Does politics attract psychopaths?

 

Hannibal Lectre

In October 2024, over 200 mental health professionals signed and placed an open letter in the New York Times declaring that Donald Trump was "an existential threat to democracy" in the U.S. They claimed that Trump was dangerous because of "his symptoms of severe, untreatable personality disorder - malignant narcissism", which makes him "grossly unfit for leadership."

The advertisement in the New York Times was funded by 'Anti-Psychopath Pac' which is led by the Republican attorney George Conway, the former husband of Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump adviser from 2016 to 2020. The open letter said:

"Even a non-clinician can see that Trump shows a lifetime pattern of 'failure to conform to social norms and laws', repeated lying', reckless disregard for the safety of others', 'irritability', 'impulsivity', 'irresponsibility', and 'lack of remorse'. Trump's rival for the White House, the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, called the former president "increasingly unstable and unhinged" and a fascist.

I think some of Trump's personality traits are shared by many politicians who can also be manipulative, deceitful, and mendacious which are some of the traits of psychopathy.  Politicians often have to defend positions without necessarily believing in them.

I do remember the psychiatrist Paul Brok, describing Tony Blair as a "plausible psychopath" because he had "charm, insincerity, and a talent for drama." The philosopher John Gray, described Blair as being "too morally stunted to be capable of mendacity" because Blair "thinks and acts on the premise that whatever furthers the triumph of what he believes to be good must be true."

Blair believes that he can rid the world of evil and has even named a faith foundation and global institute after himself. In 2024, Time Magazine, named Donald Trump as their Man of the Year. In 1938, Adolf Hitler was named Time's Man of the Year. Time Magazine named Joseph Stalin Man of the Year in 1939 and 1942. Both of those dictators were responsible for the deaths of millions. People have always worshipped power and it's the way in which history is taught.