The real meaning of Trump's raised fist gesture

[@VladVexlerChat]

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[@jonlittle5032]

Why Zelenskyy stayed - yes.

[@williamyoung9401]

Every time I think about Trump, I break into cold sweats... 😓

[@JohnSmith-rr8hp]

@@williamyoung9401 Have you thought about how well behaved Putin was, compared to when Obama (Crimea), and Biden (Ukraine)? Can you see the pattern? Who lifted the sanction on Nord Stream? Who kept Iran honest? Who kept pushing the EU NATO to spend more on defense? Dont live in the Vlad bubble my friend.

[@Grace.allovertheplace]

Hi Vlad, I appreciate that you’re talking about this particular act of Mr Trump. I’d 2 theories: 1. adrenaline 2. adrenaline & some sort of him still very much being in the moment hence the theatrical appearance of his. I wholeheartedly hope no more violence will occur throughout the remainder of the election campaign no matter what candidate it is! I wish Mr Trump a speedy recovery,- physically,- emotionally, & mentally, & that goes for his family, & for all people directly,- & indirectly involved by this tragedy! I may be wrong but it feels like most people all over the World have been pretty heavily affected by this violen, and scary attack. Respectfully, Grace

[@jonlittle5032]

@@Grace.allovertheplace It's like January 2021 all over again.

[@Pooneil1984]

In the broadest possible and most conventional terms. Trump is a show man and knows how to work a crowd. That is the driver of his business, entertainment and political success.

[@TheAmericanDreamLives]

Trump has very little business or entertainment success. He's a very bad businessman.

[@TheAmericanDreamLives]

Trump’s failed businesses: 1. Trump Steaks 2. GoTrump 3. Trump Airlines 4. Trump Vodka 5. Trump Mortgage 6. Trump: The Game 7. Trump Magazine 8. Trump University 9. Trump Ice 10. The New Jersey Generals 11. Tour de Trump 12. Trump Network 13. Trumped! Trump's bankruptcy list: 1. Trump Taj Mahal 2. Trump’s Castle 3. Trump Plaza Casinos 4. Trump Plaza Hotel 5. Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts 6. Trump Entertainment Resorts Currently Failing... Trump's Truth Social Trump Media And Republican senators and voters want this man to manage the American economy. 🤦‍♂️🇺🇸

[@piccalillipit9211]

My sister is a 4th DAN MMA instructor. She has an inbuilt reflex she is totally unaware of that she will block in incoming hand. It happens before she even sees it consciously. Trump is a 4th DAN Publicist - his ability to spot a photo opp is subliminal.

[@Infodumptruck]

Exactly

[@ronik24]

The driver of his scam... he is no politician and he has no idea how actual business is conducted. Entertainer (clown) would be the only fitting term.

[@kennethgreifer5123]

I think Trump learned most of his propaganda skills from professional wrestling. He has been close friends with a guy who owns a big professional wrestling company and Trump has been involved in wrestling. He has actually participated in the pretend kind of wrestling and arguing and all of that. Wrestlers become famous by acting bad and larger than life usually. They learn how to create an image and play a character that excites people and they stage fake stories and pretend to be enemies with each other, etc. I am not an expert on professional wrestling in America, where I live, but I can see that he seems to be imitating professional wrestlers. I think this is ignored by the intellectual types who don't watch professional wrestling, but his supporters are those kinds of people.

[@TheAmericanDreamLives]

You have nailed it. He really does use the exaggerated good over bad, name calling, false bravado, outrage, humiliation, that professional wrestlers use. 👍

[@bruceconnor6535]

Very astute observation.

[@tamasgyorffy1]

Agree

[@MickyChowMein69]

lol. Exactly what I was thinking. So much like that film Idiocracy. I preferred President Camancho in that tho because he wasn't spiteful and vindictive like Mr Trump is.

[@XHobbiesPrime]

He also studied Hitler. His ex wife stated that he read a book of Hitler's speeches at night. Another friend of his admitted to giving him the book. I'm pretty sure he studied Nazi propaganda techniques, as much as he studies anything.

[@rathernotsay5629]

I am a MS patient and I can say with certainty that I have been labelled as hysterical or depressed because of my symptoms for years before I was finally diagnosed. Even my first husband labelled me as crazy because I was having these inexplainable symptoms and not getting diagnosed with any issues. Turns out it was MS the whole time.

[@Juttutin]

I was once in my GPs office as he attempted to berate my neurologist on the phone for saying my recent unequal pupils was a conversation disorder, and then escalated to my GP asking the neuro very angrily how many "cases of hysterical anisocoria" he was aware of. Didn't achieve anything. 15 years later, I still have weird stuff going on with my head periodically. I still say it can be triggered by head posture, but not only that. But I have given up on trying to get a medical diagnosis. I might try again in a few years, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem aggressively progressive. MS was suggested to me a couple of times early on. If that is it, and I now think that's very unlikely, it's extraordinarily slow for me. I'm pleased you got your diagnosis eventually and hope you are enjoying your best life regardless.

[@rathernotsay5629]

Thanks! I had to leave the UK to get properly diagnosed. Despite all the symptoms of MS my GP refused to give me a referral, telling me it was all in my head. I guess to some degree he was correct.

[@franjkav]

I was having a bunch of weird symptoms during the first year-ish of the pandemic. Once I finally went to a doctor, I was LITERALLY told I was “just stressed out” even though my mental health was not assessed during the appointment (I was attending therapy already anyway). I went to a couple of other doctors and only the last one finally suggested getting evaluated for MS. I had considered it myself much earlier on based on what I knew about it but I didn’t bother bringing it up since doctors don’t really seem to listen ever. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to follow up. The worst symptoms have subsided mostly but I’m not too hopeful that they won’t return…there are immune conditions in my family and I found out I have a gene that many studies link to MS as well as EBV antibodies which are also correlated to the condition. Regardless, I’m still pissed off at the doctor for telling me, in so many words, that I was hysterical. It was such a baseless “diagnosis” and it has had a negative effect on my life.

[@billy2807]

Wow. Came for the political analysis, and now every hug will be weird for the rest of my life.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Sorry!!! Most hugs are just fine!!

[@billy2807]

I really hope my comment doesn't get any more likes, and just falls to the bottom of the pile. It was 100% a joke. Haha. I've been really anxious the past few days about three or four events and tendencies in our political environment, and your analysis has helped me, considerably, to manage that, even in cases where your conclusions and predictions are not strictly comforting. Thank you for giving my brain a more reliable handle on the maelstrom, compadre.

[@philippajoy4300]

Snyder always references Zelensky staying as an exemplar of the agency and courage of Ukrainians; so it would be interesting to hear your take.

[@Nebris]

please

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Zelensky also is an entertainer and knows the power of the camera.

[@russetmantle1]

@@AstroGremlinAmerican True, although of course it should be noted that at the point where he stayed, a very real danger of death was ahead of Zelensky in his future, possibly his very near future. Whereas for Trump, the danger of violent death had already passed when he raised his fist. I think that video Zelensky put out at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion in which he stood together with his chief officials, pointing all of them out and saying "we are here", was probably a necessary but not sufficient condition for Ukraine to fight back and survive those crucial first few weeks and convince important foreign allies that it was worth committing to supporting Ukraine militarily. This seems like an excellent example of what Vlad says here about the significance of personality meeting contingency in politics. Another man would have made a different choice, and Ukraine would have had no chance.

[@davidbarry6900]

Interesting ideas, but I think it far more likely that Trump simply had an adrenalin surge when he realized that he was still alive, and he expressed this resulting combination of rage and truimph with that pose of strength and defiance. You're overthinking it, Vlad.

[@ferrariguy8278]

Indeed.

[@rasmushertzum252]

Especially the last part was really far fetched, in the sense that the attributions of infantilization, theatre and sexualization can be applied to MANY daily situations (e.g. in sports) if applied by such low criteria as applied here.

[@DogeickBateman]

@@rasmushertzum252 You think a philosopher like Vlad can think anything outside of his insane extrapolations? Oh boy...

[@kevinbill9574]

Whatever you think of Trump, he's also a man of some personal courage. I respect Vlad as someone trying to honestly rationalise his instincts, but I don't agree with his core philosophy or anything he says. Trump is not what either side thins he is. He is only in the position he is because the the ruling elite in the West seems to have lost its collective mind (and soul) and the likes of Vlad are completely incapable of judging the Trump phenomenen in that context

[@novascheller5957]

It was instinctive…he always knows when he’s being seen publicly.

[@johnslow8351]

he does the fist thing all the time. I think it's a borderline tic at this point. He's aware of how well it photographs so he keeps doing it.

[@dh1380]

Yes Literally a default NPC response.

[@StevenHaze]

I thought very similar. It is like his lizard brain must improve his image as it's primary function.

[@dweb]

Trump is a marketeer with a special gift for spectacles and deception.

[@presbiteroo]

The fist analysis is very well spotted. However, I think that before it being a sign of narcissism, it is a sign of how strong arousal he feels when in contact with danger and violence. He looked like he never felt so alive and wants more.

[@jimacmercebay6272]

Most soldiers experience this during and after combat both men and women. It is an instinctual need inside the brain stem, telling the body it needs to procreate before the possible end of life. Many times before a condemned man was hanged would start to get an erection before the lever was pulled. The raised fist may have been or was a response to Joe Biden's " BULLSEYE" speech last week. Trump most likely thought it was just he was just saying a hypothetical political bullseye. Then Saturday a bullet comes his way an instant thought Joe wasn't being hypothetical. The raised fist was possibly a message to Joe Biden. YOU MISSED ME ASSHOLE!

[@termitreter6545]

I mean he was probably under shock.

[@constantgardener19]

I think Trump didn't want to be seen being huddled off the stage like some kind of loser. It was his way of "fighting back" at that moment - a gesture of defiance. I don't think any deeper analysis is necessary.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"It was his way of "fighting back" at that moment" And a dramatic difference it is compared to watching Joe Biden trying to climb stairs onto Air Force One.

[@rhino5100]

@@thomasmaughan4798 Trump was really, really angry that it was revealed he was in a basement "bunker" room of the White House when the protesters reached the WH gates on the night of May 29, 2020. He wasn't looking out the window, he was secured in a basement bunker. So, he probably knew he needed to project power instead of appearing to be the "Bunker Boy" again.

[@hillbilly4895]

@@thomasmaughan4798 This whole channel needs to grow a pair of nuts. I'm out, later.

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Trump also was tackled pretty hard by the Secret Service, including the short woman. They apparently knocked his shoes off. He said twice, "Let me get my shoes." He thinks on his feet and knows he's putting on a show. When he raised his fist, showing he was alive, the crowd responded loudly.

[@andrewlesterthomas5581]

Yes. I'm not really sure what he is going on about. The man just got shot!

[@piccalillipit9211]

*My sister is a 4th DAN MMA instructor* She has an inbuilt reflex she is totally unaware of that she will block an incoming hand. It happens before she even sees it consciously. Trump is a 4th DAN Publicist - his ability to spot a photo opp is subliminal.

[@kentalanlee]

This is exactly it. Exactly.

[@GroofusDoofus900]

4th DAN Publicist - awesome!

[@AndreasDelleske]

@@GroofusDoofus900 hehe.. is there a lineage?

[@LucaBakiMMA]

There are no dans in MMA....

[@MelissaThompson432]

This. 😁

[@jannetteberends8730]

Meditations for an anxious mind posted a video where he find it was strange that Trump thought to make this gesture, instead of checking on other possible victims. That’s for me complementary to your video.

[@ferrariguy8278]

I disagree wholeheartedly in assigning this to be exclusively a manipulative act. Race car drivers get out of their cars after a wreck and give a thumbs up and wave to the crowd too to let people know they're ok. That's normal. Is it calculated maliciously? NO. Is it part of being experienced and instinct. Teddy Roosevelt after being struck by a bullet in the chest, reasoned that since he wasn't coughing blood he was ok, and just went right on with his speech (he lost the election.)

[@ronaldkincaid4404]

Not that I’m a Trump supporter but this analysis is simply wrong. This happened at a political Rally in rural America where such “fight, fight, fight” chants would be a part of any football 🏈 game. Totally typical in the USA.

[@jeremyepp2980]

Of course he raised his fist conciously and with intent to create an iconic photo... just before while the Secret Service was making sure he was ok and the get away vehicle was in place he was fighting with them over making sure he was wearing his shoes... he knew he needed to be presentable

[@qwazse4]

Vlad, would you render the same psychoanalysis for every American who pumps their fist at every sports game when their player/team rises from near defeat? If so, you must assume that the lot of us are sex crazed.

[@robcrow2593]

@qwazse4 You are! 😂

[@wicker1234]

I'm a woman, I never ever pumped my fist. But men do it...

[@Tirani2]

Because of the Puritanical grounding of American culture, a lot of of gestures and language and taboo resolve around sexualization. It's why in other countries breasts aren't seen as sexual when feeding children, but they are in America. Our culture is deeply broken because we have never been able to reconcile that very conservative, sexual culture against ideals of freedom and individuality.

[@qwazse4]

@@Tirani2 or, possibly, our culture is remarkably whole because women who can nurse their children are less able to flaunt and lord their good fortune over women who cannot. If as a cost, bare breasts are over-sexualized, it’s a cost worth paying. Regarding arms raised in fists, they are uniquely human. No other creature can make such a demonstration. Raising one is a declaration of that of rallying with our fellows.

[@PopPhyzzle]

I would love a video on why Zelensky stayed.

[@presbiteroo]

Yes please

[@beth7935]

Yes please!

[@dweb]

Why did Trump not defend himself as courageous school teachers are expected to do?

[@RafaelSang-tq8ur]

Just remember the way Trump ripped his mask when he was released from the hospital during his covid-19 stay.

[@stavokg]

My thoughts exactly. He tried to appear invincible-god like-above everyone else and needed by everyone else.

[@terryhand]

@@stavokg His supporters are already saying he was saved by God.

[@thomasayresol]

Yes! When the mask cracks it is very revealing.

[@AS-np3yq]

Sweden had no masks and no nothing.. india also .

[@kathleentrinity7367]

​

[@Peregringlk]

People was screaming his name like giving him support; and then it was when he reacted to the "ovation" and raised his arm. I think most of us would react in a similar way. If people had stayed quiet/silent/murmuring/running away, he would still keep processing what had happened for some more minutes, and his "propagandistic instincts" wouldn't have awakened; I think. The people's acclamation is what made him "re-focus" on the public.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"The people's acclamation is what made him "re-focus" on the public." Agreed. Realizing the opportunity was not quite instant; but it was quick. It was the most perfect photo opportunity imaginable. OMG. Imagine if I was the photographer. I would barely be able to hold my camera wondering if I really had a memory card installed but no time to check on it. Click click click!

[@warpedweft9004]

They weren't exactly Biden supporters, were they? He was playing to a home crowd.

[@robertfreitag687]

" some more minutes . . . " It was over before Trump even realized what had happened. He was a passive observer through the whole thing. I guess you could say that's a kind of "achievement" for Trump to manipulate the interpretation of events after the fact to come out of the narrative as some sort of hero. Or you could be completely disappointed with the baseline level of critical faculties of the public that they considered it a credible claim.

[@franjkav]

“Fight” is a weird reply to an ovation

[@thomasmaughan4798]

@@franjkav "“Fight” is a weird reply to an ovation" Thank you for your opinion.

[@michaelprozonic]

Trump is always on the stage performing. He has lived his life this way. Cameras have followed him throughout his life and he is always posing for them

[@lockwoodpeckinpaugh9252]

And exploiting reality.

[@drrodopszin]

It's not at all surprising to see a raging narcissist owning a high stress moment. Politics is full of these characters.

[@thomasayresol]

The narcissist "pout" happens when they are unprepared for a situation and they get angry, not just at the person or people around them, but they are momentarily angry at the entire world. I've witnessed it before. And there can be a creepy sexual undertone... for example, a superior breathing down another person's neck as they stand too close. Clearly intending to intimidate, though the creepy sexual undertone may or may not be a conscious choice for them. These moments are a window into the actual insecure person that hides behind the narcissistic personality. Not a psychiatrist here, just speaking from personal experiences and observations.

[@morebirdsandroses]

I think I've seen the same thing.

[@user-kj9vr9zc2m]

To paraphrase Freud: Sometimes a raised fist is just a raised fist. I don't find the psycho-sexual explanation the least bit persuasive.

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

It's really funny tough.

[@calimerohnir3311]

Well said!

[@dh1380]

I agree

[@heisner667]

Vlad opened up a concept I did not see before. That is why I seek Vlad out.

[@janarkolemees]

it's really something that you either believe or not. like when vlad talks about what putin thinks or does. it's all speculation, there is no way to be sur, but it's interesting to see how vlad speculates.

[@heisner667]

Trump is Always aware of how his image will help him. It is his super power.

[@emm_arr]

I'd say he has two. The other is spreading corruption.

[@heisner667]

His corruption is might makes right.

[@warpedweft9004]

maybe to his followers but I didn't see anything that enhanced his image. He looked like a pathetic old man trying hard to grab on to some semblance of dignity. He looked every bit the try hard.

[@aarondavidson6409]

natural born.. something something

[@franjkav]

That would mean he understands his own emotions, which he clearly doesn’t

[@sabinehahn9774]

As the wise Frank Zappa said: "Politics is the entertainment department of the military-industrial complex" - never been more true in my times than today. And the head-clown just got a bit of a bloody ear.

[@NastazyaPhylipovnaTchornaya]

@@sabinehahn9774 Frank Zappa said lots of stupid shit.

[@sabinehahn9774]

@@NastazyaPhylipovnaTchornaya and lots of very smart stuff, just like this quote.

[@DogeickBateman]

Frank Zappa is a Jewish communist

[@suwkadunieczka]

Thank you for acknowledging the dark history of hysteria, that meant a lot.

[@jamesgillen2339]

"There are people who deal with their arms, their hands, their lips, as though they were an extension of their genitalia" - well, that definitely explains Trump.

[@eliseleonard3477]

Hello, beautiful Vlad! As a psychiatrist trained long enough ago, when we spoke and read freely about these things, I love your analysis. On considering your thoughts, I’d go further and assert that Trump’s choice of public words and gestures is very often a frantic disinhibited assertion of his sexual potency, which is intimately (!) linked for him with destruction and humiliation of the object. It’s very very creepy

[@_amalfitano]

The trips into difficult, less comprehensible territory is what kept me coming back.

[@chongli297]

Would you say that Trump's expression emerged from a deep-seated need to show strength? A fear of being seen as weak? As vulnerable? In the moments before the attack, he was speaking to the crowd and he must have felt very powerful with the crowd was hanging on to every word. Then as the shots rang out and the secret service agents tackled him to safety, he must have been overcome with a flood of different emotions: fear, confusion, panic, and ultimately anger at his loss of control. To me, his gesture seems perfectly natural without invoking the wider politics of the image: he needed to show the crowd present that he was still in control, still powerful, still strong. He could not bear the thought of anyone in the crowd thinking he was a coward (for hiding behind a pile of bodyguards)

[@jsmith-jones1684]

Yes, AND he could have also thought "great photo op!" Both are possible.

[@Cocoisagordonsetter]

@@jsmith-jones1684 very very quick mind if he was thinking about a photo op. LOLOL TDS is serious though. Get yourself checked out.

[@ImAHusband809]

psychoanalysis can sometimes delve too deep and miss the basic point. Trump survived an assasination, he knew it, adrenaline pumping, and gave a fist to fight back. verybhuman fight or flight response. also the correct political play. the sexualization stuff is nonsense.

[@njswampfox474]

It's possible/plausible or just as probable that is Vlad overthinking it and wring.

[@gretalaube91]

Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.......

[@siraaron4462]

I didn't dare say anything to people about this because I thought I was the only one who thought this way and didn't want to come across as insensitive.

[@dogwhistle8836]

Trump was just showing the crowd and world he was still a live and not afraid, just like Duke William riding down his line of men with his helmet off to show his men he was still a live and to give them heart and rally them before they panicked and you should like someone the has never been in a real fight never mind a life or death fight, when you win you just feel so powerful and strong and say " fuck yeah you lost you stupid bastard" and the punch was the physical release of that energy

[@simoncordingley3122]

You thought wrongly. People would’ve considered you mad, not insensitive, if you made a kitchen psychologist assessment there was a sexual element to Trump raising his fists.

[@aeromangus]

What...? I'm not an expert and I don't know him that well, but I'd imagine Trump raised his fist as a sign of triumph over adversity, to express: I am not defeated, I am victorious. Saying fight fight would encourage others not to be defeated either. Anyone in his position might have done similar things.

[@colleenoneill3329]

Loved it. Well thought out. And it was also calculated as he made the SS wait so he could do that. Yuck.

[@crapmalls]

"f yeah, try putting me in jail NOW, losers!" 😂

[@jacobfrederick3614]

They were trying to get him out of there He didn’t know what was happening He was rallying his supporters

[@richhenry8004]

This video really drives home that Vlad is not American. Teddy Roosevelt was shot and went back to the podium and delivered his planned speech. Communicating back to an attacker on the spot that it's going to take more than their current attempt to disuade you from your course is a very common American theme/behavior. The whole infantile/sexual thing was unhinged. No idea wtf youre going on about.

[@NastazyaPhylipovnaTchornaya]

@@richhenry8004 Bingo. And totally missing the iconography. Impossible to stage. Absolute misunderstanding of American culture and photography as an art.

[@seanp9277]

Vlad is a silly man.

[@richhenry8004]

@@seanp9277 Sometimes.

[@tk80mufa5]

​@@richhenry8004 always , if you watch him critically actually It's no surprise he has literally a BRAIN DISEASE and every video is complete word salad gibberish Vlad now Dunning-Krügers as a psychoanalyst , his narcississtic side is showing Maybe Vlad not leaving his cluttered appartment has something to do with it

[@paw7289]

What a ridiculous, over-indulgent analysis .... I think Vlad has done a number in his pants on this one.

[@margaretsaleeby9531]

From what we’re told, after being injured insisted that the Secret Service personnel get him his shoes so that he could stand upright rather than just being led out of the venue as per protocol suggests that was at the moment thinking about how to take advantage of the situation for his own benefit.

[@ChrisM541]

Exactly!

[@Grz349]

It’s true, you can hear it on the video the BBC published. He spends 20 sec asking for his shoes.

[@JonathanLopezUT]

He just crouched down and his shoes came off, he wears lifts and wears shoes bigger than his feet. I got in a fight once in some nice dress shoes with tassles that were a size too big and I put my feet under my shoulders and the shoes practically fell off

[@ahandlenameismandatory]

since you know so much, tell me, how would have Biden reacted to the same situation?

[@JonathanLopezUT]

@@ahandlenameismandatory if its not on the teleprompter then Biden ain’t reacting

[@astrogatorjones]

As a psychologist... I think this is the important feature involved. Psychopaths have an impaired fear response. He quickly recovered himself and immediately fell back into this marketing/manipulation mode. He understood that he could create an iconic picture. It was an opportunity.

[@Cocoisagordonsetter]

So you're saying narcissists have hyper intellect too. What was the timeframe we are talking about? 3 seconds, 10????? He was hit and it would have felt like nothing more than a bee sting in that moment. I've cut the tip of my finger off so I don't imagine an earlobe hit would hurt that bad. I actually didn't feel it and the speed was a lot slower than a bullet. The intent of the bullet is another issue. That is a wild statement you are making.

[@robcrow2593]

​@@CocoisagordonsetterAnimal cunning.

[@theancienteternaloaktree]

Current neuroscience (Hofmann et. al. Journal of Personality, Nov. 6 2023) suggests that it's not an 'impaired' fear response, but rather different wiring. While the neuronormative response to fear is avoidance, psychopaths enjoy the arousal state fear provides (Fear Enjoyment Hypothesis or FEH). This explains the motivation to seek out situations which most neuronormative individuals would avoid.

[@rasmushertzum252]

This sounds like a parody of vlad vexler.

[@DogeickBateman]

Vlad replaced by a Terminator

[@douglasfur3808]

Setting Freud aside, I think the feminist slogan about rape "its not about sex. It's about power" is useful . Maybe the gesture is sexualized but it is certainly about power. Trump, as a rapist, is superficially obsessed with his sexuality, however his core obsession is with power. One of his formative experiences was watching his father destroy his older brother for failing to become Fred's successor as the capo of the family business. The form of his destruction was alcoholism. This is a contrary iteration of their family's core obsession with power, in that the alcoholic is powerless in their relationship with alcohol. To me, Trump's obsession with power is a form of addiction. This is witnessed by his denial of his 2020 loss, in blaming others for that loss, the gamut of dishonest behavior in seeking power and threatening violence to regain power.

[@golagiswatchingyou2966]

Delusional

[@DogeickBateman]

Seek help

[@Tend0nin]

Regardless of what he was personally thinking before raising his fist in the air, his supporters needed to see that, and he gave it to them.

[@harmony9591]

It was such a small amount of time to make a calculated decision like that which you define and describe, Vlad, that we might be making too much of it...

[@robcrow2593]

@harmony9591 Animal cunning is quick.

[@kiwihame]

I agree. He's a PR animal and knew it was a iconographic photo op. His Iwo Jima moment. Shaking my head. Now watch Trump milk this dry.

[@GizzyDillespee]

Jules was wearing his 911 hat for 15 years after the event🤣

[@humphreybradley3060]

He’ll ride the wave of BS all the way to the WH! God help us all!!

[@agaspversilia]

MAGA cultists on Twitter are going crazy on it, it's truly disgusting.

[@wordzmyth]

I saw the hand and arm straighten to a 45° angle to a different gesture entirely

[@morebirdsandroses]

I thought of that too. "Stand back and stand by. Fight like hell."

[@stephentaylor358]

Yes. that was a few steps along on his exit from the stage. And I think he realized that wasn't the right gesture and then clenched his fist...

[@larsvaahlmar1784]

That photograph has been viewed by hundreds and thousands of people ... even against their will :))

[@TenaciousDmitchell]

Hello from Newport Beach Ca. Blessings to you my fellow, beautiful person. ❤

[@slcinwa3211]

Thank you Vlad. Your psychoanalytical is one I understood completely. (which means something - to me at least - because I confess to not fully comprehending a lot of your commentary) I genuinely appreciate ALL of your analysis as I always feel smart while listening. 🤓

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you so so much! It is never my expectation that I manage to make everything I say clear - but I try!

[@morebirdsandroses]

This is true for me too. 👩‍🎓 What I do understand is of value, what I may learn maybe even more, and I feel smart for the effort made, happy for a little new understanding. Appreciate your comment.

[@wendydunn5611]

Thank you Vlad the one thing that trump truly excels at is “Creating Drama” and he can take some responsibility for this recent event. He demands attention and sadly many react to his egotistical need for “Look at me, look at me” I pray people wake up to his behaviours which remind me of an old recycled cowboy looking for lost glory!!! Remembering why the need for guns on the streets, what do we learn from this!!!!

[@Juttutin]

​​@@VladVexlerChatin this case, I think the bit you were worried about came across extremely clearly... Almost "I didn't think of that at all, but it's very apparent now you say it". The one factor in this that you didn't mention was the real-time crowd feedback. Between the time of the photo of him on the ground, and him standing up fully, the crowd closest to him, who could see that, started to cheer, and I kinda thought that was literally powering him, the more people cheering at seeing him being 'erect' the more 'erect' he wanted to get to show them his power and feed off their adulation.

[@erinmac4750]

​@@Juttutin Good point. He does feed off of the attention and energy of the crowds or his followers on social media.

[@JBroMCMXCI]

Trump was in shock there was no meaning behind it lil bro

[@PjRjHj]

Exactly

[@W.Frates]

Unbelievable….unsubscribed.

[@whatsgoingon71]

Vlad has the best comparisons. Period. 😂

[@diametheuslambda]

So that wasn't useful, but now I have an image of Trump with, um, altered appendages. Thanks for that.

[@Nyllsor]

Too far out and off course on this one Vlad. But no worries, it can happen even to the best of us. I see you in the next vid :)

[@robertfreitag687]

I think this video was maybe 14 minutes longer than it needed to be. I spent like 95% of the run time waiting for him to get to the point. It's not like I thought he said anything untrue or completely irrelevant. Just that it's a pretty discursive way to go about making the point. Which would have been maybe more understandable if it seemed like really powerful point, but it didn't come off that way to me. But he's a professional philosopher. Of course that's how he's going to approach it.

[@robcrow2593]

Explain your stance.

[@amirsalehabadi7243]

As someone who reads way too much history and believes in its effect on society. A biased part of me personally feels like president Roosevelt set a precedent on how a presidential candidate is supposed to behave in the face of a failed assassination, as a result all presidential candidates of the US feel at least somewhat compelled to follow the same standard or format if only to avoid being negetively compared and viewed as pitiful or weak by such a comparison. Despite everything most candidates still pay attention to popular history and they have sharp instincts

[@VINLAND_777]

*Astonishing:* - once there was a time, when being a hero meant that you did something heroic that potentially helped others in some way. - nowadays someone is considered a hero when he collected so much antipathy that people attack him. It‘s all so Orwellian what is happening in US politics in my opinion and Americans would do good to remember that they are one country and one people after all. Any politician who does speak of „us“ and „them“ should be seen as an enemy of the people. A leader has to care for all of his people and give all of them hope and unite them. Just like a father with kids that constantly have fights with each other.

[@spec6032]

Fantastic, would love to hear more psychoanalytical interpretations of political acts from you again in the future Vlad! Thank you!

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you!

[@frankwitte1022]

I think it might be interesting to extend your thoughts also to the moments immediately preceding the "fist raised", so to the moment where he asks for his shoes, and where he asks security to let him do it. Especially the tone of his voice there seems to be almost pleading. Trump went through a bit of an arc in those brief moments.

[@klhilde]

"almost pleading ..." Hmmm, I'll go back and listen again, but I certainly didn't hear any such thing and I've watched it numerous times. There's little doubt he was concerned about the image, but beyond that, there is not much commonality between "insistance" and "pleading." I suspect your read of his tone says more about you and your attitude toward the man than it says of the man himself.

[@PatSank-f2q]

I had a similar experience when a soup can struck my toe. How should I react?, I asked myself. What is the most advantageous display to advance my ambitions in life? In addition to my cunning calculations, there was something mysterious from deep within me, propelling me, almost instinctively, to react with strong emotions. It was like I was four years old again. People around me responded sympathetically and supported me. Deep down I knew it would end like that. I think I wanted that. I will have to ask an intellectual about it. It was very satisfying.

[@hadtopicausername]

The thing that strikes me, is: Imagine that it, god forbid, were Biden in the same situation. Can you picture him reacting with the same determination and resoluteness? I know I can't. Trump's instincts certainly served him well, I'll give him that.

[@johnheckles8239]

Is it bad that when I listen to Vlad all I can hear is “Officer Crabtree” from Allo Allo talking philosophy 😬🤭😂🤷🏻‍♂️

[@VladVexlerChat]

That’s hilarious!

[@thomasmaughan4798]

Oh my gosh. There's a vivid picture!

[@lindabastable3021]

Yes. I would be very interested in your analysis of Zelenskyy's decision to stay. More interestingly, where his perfect phrase of ride - v - ammunition sprang from. That was what electrified people, not the decision itself. On Trump: there was a much flaunted picture of him and his FBI guards. It was a parody of the instantly recognisable picture of marines planting the flag during WWII. I was revolted by this. Brave men giving everything for democracy grafted on to a draft dodger with a grazed ear intent on destroying democracy. You are always admirably calm. I have to admit that I have shaken myself with the propensity for hatred Trump's survival showed me I possess.

[@kitsuneneko2567]

Secret service, not fbi.

[@lindabastable3021]

@kitsuneneko2567 Thank you for the information. I can't say I ever thought about it. So, another branch of ignorance down in the forest of complexity that is contemporary life.

[@petermach8635]

You're reading far to much into the image. The Iwo Jima picture was deliberately staged, to replace the much smaller flag the conquering troops had left there. The Trump picture also has an American flag but it just happened to be there in the background, it was a political rally in America, there would have been many flags .... the Trump picture wasn't set up.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"I have to admit that I have shaken myself with the propensity for hatred" That is something I find fascinating. Not one person has ever explained this hatred other than it exists. I have never hated opponents; I consider sometimes they are dangerous but I don't *hate* them or lose much tranquility. Same with the Cold War; the Russians were the honorable enemy, as compared to terrorists that have no honor. I was in the Navy. When I got out of the Navy after the cold war, my next door neighbor was a Russian from Petrograd, Leningrad, St. Petersburg! I had a momentary struggle remembering its newest name. We got along well; no personal animosity between ordinary Americans (even a sailor in the Navy) and an ordinary Russian. So why do you hate Trump? Perhaps you can be the first to explain in rational terms why this exists. What has he done TO YOU?

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"Brave men giving everything for democracy" Not exactly. I keep seeing this word "democracy" presumably to describe the REPUBLIC.

[@TheClanDad]

Do you think adrenaline may have played a role in causing him to manifest the three factors you mention in such an exaggerated way? And choosing the word “fights” was a sub conscious choice. It was fight, or flight…

[@richardsimms279]

Don’t you see, by not letting his enemies define him, he’s a bad person?

[@willthecat3861]

I'm listening. Yet, IMO, psychoanalysis doesn't provide any more explanation than allegory does. Psychoanalysis,like allegory, does not strictly adhere to the empirical standards of evidence-based practices in modern psychology. (As much as modern psychology adheres to them.) Psychoanalysis employs clinical observation, case studies, and frameworks, as a substitute for systematic empirical validation using controlled studies. I don't say there's no value in psychoanalysis, for those who value it. I will also say that value and explanation are not mutually exclusive. And, that's as far as I'll go for psychoanalysis.

[@stupidburp]

Fight or flight response

[@Aaron-rw3lv]

He pretended to choose fight mid flight 😂

[@judyweeks1480]

@@Aaron-rw3lv Exactly, he's the biggest coward who ever walked the earth.

[@stupidburp]

The pressure of eyes on him combined with his own character personality provoked a swing from flight to fight response. This may be theater for both the public and for himself but this is one common motivator in a fight response. Not a profile in courage but in aggression when challenged. The effect is much the same however, a symbolic gesture and chant that has no bearing on the actual physical threat to him but a large bearing on the power of perception. His default emotional state is anger and this is where he went as soon as he was smothered by secret service. His narcissism overrides fear with delusions of immortality and his ego then reacts to the situation as with any other opposition - with rage fueling an urge to fight.

[@debrutomeyer9117]

What a fantastic presentation!!! Thank you. Maybe cover even more issues outside of the war? (And I appreciate that you already do some)

[@VladVexlerChat]

Sure - there is also a philosophy channel where I will be doing more of things like this.

[@storkonstage]

For this time I totally disagree. This gesture of Trump was a case of opportunism in its ultimate form. Instinctual behaviour to win out of any kind of situation. A true major league narcisicist in its highest form.

[@edzuris7944]

I fear you are very correct. The Fight, fight, fight that Donald was saying, with his fist in the air, is now a chant in the RNC. Donald Trump's opportunism is almost instinctual. Like a shark taking a bite of something near by; whether it is a fish or a license plate.

[@robertfreitag687]

Vulgarity is about an assumed (but not necessarily factual) familiarity and identification. Politeness is about an expressed (and not necessarily sincere) recognition of differences. You can't have a really functional politics based on vulgarity because by definition politics is about negotiating differences.

[@landoonline6393]

Appreciate the psychoanalytic angle, thanks for 'risking' the take.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you!

[@mnorth1351]

Except Vlad did NOT say how his theory applied to Trump at all. He apologized for using the word 'hysterical', he gave the example of a 4-year old, and then he ended, without explaining how he thought his example or his concept applied to Trump, and without arguing for that view.

[@johnslow8351]

I've seen him doing the fist thing for a long time. He knows it photographs well so he's always doing it. Also interesting he was asking for his shoes right away. My guess is he wanted to walk down the stage with fist up. Psychologically, there's a ton of history to suggest he's weird in an infantile and sexual way. I don't have the skill to give specifics to his fist, so that was some interesting stuff. Thanks.

[@jethrobradley7850]

Anyone fancy a hug? 🤗

[@spasgeorgiev6909]

Love your content, Vlad! Thank you for staying positive - I need all the positivity I can get.

[@Matt-O117-SV]

I saw an interesting analysis of Trump that theorised that Trump is not a real person, even in his own mind, he's a TV character. What that means is that he doesn't have much sense of self, so he doesn't really _do_ things consciously, it's rather that his persona dictates what happens next in the story, like an LLM AI. Specifically Trump is playing the part of Donald Trump, as seen in The Apprentice, and that character is a larger than life, over the top, grandiose cartoon villain.

[@RT-mn2pb]

Vlad, thanks for your thoughtful discussion of the issues you address. It can be hard to find thoughtfulness,

[@EndingSimple]

There was that time when Teddy Roosvelt was on his way to give a speech and got shot in the chest and went on to give his speech anyway, opening with " I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot-but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." "Bull Moose" was the nick name of his new, independent political party. Then there's Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson, old and infirm in the White House with more bullet holes in him then most people, and still threatening to challenge his enemies to a duel. There is a history of this in US politics, and Trump has just joined it. He can think fast on his feet. He knew that if he let his Secret Service team drag him out like a cripple, it would put him on the same plain as Joe Biden. So he saw his opportunity and took it.

[@Cocoisagordonsetter]

If you are correct, then he is actually quite a bit more intelligent than I give him credit for. I think it's simple muscle memory and his character.

[@robcrow2593]

​@@CocoisagordonsetterNot intelligence, cunning.

[@Cocoisagordonsetter]

@@robcrow2593 That's just semantics. Call it whatever you want. I mean he was president. They probably should role play these kinds of inevitable situations. So then he could have prepared his reaction on his vision board for iconic future imagery.

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Ronald Reagan also was defiant, saying "I forgot to duck."

[@successanimation]

Honestly, this analysis is absolutely ridiculous. There wasn't anything sexual at all. This was a pro-wrestling reaction.

[@barryc1968]

Funny because what I saw was a frightened puppy, it just showed how vulnerable he really is.

[@s99962]

Hi Vlad, first I would like to wish you all the best ❤️ secondly I think it would be great to see your deep dive video about populism, such content is lacking on KZbin and you could help us make sense of it.

[@jsmith-jones1684]

Agreed, and I think Vlad has already done a video on populism. Might be on his main channel, I will take a look. Itʻs always helpful to re-watch.

[@shaunkeegan]

Yes I would absolutely love a Zelenskyy video! On his political transformation into a war time leader maybe?

[@VladVexlerChat]

Got it.

[@ceceliablair9177]

The psychologist Sam Vaknin, an expert on narcissism, says that the nature of sexuality in this type is essentially autoerotic-immature and autoerotic, as you too see in Trump’s behavior.

[@NastazyaPhylipovnaTchornaya]

@@ceceliablair9177 Sam Vaknin can be relevant, but is a diagnosed psychopath and narcissist, so obsessed with his own image:/

[@begr_wiedererkennungswert]

@@NastazyaPhylipovnaTchornaya I'm a fan, but people should watch the documentation about him too to understand.

[@mikecaetano]

The flag was flying upside down in the iconic photo. George Wallace survived an assassination attempt too. It didn't put him in the White House. "Let me get my shoes," he says, "Let me get my shoes. Let me get my shoes on. Let me get my shoes. Wait, wait, wait!"

[@richardsimms279]

Cope and seethe. The flag was attached to a line stretched between two poles, it wasn’t upside down.

[@paulbinns9375]

The original poster is correct, although the flag is indeed hung vertically, you will note that the stars are in the upper left corner. Thus, it doesn’t matter how many times you rotate the flag or on whatever position you hold it, the horizontally displayed flag will always be upside-down as a MAGA symbol, not a legitimate USA flag. The only way to get a proper, legal USA flag is to reverse the image you see in this photo, because it is a reverse image.

[@Dzugoslav]

And just like that, hugs become very uncomfortable...

[@VladVexlerChat]

No!!!! Hugs are awesome!!!!! Sorry!

[@kristinfrostlazerbeams]

Fight fight? What are we fighting? Is this now a mosh pit? Where is the heavy metal band, though? Fight whaaaaaat, though? 😂

[@Gazer873]

Seldom we were so d‘accord than in this analysis. 👍

[@TheAmericanDreamLives]

Vlad, I believe that Zelenskyy stayed in Ukraine when he could have escaped for exactly the same reason that Navalny returned to russia. 😉

[@Cocoisagordonsetter]

Zelensky leaving would be so cowardly he never could have endured the ridicule. I am not impressed by him. He's a grifter. Navalny, who I followed for years, went back as a lamb to the slaughter. I don't necessarily agree with it. I also don't see him as a completely selfless character WHATSOEVER.

[@mariaantoniettapelo4028]

Great video ❤ Thank you. I discovered what I had actually already understood but couldn't interpret. Now everything fits perfectly. Ah! Pronuncia italiana 🇮🇹 perfetta!👍🏻

[@therealuncleowen2588]

As an American, this event brings to mind Gerald Ford's reaction at the moment of his inauguration. If you watch it, it is available on KZbin, it is easy to spot the moment when the enormity of the situation hits him and his expression is one of being flabbergasted. Recall that this was a man who 6 months before had been simply the minority leader the House of Representatives. Even the week before, he would not have expected to ascend from the vice presidency to the Presidency. What that moment revealed was his basic lack of desire for power. He simply wanted to serve his constituents and his country, something which he had spent his life doing. Here he was, quite suddenly, the President of the United States, and his honest reaction was to be shocked rather than any type of satisfaction. I've always felt that after that moment, had I had the power to do so, I would have offered him the job of President-for-life. Ford, being the man he was, would have rejected any such offer.

[@user-ci8kj5wb1p]

Very thought-provoking! I want to comment, but need to think more deeply about what you said before I attempt to do that. I haven't been able to put a word to Trump's typical facial expression, and when you said "pouting", I thought, "Aha!" Thanks a lot for sharing your perspective.

[@grindedfranz]

Very beautiful! We got a raise! Hello very beautiful Vlad!!

[@ChrisEkstedt]

I really loved this take on Trumps gesture and especially the latter part that broke it down psychologically. Thank you for continuing to cover the current (very concerning) clown show of US politics. I can say your commentary on it is certainly therapeutic for a lot of us in the US. 🌻

[@mnorth1351]

That was the part of the video that didn't make any sense. He didn't reference anything particular about Trump, it was all his example, in his own head.

[@ChrisEkstedt]

@@mnorth1351 Hi, he was IMO commenting on the gesture that Trump made...thus the connection to Trump.

[@mnorth1351]

@@ChrisEkstedt Yeah, obviously, because that is in the title of the video. But he didn't make any argument for his assertion that are raised fist is a sexualized gesture in itself, or even give any details about what Trump did in particular which suggests that it should be interpreted that way in his case. Vlad is just making a bald assertion, in order to insult Trump. Vlad had some TDS going on...

[@ChrisEkstedt]

@@mnorth1351 Well ask him!

[@marklinlionel7163]

Thanks for bringing the conversation down to my level. Call it what you may the simple fact is trump is brilliant at accessing a situation and optimizing on all possible beneficial results. Now I have to charge my pants.

[@Mythdoubt]

It''s actually really simple. Trump has the heart of a warrior.

[@Todd.B]

It would make sense that if he raised his arm to show he's ok, his words would have also reflected that, like I'm OK, fight, fight fight doesn't reflect that.

[@martycrow]

Well observed! Yes I thought that if the gesture was to reassure the crowd, a thumbs up or OK gesture would have been better. This resonated more with Jan 6th "fight like hell".

[@moonasha]

if you're applying any sort of logic to his words, you're making a huge mistake. He was in shock. If you've never had a real adrenaline rush you wouldn't understand.

[@quintrankid8045]

Trump may reasonably view himself as being metaphorically embattled, particularly after an attempt on his life. I suspect it's an error to take him literally in this case.

[@Todd.B]

@@moonasha Your first mistake is assuming you know what was in trumps head. Second, nothing we say is without intent, regardless of how irrational it may seem to others, there is always intent behind our words. Third, there is lots of time between the incident and trump being taken off stage, he even told SS to "wait", so he could throw up his arm and shout fight. It was deliberate and intention, and any notion to the contrary is absurd.

[@BlauJen887]

I agree with these sentiments and now totally think about this in a different way; a pure and naive (at least on his part) response to a stressful and awful situation. For him the raised fist is maybe not political. The response of other people around him is Machiavellian, in the sense of being politicians looking to gain from happenstance.

[@gandalf1379]

I don't know dude, I think he was just playing to his audience in the moment. Given his character, past experiences and what happened, this is just how it turned out. Maybe you're overanalysing, maybe I am wrong. Don't understand the "sexualised" angle...

[@mostfrequencies4981]

Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle also resonates with me in this instance, as does Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation. Either way, Trump's fist rising removes all authenticity from the event itself, becoming something else, a product, a tool, the keys to the White House (and so on and so forth).

[@Crabbiy]

In terms of instinct: I think his gesture was more specifically motivated by pain-induced anger and adrenaline.

[@piop]

We see the same gesture a dozen times in each round of football after scoring a goal or saving a penalty kick. Anything beyond that is intellectually frivolous.

[@robcrow2593]

@piop ...and it always signifies pumping your wodger in ecstasy!😂 Don't tell me you've never thought of the connection?

[@GrahamLaight]

Disagree with the video: I've seen multiple sports people do the same thing ("Inky" Johnson being carried off an American football pitch after the accident that cost him an arm, and Michael Schumacher being carried from his Ferrari after breaking a leg at Silverstone). It's what strong people do after receiving an injury in front of a crowd.

[@robertfreitag687]

Yeah. It's a recognized vulgarity. Going back centuries. That's how people recognize it.

[@audreyw8521]

Trump is not strong. He is pathologically driven. It's not quite the same thing.

[@klhilde]

@@robertfreitag687 Come on, get it right. The fist pump that is a recognized vulgarity has the fist twisted nearly 180 degrees from Trump's gesture. Also, it's really not very common in the US anyway.

[@DarkestAlice]

Thank you, Vlad, for entwining the pouting politician for us. Take good care. Lots of love and listen to you soon 🤗

[@rachelatwood9555]

Vlad really loves messing about in boat metaphors 😅

[@janronschke7525]

Do we or dont we overanalyse the shape of boats in this context?😂 It seems reasonable given the psychoanalytical space were floating in^^

[@rachelatwood9555]

@janronschke7525 I was referencing The Wind in The Willows, but sure, why not

[@janronschke7525]

@@rachelatwood9555 And i was refering to all the boat methaphors^^ but well sometimes a canoe is just a canoe!😅