech It isn't dangerous to critique Biden.

[@sparkybob1023]

Stephanie Nolan of NYT. Heroic journalism. Without journalism, we can’t make rational policy. And if I was a journalist, I would be very afraid at the fact that all they could do was promote ‘the facts’ and not actually be allowed to do real journalism. Could the democrats please field a candidate that inspires. Biden should not have been allowed to hang on so long

[@cinger-xy5me]

You can wrap it up with fancy words but I don’t find Donald Trump entertaining or anything else. He is malignant. He is a despicable person.

[@loismcmasters4680]

Malignant, good word.

[@yuradew]

Absolutely! I'm tired of these elitists trying to justify their education by over analyzing this joke of a human being. His popularity is very simple, basic to humanity. He's gives licence to the worst of us to say horrible things and openly hate.There you go Ezra, save your words for something else

[@valeriewinters8079]

Hey Ezra are you explaining or once again like others making an excuse for a dangerous criminal greedy monster hes a over grown crybaby stop this nonsense you're making a mistake trying to make sense out of all of TRUMP nonsense this is ridiculous and shameful and dangerous TRUMP almost destroyed our country period next time if he gets a chance TRUMP will destroy everything good about America I'm disappointed in you for the first time this is the wrong conversation to have at this late date our country doesn't need to go back through the madness of a trump Presidency it's insane words are POWERFUL enough is enough NO MORE TRUMP HE'S EVIL DISHONEST AND RACIST wasted words we know who trump is ABSOLUTELY WRONG FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA listen to him 💙🇱🇷💙🇱🇷this is RIDICULOUS WE'RE EXHAUSTED 😢 🤨🥺🤥😥🤨

[@brobinson8614]

He is despicable, but also it is very entertaining watching from afar

[@imnotracistbut-9559]

Grow up, sis. You’re stuck in a loop. Time to pull out of that cognitive nosedive

[@biercenator]

With respect, this is wrong. Trump does run with a filter. He is keenly sensitive to the boundaries of the acceptable. Look at a speech from 2015 and a speech from 2024, and set aside age as a factor. His discourse and his cadence is highly, hypnotically repetitive throughout. But he *would not say* in 2015 what he is saying today. He has a lifelong morbid fascination with violence done in his name, and he has coyly, and in some sense timidly, pushed that envelope. The repetition moves his audience with him. He's *not* uninhibited. He's manipulative, which is different. Thank you for coming to my little TedX talk

[@finnfan33]

💯 agree

[@IMSiegfried]

Thank you for having it. 🇱🇷💙

[@missmiss6516]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@angelikaopland7880]

I agree with this, but Trump is still several bricks shy of a truckload & missing more every month that goes by now.

[@ZanderFoulner]

Trump just lies with nearly EVERY SENTENCE Aurora Colorado has not been taken over Venzualan gangs. they were driven out of ONE APARTMENT BUILDING. Springfield Ohio has not been taken over by 12,000 Haitans, last week it was 25,000 Haitans, by this wednesday it is 32,000 Haitans who are eating the geese. "look at the geese". he got his own voters, victims of the Hurricane, killed because of his lies about FEMA. Trump is insane, sick, nasty who says he will execute his opponents. everyone who is not loyal to him is an eney of the people. he weaponises hate, racism and fear, and he GRIFTS OFF IT. selling his assination sneakers for $399,99. his Trump watches for $100,000. sign up for his emials. averaging 15 a day and evryone is a BS grift. Harris is going to desstroy him in this election. a landslide. Trump plans to cause chaos and block the election in the swing states like PA, NC, Mi, WI. she is going to win FLORIDA. half a million US voters are Haitan, how many are going to vote for him? Zero? less than zero because they are convincing many to vote against Trump. because his LIES. are so disgusting.

[@kaycartledge4542]

I work with retired nuns and they are all into politics and they are between the ages of 85 to 105 and I want them to hear this and see what they have to say about it..God bless y'all love is power and Jesus is real 💞

[@bradman1961]

When is the "Times" going to stop sane-washing Trump????

[@JanisKnight]

Agreed, but listeners should know that Ezra Klein is not doing that here. He's taking a step-by-step approach to explaining "What's Wrong with Trump."

[@benjaminnead8557]

Well, I think this piece is an OK, but not necessarily a great effort in amending that (sorry Ezra.) I take my cues from Keith Olbermann these days, who is critical of not only The Times with their relentless sane-washing and all-too-polite headlines, but almost all the other brand name news outlets, like Politico and CNN. Along with crusty old Keith, I now get most of my political news from folks like Brian Tyler Cohen, David Pakman and other younger independent voices here on KZbin. I'm old enough to remember all the major news outlets fainting in the isles back in 1988, when Michael Dukakis dressed up in Army garb and drove around in a tank. We never heard the end of it, until Lee Atwater (may he rot in Hell) was able to get GHW Bush elected. Then, in 2004, it was the infamous scream in Iowa that ended Howard Dean's presidential run. The next day, all I can remember was every major media outlet screaming at us that this would never fly. I'm surprised they didn't insist that Dean serve jail time for this infraction. Oh, the horror of it all! A few months after Dean was sent back home to Vermont in shame, I got a survey phone call from the LA Times. This was the first an only time I've ever been polled by any major news gathering organization on my presidential choice. I went to great pains to tell the reporter that I was upset that they and the entire rest of the mainstream media industrial complex basically took my informed voter choice away from me, along with millions of other Americans, and threw it in the trash can. A few months after that, the then-current worst president the United States has ever seen, W Bush, was re-elected. And, yeah, it's always the Democratic candidates who are subjected to the mainstream media's highest level of scrutiny, never the Republicans.

[@danielleremp4328]

@@benjaminnead8557 Everyone should listen to Keith Oberman each weekday morning. He's a must. It's a great way to understand the media and journalists.

[@alexanderclaylavin]

whole media been tee-ing him up since 2022

[@kreek22]

Drunken word-salad tosser fake-black affirmative-action-for-life Harris: she's a model of sanity.

[@auroraoliva2170]

You talked for 40 minutes barely mentioning his lies. Disinhibition does not automatically lying profusely.

[@meijiishin5650]

Honestly, it's not even worth mentioning. Everybody knows he lies. Even his supporters know and don't care because it's fun for them. There is no defense for the double standard, though, and it's not talked about enough.

[@kreek22]

The Left is nothing but lies. He's using the hydra Left's greatest weapon against it; he's using its essence against it. They can't handle the cognitive dissonance this experience creates. We laugh.

[@mauvegreenwisteria3645]

Good point, Olivia.

[@paulpurdom8440]

Or he self confesses his crimes/actions when he accuses others for what he has just done.

[@aloha4utube]

@@paulpurdom8440 classic projection!

[@cal593]

It's harder to tell whether he's losing it or not. He's always kind of been like this. His speeches have always been basically incomprehensible on a page.

[@medygantz8855]

Thank you for this. Excellent observations on why we are all worried sick about this election. I have been afraid of his impulsive personality tendencies for years. More so now!

[@DianeDriver1]

There are 47 million people who think, and talk, and act like Donald Trump. THAT is the problem!

[@KatyYoder-cq1kc]

Report War Crimes: Axis of Evil /Communist MAGA: Cease and desist malicious use of AI, death threats, poisoning, physical/emotional abuse.

[@JanisKnight]

Agreed. There will always be pompous blowhard entertainers like Donald Trump. The fact that there are so many people who'd want to vote for him is unforgivable.

[@robinantonio8870]

All narcissists

[@declup]

@@robinantonio8870 -- No, they're not all narcissists. They're blind men trying to understand an elephant.

[@brandy7572]

only 47 million? isn't it like half of the republicans, which is half the US population, so ~75 million?

[@klipkultur3680]

What's wrong with Trump??? He's a FASCIST... and 78, but that has nothing to do with fascism.

[@rickblessing2447]

So I guess 80 million people are fascists in this country. That explains all the love that was there at Madison Square Garden, except for the usual hate that was emanating from the small faction of Democrats there.

[@klipkultur3680]

@@rickblessing2447 So much love at MSG??? All we heard was hate and racism. You blind and deaf, so sad...

[@wlhansen2068]

It's really that simple,he's old,ignorant,inadequate and of of touch and says a lot about the US

[@wlhansen2068]

​@@rickblessing2447Yes,that many ignorant sheep marching to the slaughter,you get a star 🌟 for pointing out the obvious

[@TheMiracleMatter]

🤦🤦‍♂🤦‍♀

[@donnadenham4110]

I don't think tRump is strong at all! He is loud, blustery and crude, not strong. I disagree that there are any good qualities in this deplorable and pathetic human being.

[@imnotracistbut-9559]

The “tRUMP” thing y’all do is mindblowingly stupid and doesn’t do you guys any favors. It’s universally looked at as incomprehensibly stupid and I get it’s meant as an insult or to be funny but it only makes people feel bad for you

[@dozzer009]

⁠@@imnotracistbut-9559 Yeah because all trumps ridiculous school yard nicknames certainly don’t come off as petty and ignorant. No one is even calling him a name, just changing the capitalization LOL.

[@idnintel]

@@dozzer009 It's banal and petty. when Trump started creating nicknames for his political opponents it was seen by most people as groundbreaking and hilarious, he was the gladiator in the arena fighting entrenched swamp monsters - you guys just parrot "tRump" and other played out, boring monikers as if they make you look clever.

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

​@@idnintel"groundbreaking" 😂😂😂 what a rube. He doesnt fight swamp monsters, he spawns swamp monsters. He hires them and appoints them and he is them.

[@idnintel]

@@darrene.vonbraun4421 yes, I'm well of your groups narrative.

[@lauraw.7008]

Yes. He was horrible about John McCain. As a nation, we cannot survive another term with Trump. Because THIS time, he has people who want to rule in an autocracy.

[@AnonAmouse-d2t]

Look again, chump. It is the democraps who have become the wannabe aristocrats in this country, just as Frank Herbert predicted back in the 60s. But then, none of you losers - right or left - are living in reality. You all insist your side is honest and forthright and both sides are corrupt, incompetent and care only about their own political careers, not what they are doing to this country. Every democrat-run city has the highest tax rates and the highest crime rates and the biggst contingent of "defund the police" gasholes. The information is freely and readily available, but since it isn't on the aceepted "fact check" sites, you will never see it. You live in an echo chamber and you are too stupid to realize it. Insofar as McCain goes, McCain was a coward and a traitor who saved his own life by giving intel to the Vietnamese communists when he was captured. A true hero would have died in silence. McCain was about the biggest p.o.s. the right ever supported.

[@WWG1WWGA]

McCain was a Liar, a fraud and was no war hero!! 🤯😡

[@thomassenbart]

That is what is currently going on with Biden and KH.

[@serenadevon]

Oh you mean JB & the border czar.🤦

[@harrietharlow9929]

@@serenadevon You WISH. With you lot, every accusation is a confession.

[@sgarcata]

I loved Ezra's thoughful, clear explanation of how Trump operates... it answered a LOT of questions and worries for me. Didn't do much to assuage my worries about "what if".

[@StarrTile]

*Think of like this....would you want your child to be a president JUST LIKE TRUMP*

[@maxplanck1423]

The Grey Lady is late in this story and has been preoccupied with ‘sane washing’ of one who’s been widely known as a emotionally troubled individual.

[@asynchronicity]

Yeah, it may very well be TOO late.

[@kathyprilliman3173]

Best interpretation of the man and his actions that I have seen.

[@gliberty42]

And he learned from Roy Cohn and his own father Fred - how to have no inhibition and not care about truth or what people think so long as you win. Willing to break any rule or law or norm or morals!

[@war-painter]

One acts like that if one takes enough drugs!

[@meredithheath5272]

​@@war-painterAnd - neurosyphilis!

[@elspeth8476]

Pure evil.

[@angelikaopland7880]

@@war-painter Nope. Trump's multiple personality disorders are not drug-induced. He was already showing harmful tendencies & zero empathy at age 9.

[@scottjohnson2875]

That’s how he got started. The guy has been doing shitty things for a long time. Forty years plus !

[@ijavikica]

😱 It is a frightening situation, I hope that half of wise and morally equipped Americans do win and save America from a toxic personality 😱

[@lineakristensen1821]

From Europe; you might think you want authoritarianism. You don't. First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.

[@martinimrisek4898]

What is frightening is how his worst impulses will be amplified when he is surrounded by enablers rather than inhibitors.

[@joanhyde1745]

Unfortunately, there are no effective inhibitors for trumpian grossdess.

[@Synoopy2]

If he gets elected, those people in the White House who held him back in his first term will not be there this time.

[@zakspeed63]

This is how America dies (not exaggeration) - when more than half of America decides a dictator should be president......

[@GoldilocksZone-665]

Are we supposed to think Donald Trump is electrifying? His lack of humanity as entertaining? I'm sorry.. I have this automatic response where I will back away from something giving off all the visual, audible and olfactory signs of being something that came out of the digestive tract of something else. Instinctively, I know it's not something I want to hang out with.

[@sgarcata]

Sadly at least 30% of the U.S. population find it so.

[@malcolmdale9607]

A 44 minute video is nowhere near long enough to say what is wrong with Trump.

[@ShebaRomanFilms]

And too long. This video shouldn't exist. Had ny times and media ignored Trumps crap rather than making it entertaining we would have Biden continuing on with good works. Biden got infrastructure done!

[@tomschneider7555]

Everyone agrees Ezra but you are at least 4 years too late All of this was obvious to most cognizant observers and they knew that the biggest risk of Trump as president is how to manage his worst traits

[@tommcfadden5232]

Talk about arriving late to the party.😊

[@dannyreynolds2751]

I think it's at least 9 years late. Trump was a known putz long before the 2016 election.

[@ObscuritiesByJude]

Yep! The saddest and most damning thing of all is the media's complicity in constantly enabling his "disinhibition", if that's to be the major flaw of the day. Average, good people world-wide could see his unsuitability from day one of his babbling entry into "politics" - DAY ONE - so it's very hard to believe that the media, experts in analysis and fact-finding, did not, and not for EIGHT BLOODY YEARS. So...COMPLICIT, for what reasons I do not know. It can't just be money, because the alternate expose of his insane behaviour would bring its own reward. If Trump just is what he is - fine - but everyone else does not need to just nod or ignore, or placate, or pontificate about "the other side" - and let all this disaster descend on a once great nation. It disgusts me!

[@peanutbutter3543]

there is nothing right about donnie. Ezra, do better

[@billsadler3]

"Megalomaniacal, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorders are all characterized by a dramatic interpersonal style, and a tendency to be exhibitionistic, attention-seeking, and have difficulty empathizing with others. They are all considered Cluster B disorders, which can also include domineering callousness, vindictiveness, and intrusiveness." Sound familiar?

[@kathijackson5239]

It's NOT age. Many, many people his age and above have excellent cognitive abilities. IT IS DEMENTIA. Frontotemporal dementia results in disinhibited behavior, including anger. People with this type of dementia lose their ability for judging what kind of behavior is appropriate in different contexts and settings. Trump was already impulsive and angry, but these behaviors have gotten steadily worse. Another feature of dementia is paranoia, and this is increasing as well (the enemy within, etc.). His verbal abilities have plummeted, with word-finding problems, slurring of words, and tangential thinking, where he jumps all over the place, from one topic to another, without making any sense. His memory is also shot. I am a psychologist, and I have evaluated many people with memory and behavioral problems; this is dementia. The signs have been present for several years, with psychiatrists surmising that he might have dementia as a result of untreated syphilis, resulting from his promiscuous sexual behavior, particularly during the 80s. We haven't seen as much of him during the Biden administration, and he didn't participate in the GOP debates, so he was "hidden away" to some extent. Except when he was at the E. Jean Carroll trial, and couldn't stay awake, which is concerning in in itself. Yes, he is a malignant narcissist, and always has been. That's a particularly bad look in a person with dementia. But it is dementia. Let's call it what it is.

[@JanisKnight]

Thank you for taking the time to write this, Kathi. Voters really need to understand Donald Trump's lack of mental capacity before they vote for him. Power made him dangerous four years ago, and he's much more dangerous now.

[@kanjacat]

He could still win. What a horrific situation that would be, for the world.

[@kathijackson5239]

@@JanisKnight Certainly. I have been extremely frustrated all along about how there is so much information available about him that was not brought forward by the press. Including the fact that he was not a successful businessman; it is a myth. And the same with his cognitive impairment. Many of us have seen it for years. But members of the press are speaking about it during the last few weeks before the election and they're being treated like heroes. Give me a break.

[@NatisParker]

Could be PTSD too.. "Nothing is not a threat"

[@stevenpace892]

ADHD

[@frndlystrangr]

Narcissists don't care about the feelings of others. Trump is a classic narcissist!

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

He's worse than someone who doesn't care about the feelings of others. He enjoys watching people SUFFER.

[@juliadixon8465]

Dementia absolutely changes a person. If anything, he has become increasingly scattered, and has zero impulse control. His need for music in his life is equal to his love of companion animals and any semblance of kindness he may have shown to folks from whom he wanted or needed something has vanished. More than anything, I wish he would just go quietly into however many good nights remain in the USA and never speak again.

[@cynthiakozikowski1765]

Once again, the media giving Trump a pass. During his regime, things were way worse.

[@sgarcata]

We can thank the established media in both print and video for electing Trump in the first place.

[@myroslavabasladynsky4937]

Toddlers lack inhibition and it’s ok because they have parents. As people grow up they realize that being adult means having inhibitions - we don’t assault people who anger us, we try to be polite, we don’t say anything that comes to mind. In short, we work at being civilized. That the narrator (and MAGA) find disinhibition in a presidential candidate captivating shows how infantile we have become.

[@MarthaAnthony]

And it shows how little Donald has grown in emotional or intellectual maturity since toddlerhood and ultimately, like all Narcissists, that he is incapable of change or further growth.

[@brandy7572]

Toddlers don't lack inhibition - they are OFTEN afraid of strangers, new situations, new ideas, and will stay behind a parent until it's safe; what they lack is wisdom and knowledge. Trump's toddler-like behavior is narcissism - babies are "mini-narcissists" because they haven't yet learned that a world exists beyond themselves, much like herr Trump. And disinhibition IS captivating. See: a play or a rock concert. Disinhibition is NOT all bad, serves a purpose, and I would argue, is NOT our problem with Trump. People who have gained wisdom can discern whether the TYPE of disinhibition that they see in front of them is dangerous (for example, you might notice a friend's disinhibited teen who you can tell is definitely headed down a wong path, where other less-wise people might characterize it as being a "free spirit"). Our problem with the American public is not their fascination with disinhibition (America was borne of unafraid people, emboldened by our rights and freedoms), but their lack of wisdom and knowledge - they can't look things up, they do NOT understand nuance AT ALL, and they don't know the difference between danger and disinhibition.

[@Timzart7]

I don't think Ezra admires Trump for lacking inhibitions, but "captivating" is a legitimate word to use about Trump, a person who is so different from most other people in that way, grabbing attention, grabbing my attention, and I hate him. I had a small awakening recently, in reading a Trumper's comment about the Arnold Palmer incident. They found him talking about Arnold's OMG size to be intimate, like he's talking to the listeners as friends, instead of an elite politician talking down to a crowd of potential voters. In essence, Trump the persuader who lacks empathy and the capacity to be embarrassed about anything, is able to make deep connections with people who are also making political choices based on emotions and limited information, what they feel in the moment. It is hard for people like myself to understand, living in NYC in the 1980s and remembering Trump then as a shallow, ridiculous clown, boasting about his first casino, like it was the most important thing to ever happen, a major contribution to mankind. Back then, if someone from the future told me one of two people would one day be President, Trump or dead Elvis, I would have picked dead Elvis.

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

Yeah I don't know about " we" I certainly don't want that individual back in the Oval office

[@sparkybob1023]

Stephanie Nolan of NYT. Heroic journalism. Without journalism, we can’t make rational policy. And if I was a journalist, I would be very afraid at the fact that all they could do was promote ‘the facts’ and not actually be allowed to do real journalism.

[@SilverLimit]

Anyone even the slightest bit unsure of how they will be voting in November really needs to listen to this.

[@kappadarwin9476]

I think things are already set in stone. If the voter was unsure of who to vote for by now they ether are a shy voter who doesn't want to tell who they are voting for or just trolling pollsters.

[@xboxbenny]

I’m voting for Trump

[@dickderuiter5892]

​@@xboxbennyyou've probably haven't listened to the podcast. If you did, shame on you.

[@peterfazio9306]

​@@xboxbennyMay I ask why?

[@Lazauya]

​@@peterfazio9306he plays xbox

[@jasondiasauthorpage615]

This is quite clearly incorrect. We have the language to describe him. Fascist, incompetent, oligarch, evil, selfish, liar. That those words don't dissuade 20% of Americans is a real issue, and we'd have to delve deeply into the psychology of fascism to understand it. That is understandable, of course. I hope folks who haven't done so already go exploring.

[@eleatashepherd3463]

This is the most HONEST ASSESSMENT OF EX-PRESIDENT DONALD J.TRUMP AND HIS FOLLOWERS THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD. IT WAS TRULY EXCELLENT :

[@mmeyerdc]

That was one big load of sane washing. You should have led with your conclusion.

[@randibgood]

I'm 20 minutes in and am so frustrated with him STILL calling out President Biden, who is aging normally, and running cover for the ex LIAR-IN-CHIEF. I don't even think I will listen til the end.

[@lisa-Bx]

​@@randibgood I agree with your post. I also had to stop listening at around the 20-min to catch my breathe, otherwise I might've puked from so much 🐂💩

[@randibgood]

@@lisa-Bx Glad I wasn't the only one! 🤮

[@brandonprieto9202]

Maybe the most insightful piece about this guy I’ve ever encountered.

[@JackAShepherd]

💯💯💯

[@MISNM0]

He's a phenomenal journalist.

[@masucci61]

I would even say this is the most insightful

[@manita2653]

There is nothing insightful about this opinion. Ezra, is still looking back about djtRuMp. He needs to, he must look and study the djtRuMp that is him since 2016. “Things were not so good.” How sad you drank the cool aid. STOP. 🛑 and yes WAKE UP. The “do not diagnose Goldwater, law or order…is changed.” Look into it. Have you not heard the many videos in which Psychotherapists diagnose djtRuMp. If it was again the law you know darn well djtRuMp would be suing each and everyone. Some of these psychotherapists have been going to mainstream media for 6 years, warning us, begging those near him to stop him from continuing to endanger our Country and the World. He is a pathological liar, a narcissistic sociopath. A fraud, a convicted criminal, a rapist. He wants to destroy the United States, Democracy and the Constitution. He is showing signs of Dementia…. “He is missing the part of his mind”, “he cannot control himself”. Would you want him to take care of your children for 10 minutes. Would you allow him to drive a car? The man is slowly turning into a baby man…a boy monster. He is fascinated with Hitler, Mussolini, Kim, Putin. But the ‘maga lords’ are using him to get back in the White House then he will be removed by Vance etc., amendment 15, 25 will be used he will be called unstable and… Vance will be made a president. God help us. 🌟💙🔷🔹🇺🇸💙🔷🔹🔷 Watch “shrinking Trump”, you will be enlightened.

[@pjw2000]

Agreed. Disinhibition - a strength, a weakness, and an absolutely terrifying thing for the country. He hit the nail on the head.

[@dantesdeath1]

He did not say anything about protesting "peacefully and patrtoitically". He said "fight like hell".

[@johnmossawir3314]

Excellent insight. It casts light on the degree to which MAGA without Trump is so lifeless. And it also nicely frames the insane danger that the guy represents.

[@KatyYoder-cq1kc]

Report War Crimes: Axis of Evil /Communist MAGA: Cease and desist malicious use of AI, death threats, poisoning, physical/emotional abuse.

[@nicholasrova3698]

Trump only capitalized on what already existed. A disdain on the right and left for the corrupt oligarchy in America. It's rather naive and out of touch to assume "MAGA" will vanish when Trump is gone. It's here to stay, and it will only get stronger.

[@josephcorridon9314]

Yeah, I'm pretty confident that whenever Trump eventually either loses interest in politics or dies, the people who come after trying to recreate Trumpism are gonna fail. Without Trump's complete self-interest and disinhibition all you've got is a usual politician with abhorrent beliefs. That's not an insurmountable combination (Cruz, and De Santis are both still have careers), but it means the normies, so to speak, are turned off by your terrible views, and the fringe is turned off because they don't believe you're the genuine article.

[@kreek22]

"insane danger" of a man who--did what as President? Oh, that's right, he fought America's evil deep state, and was removed from office by them for his decency and audacity.

[@debramiller7317]

Trump took the Tea Party, set it on fire, added gasoline, and is throwing the nation into the pyre.

[@r8chlletters]

You got a lot right Ezra, not all, but a lot. The Goldberg rule doesn’t apply to Trump however and you could argue that his examples of public behavior mean that mental health professionals have a duty to warn not a duty to remain silent.

[@zxy78267]

Absolutely!

[@littlebrownbird8020]

The amazing thing is that the Goldwater Rule is nothing but a self-imposed code of conduct of the APA (imposed after what was no doubt an embarrassing incident for the profession); however, you'd think it was a law of the land when you hear the reverence with which it is spoken of (such as in this podcast). Added to that, the APA does not represent all psychiatrists in the US; ultimately, like all organizations of its type, it only represents itself and those who are (a) qualified to belong and (b) feel that belonging to it important to them. Just to clarify, I'm not saying there is anything inherently wrong with either the Goldwater Rule or the APA, but just that bodies like the APA are simply professional bodies and their "rules" are their own internal codes of conduct and nothing more.

[@joanlawson9548]

A person like Trump should never ever be allowed anywhere near m

[@lindamckibben2828]

"They eat your pets", " drink bleach", where do these fit in "personality traits"?

[@11equalsfish]

Lack of responsibility and consequences?

[@jamesdana1273]

A little deeper dive into the dynamics of narcisstic personality disorder would explain all of it. In short, trurh and lies do not matter, facts do not matter. Every aspect of his life is wholly a construction of his self-made world, where he is invincible. He is incapable of testing reality. He can never change.

[@brobinson8614]

...and during his reign as president he had a 40% increase in national debt from tax cuts to the rich is one. Plus over 100 environmental protection laws repealed, like allowing factories to build closer to residential neighborhoods. allowing higher concentrations of pollutants in our water and the air. Theres a good article on all those EPA law changes in the New York Times. Lets not forget the Trump hired a fossil fuel industry head to run the EPA!!! so many terrible things he did

[@angelikaopland7880]

Sociopathy, megalomania, malignant narcissism; in Trump, it's a blend.

[@Zawiedek]

Add a strong sense of sadism and a histrionic trait.

[@MarciaKastrup]

Poor excuses Ezra Klein. And now, with two weeks to go, too little too late. Thank you very much

[@LoretoEsTorres]

17:50 - “There’s something even aspirational about it..” What???!!! There’s nothing aspirational about the lack of inhibition of someone who don’t have a moral compass and who’s main goal when in position of power is to get more power for the sole benefit of one’s self and who’s next aspiration is “US Constitution be damned!!!” when the very foundation of the Republican Democratic Nation does not serve what he wants for himself.

[@B-Nice]

You perfectly described a 7 year old rich kid 😮‍💨

[@UnashamedCaliforniagirl]

Apt description of DJT

[@wendyhart1241]

I started listening and was getting really frustrated by your positive descriptions of Trump. I’m unable to feel anything but disgust when I see or hear Trump or his sycophants. However, your analysis of why Trump cannot be in the Oval Office again was completely on point. The issue is the lack of guardrails- the lackeys in the Republican Party will not restrain his craziness. He cannot be reelected.

[@Sandra-lw9xu]

Anything Trump does is not surprising. What surprises me is that nearly half the US citizens support him.

[@ABeanThinking]

Already listened on the podcast feed - this is the most insightful analysis I've heard this whole election cycle - wow. Just spot on.

[@KatyYoder-cq1kc]

Report War Crimes: Axis of Evil /Communist MAGA: Cease and desist malicious use of AI, death threats, poisoning, physical/emotional abuse.

[@doctork1708]

Stop making excuses for him.

[@LatajaceStadoKotow]

What excuses?

[@JoeyToth-ti9tp]

latajace,wake up man and put something between your EARS

[@LatajaceStadoKotow]

@JoeyToth-ti9tp how is Ezra too easy on Trump? I also think Trump is an absurdly flawed human being and I think Ezra made a great case for that perspective

[@dozzer009]

⁠@@LatajaceStadoKotow You’re absolutely correct!! Don’t bother with people making comments void of reason just to be argumentative. Anyone who has been paying attention to trump over the years knows what Ezra is saying is accurate.

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

You didnt listen to the entire thing. You stopped listening before you were half way through and made this ignorant comment. If you aren't going to familiarize upurself with a piece of content, then it would be wise to keep you fully formed opinions based on incomplete information to yourself.

[@TheBallroomMaestro]

Hi Mr.Klein, I've listened to this particular podcast at least 7 this week. 😊😊if I wasn't a fan beefier this, I am definitely one now. Very well written!

[@M-T-123]

This is why he should NEVER, EVER become President again This is more frightening than anything I’ve heard before

[@kimberleyhosmer5997]

This is why we all need to vote not only for Harris/Walz but for a strong Democratic majority in Congress as well and we each need to find and encourage at least 5 new, or infrequent voters to vote as well!

[@danielleremp4328]

I'll go further: He should not even have been permitted to run.

[@declup]

The Republican ticket might come up on top, though -- that's the thing. Everybody's focusing on election day; barely anyone has acknowledged that there'll even be a future past November 5th. Society is bigger than any single person, no matter who that person is. So society should start considering what it should do under all the various contingencies.

[@smurfette1509]

feel the same. I'm terrified.

[@kreek22]

I'm more frightened by virology labs that learned nothing from Covid. I'm more frightened by the dilapidated state of Russian nuclear early warning systems I'm more frightened by people who believe every piece of propaganda they hear from their side (you).

[@julkiewitz]

This is very accurate. I hope we don't get to experience just how accuarate.

[@petebarrow274]

So after listening to this, and reading comments, I can say that still, eight years after Trump first ran for office, no one on the left has any idea why people vote for Trump except: "They are stupid."

[@marpro765]

Trump is an agent of CHAOS. Trump is an agent of HATE. Trump is an agent of EVIL. Trump is a TERRORIST. Everything Trump does is CALCULATED, MANIPULATIVE, DELIBERATE, MALEVOLENT, and SADISTIC. Above all, *** Trump IS a LIAR. So he has been his entire life. It's both his NUMBER ONE PERSONAL IDENTIFIER and his PROFESSION. Trump is a CHISELLER. Trump is a SWINDLER. Ditto for his progeny. Everything the Trump Organized Crime Family does is CALCULATED, MANIPULATIVE, DELIBERATE, MALEVOLENT, and SADISTIC. Always. The Trump Organized Crime Family MODUS OPERANDI: Delay, Delay, Delay. Deny, Deny, Deny. And primarily: LIE, LIE, LIE. - In conjunction with: Cheat, Blackmail, Coerce, Bribe, CORRUPT, DECEIVE, DEFRAUD, Dupe, GRIFT, LAUNDER muscovite-russian state criminal assets/monies, Steal, DENY RESPONSIBILITY, REFUSE ACCOUNTABILITY, THREATEN, INCITE VIOLENCE, Assault, Attack, Hate, COMMIT TREASON, COMMIT HIGH TREASON, be utterly self-absorbed, self-adulating, self-aggrandizing, self-promoting braggarts, cretinous ignoramuses, arrogant entitled bigots and racists, narcissists, CRIMINAL HOODLUMS and THUGS, criminal TREASONOUS SOCIOPATHS, and criminal TREASONOUS PSYCHOPATHS. - And all of that, that's just for starters. The Trump Organized Crime Family members have LEARNED NOTHING IN LIFE. They are immeasurably, profoundly, unfathomably IGNORANT, flat-out STUPID, MORALLY/ETHICALLY BANKRUPT, and EVIL. ALL IN Putin's POCKET, GOING ABOUT Putin's BUSINESS. Follow the Money. FOLLOW the MONEY. FOLLOW the DAMNED MONEY. - - -

[@MrAweeze]

There's a reason books are written on the subject of cults and the mentalities of those inside of them.

[@KrisCorby-iv8dg]

No, no! We get that there's more to it than just, "theyre stupid!" It's just that, nothing really matters, after you get to the " stupid" part! You see, if you can consider trumps administration, & then hypothesize, what a Kamala Harris administration might be like, & you still decide to vote for trumpism, theres no point in any more discussion! Listen, smart people are smart, because they learn from experience, & experiod nce has taught us, that trumpers dont listen. They prepare themselves to produce excuses, justification, & "whataboutism s!" End of! It's all they know! They've been effectively brainwashed, no differently than you train front line troops, to face the front line! It's the exact, same thing! He will lose next week, but that won't be the end, in fact, if the government doesn't come down hard on trump, in regard to his criminal cases, this will merely be the beginning, of a truly, "long national nightmare! "

[@dwightwilliams5892]

It's not the age or the dementia. It's the narcissism and the sociopathy. Or maybe we just call it fascist evil?