by Jack
Another firing, what the heck is going on in the White House? “President Trump announced Tuesday that John Bolton was no longer his national security adviser, saying in tweets that he “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions” and that Bolton was no longer needed.
The two men offered differing accounts about whether Trump had forced Bolton out of the position or whether Bolton left voluntarily after repeated clashes with Trump.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump said on Twitter. “I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service.”
Trump has had an astonishing number of people fired or pressured to resign from his inner circle. This calls into question, why have any advisors if you are going to ignore them or fire them every time they disagree with you?
However, the bigger question here is even more troubling, please read on until the end before you form an opinion. That question surrounds Trump’s mental health. I keep falling back on, what is more important his policy or his presentation? I like his policies, mostly, but his presentations leave a lot to be desired and so do some of his snap decisions.
I worry that we’re seeing signs of a narcissistic personality disorder. Apparently I am not alone either. After doing some research I found that a number of healthcare professionals are similarly concerned, but they warn, non-professionals should not be too quick to judge. This is a very complex area of psychiatry and even definition of NPD has been 
the subject of intense debate.
Psychology Today said, many psychiatrists are reluctant to say President Trump suffers from a personality disorder because of something called the Goldwater rule, they need him to be a client and they need an office visit, but even then they couldn’t go public. However, the DMS-5 (diagnostic reference book) is quite clear what this disorder is, but that is still not enough for a credible diagnosis, so warn the professionals.
According to DSM-5, individuals with NPD have most (at least five) or all of the symptoms listed below (generally without commensurate qualities or accomplishments).
- Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment by others.
- Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.
- Self-perception of being unique, superior, and associated with high-status people and institutions.
- Needing constant admiration from others.
- Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others.
- Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain.
- Unwilling to empathize with others’ feelings, wishes, or needs.
- Intensely jealous of others and the belief that others are equally jealous of them.
- Pompous and arrogant demeanor.
Now here’s the part where we (lay people) can get into trouble trying to diagnose this complex personality disorder: Where do we separate persona from person? The onest answer is, I don’t know, because I am not a mental health expert. Sure, we can see how the above definition would fit Trump’s on-camera persona, but is it 
really Donald Trump the person? In all fairness, that’s what we don’t know.
We (supporters) have been giving him a pass on his theatrics and tweets, thinking this is just Trump’s persona, but in private we’re all hoping he really isn’t like that as a person, because if he is, the man has serious issues! But, we just don’t know do we?
Remember the old saying, “We are 3 people?” We are who we think we are. We are who others think we are. And finally we are… who we really are! There’s the catch and I wish I could give a definitive answer on who Trump really is, but we just can’t know with the limited information we have. We can only watch him closely and be prepared to step up if things go really wrong. Couple that big concern to facing a stampede of far left democrats determined to unseat Trump. Well, lets just say this is not the way I want to enter an important election year! God help us.
Jack: it looks to me like the entire cast of Democrat hopefuls has one form of mental disease or another. The question becomes; do we want a nut case who wants to hand out free stuff to everyone, a psycho who will turn the country into a mirror image of California, or a narcissist who will keep the economy going and keep appointing the right judges?
CJ that cuts right to essence of it. You’re right, Trump, crazy or not, still is our best choice.
*sigh* Why do I even hold out hope?
Why don’t you answer the question I keep asking you, Chris? Do you support what liberals have done to California?
It’s too vague a question to answer. Can you give me a specific policy and ask if I support it? Many of them I don’t.
Chris says; “It’s too vague a question to answer. Can you give me a specific policy and ask if I support it? Many of them I don’t.”
Stop it, Chris! There’s nothing vague about the damned question. The liberals have been in charge for several years, and every aspect of California society has been degraded. Schools, city life, small businesses, infrastructure, etc. , etc., etc.
Jack told me you had no intention of giving a direct answer. Go suck an egg.
What’s the big surprise Bolton got fired or he resigned? He’s been known to be a hawk for decades. Trump likes to talk to his opponents to work thing out first. Bolton didn’t like Trump meeting with Kim and Xi and he said so to the media. His coming out about Trump’s meeting with the taliban was the last straw.
How many times could you defy your boss before he/she showed you the door? Presidents are entitled to have advisors he can work with. Bolton wasn’t one of them. So what?
Trump is different than any modern day past president, because he comes from the private sector where being productive is a requirement. Nonproductive individuals are fired. Period. Odds were Boldon wouldn’t last as long as he did. It’s not about psychology, it’s business. Running this country is a huge business.
It’s not so much Bolton Peggy, it’s the total that he has hired and let go. You might think he would vet his appointments more carefully so he doesn’t have to fire them so often.
Jack, Trump was an outsider when he took office and relied on others recommendations, many who didn’t want him there from his own party. He wasn’t just set up to fail by democrats. Paul Ryan pulled a big number on him with the budget. Latest is Comey had two FBI agents inserted into the WH to spy and report back to him. IMHO Trump is a trout in a pond full of red and blue piranhas.
Yes, there’s a long list of those he let go, but Bolton’s stupid comment about using a similar plan as used by Obama and Hillary in Libya was just one of many major gaffs he made.
Watchdog files FOIA lawsuit against FBI over James Comey’s ‘spies’ in the White House:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/watchdog-files-foia-lawsuit-against-fbi-over-james-comeys-spies-in-the-white-house
What’s the big surprise Bolton got fired or he resigned? He’s been known to be a hawk for decades. Trump likes to talk to his opponents to work thing out first.
…In other words, Bolton was exactly the kind of guy that you and most every other Republican liked before you had to change your beliefs to accommodate Trump.
(And the problem is not that Trump “likes to talk to his opponents,” it’s that he does so in the weakest possible way and gains absolutely nothing from it, because he is a terrible negotiator and will fawn all over anyone that gives him a scrap of flattery.)
Bolton didn’t like Trump meeting with Kim and Xi and he said so to the media. His coming out about Trump’s meeting with the taliban was the last straw.
Why isn’t it the last straw for you?
How many times could you defy your boss before he/she showed you the door? Presidents are entitled to have advisors he can work with. Bolton wasn’t one of them. So what?
So Bolton, for all his faults, was clearly more knowledgeable and coherent than the president. That doesn’t matter to you.
Trump is different than any modern day past president, because he comes from the private sector where being productive is a requirement.
He spends most of most days either tweeting or golfing. Are you kidding?
Nonproductive individuals are fired. Period. Odds were Boldon wouldn’t last as long as he did. It’s not about psychology, it’s business. Running this country is a huge business.
No, running this country is not a business, and if it were, that would make Trump even less qualified, as he is a terrible businessman.
“In other words, Bolton was exactly the kind of guy that you and most every other Republican liked before you had to change your beliefs to accommodate Trump.”
Wrong again at mind reading. My generation fought in the Vietnam war and my parents in the WWll and Korean Conflict.
It was Obama’s and Hillary’s “Secret War” that created the mess in Libya. “We came, we saw, he died” LOL
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/07/02/hillarys-secret-war-operation-zero-footprint-hillary-approved-arms-for-terrorist-enemies-of-the-united-states/
“gains absolutely nothing from it, because he is a terrible negotiator and will fawn all over anyone that gives him a scrap of flattery.)”
Tell that to the families of the North Korean MIA who got the remains of their loved ones after 60 years, those living in Japan no longer having rockets flying over their heads, the parents of Otto Warmbier, the people of Iran and China who support Trump so much they’re waving the US flag and singing our anthem.
“He spends most of most days either tweeting or golfing. Are you kidding?”
LOL – He sleeps on average less than four hours a night. He’s gotten more done before dawn than most people do all day.
“No, running this country is not a business, and if it were, that would make Trump even less qualified, as he is a terrible businessman.”
Oh but, it is a business. Only those who have never run one would believe it’s not.
Tell that to…the people of Iran and China who support Trump so much they’re waving the US flag and singing our anthem.
I’m sorry. You believe that waving the US flag and singing our anthem automatically equates to…support for Trump?
And you want me to believe you’re not in a cult?
the parents of Otto Warmbier,
LOL. You mean the parents who spoke out when Trump echoed KJU’s denial that he had anything to do with Warmbier’s death–essentially taking the side of an evil dictator over the Warmbiers?
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/699387735/otto-warmbiers-parents-dispute-trump-s-seeming-absolution-of-kim-jong-un
Right on, Jack.
Anyone who goes to work for Trump does so knowing they may at some point face public humiliation at the hands of their boss, so I find it hard to sympathize with them when it happens to them. My only regret is that this didn’t happen to Sarah Sanders.
I wasn’t shocked at all when I heard that Bolton was out. Unfortunately many of the people on this level have huge egos and feel that things need to be done their way. Trump has a huge ego and Bolton is no different. I believe this trait is an unfortunate result of our political environment. Without a huge ego many wouldn’t be able to intellectually and emotionally survive the attacks from the opposition.
Back to Trump and Bolton…. Bolton is known for being a “hawk”. This would not be how you would describe Trump so they both would have different ways to approach a situation. This is not a bad thing. I believe a good leader surrounds himself with people with different perspectives so that all decisions take into account the different perspectives. But, because of strong egos, it can be difficult for advisers to deal with situations where decisions are made that are very different from their advise. I believe that was the driving factor in this case.
The big issue is whether Trump fired Bolton or if Bolton quit. It really doesn’t matter , the results are the same. However, this seems to be a big issue in the press right now. Trump says he was fired, Bolton says he quit. Could it be possible that both are telling the truth? In cases like this it can be a matter of perspective. From the information I’ve read Bolton offered his resignation. Why would he do so? We really don’t know for sure but, based on comments from both Trump and Bolton, we can imagine he was frustrated because decisions were being made that didn’t match his advice. So his solution is to offer his resignation because he feels he is not accomplishing anything. If Trump felt he was not contributing he would have accepted his resignation right away. Instead he tells Bolton to think about it overnight. At this point we have to assume that Trump wants to keep Bolton on as adviser and is unwilling to accept his resignation. Trump later says that he and Bolton had very different opinions about issues. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Trump may have valued Bolton’s opinion even if he did not take his advise. He may have been caught off guard my Bolton’s request to resign. During the night Trump considers the situation and decides before hearing from Bolton that it would be better if Bolton did resign so in the morning he asks for Bolton’s resignation and accepts it. From Bolton’s point of view that was accepting the resignation made the day before. From Trump’s point of view that resignation was not accepted and he later decided Bolton was not required in the position anymore so he was let go. But, again, does it really matter.
Unfortunately we won’t every really know what really happened. It would be interesting to hear the actual discussion between Bolton and Trump. How the resignation was presented would be nice to know. Was it just presented on it’s own as in “I want to resign” or as an ultimatum such as “if you do this I want to resign”? It would be nice to know if this was the first time Bolton offered his resignation. I worked with a guy that quit once a week for months until finally he was fired. If there were previous resignations than it would change things completely.
One thing that bothers me about this assumption that Trump is claiming he fired a resigning Bolton out of ego or narcissistic personality disorder is there have been other resignations where Trump did not claim it was a firing. He just accepted the resignation. This makes me believe that this may be just a matter of perspectives.
I’m glad your comments got thru Common Sense, these were great.
I’m still trying to get some comments through on the previous post. Something about the text is causing the connection to be reset. I’m debugging right now but I don’t have the ability to post a test post without it being displayed. I usually write my comments in MS Word and then cut and paste so I’ve tried to make sure there were no embedded formatting characters that might cause a problem. My post contains some names that were not found by the spell checker so it may have something to do with that. So I’m going to give that a try right now
Dukakis
If this gets through then it isn’t misspelled words. I love the fact that spell checker knows Trump, Clinton, Carter, Mondale, Reagan, and Bush but not Dukakis. What a legacy!
Wish I could help you, but it is what it is – we’re stuck. I think the software must have been designed by liberals.
Trump has a huge ego and Bolton is no different.
The difference is that Bolton, though terrible, has experience and qualifications and Trump does not. An important argument for Trump was that, despite being the first president with no government or military background, he would surround himself with the “best people” and take their advice. Instead we see that when more experienced advisers give him advice he doesn’t like–or, God forbid, make it known that they’re smarter and more knowledgeable than him–he freaks out and tries to publicly humiliate them.
I believe this trait is an unfortunate result of our political environment. Without a huge ego many wouldn’t be able to intellectually and emotionally survive the attacks from the opposition.
I tremble to think of the type of person you surround yourself with if Trump looks like a man “intellectually and emotionally surviving” anything to you.
The big issue is whether Trump fired Bolton or if Bolton quit. It really doesn’t matter , the results are the same.
It matters because either the president or the guy he chose as his National Security Adviser is lying, and for once, it’s hard to tell which person it is.
Could it be possible that both are telling the truth?
Given their histories, it’s more likely both are lying.
From elsewhere–
“On Wednesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson rightfully celebrated the firing of John Bolton as National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump. With no shortage of irony, Carlson noted that many left progressives, particularly those closely associated with former President Barack Obama, lamented Bolton’s departure. Top of the list was Samantha Power, the humanitarian interventionist who was instrumental in the Libya debacle and almost succeeded in getting Obama to go all-in with war against Syria. “Fundamentally Bolton was a man of the left,” Carlson declared.
He explained: Bolton never saw a problem that could not be solved by government intervention. That, Carlson noted, is characteristic of the left, not the right.
Whether Carlson intended to dig deeper or not, the reality is that Bolton’s brand of neoconservatism came directly out of the far left wing of Soviet Communism. As some may recall, many of the first generation of neoconservatives in the mid-1970s were former followers of Leon Trotsky–card carrying members of the Fourth International. They merely morphed Trotsky’s core idea of permanent revolution into the neoconservative dream of permanent war, permanent regime change. First Gen neocon godfather Irving Kristol personified the leftist roots of the neocons. But he was not alone in his early Trotskyite roots. Other neocons who were part of the Trotskyite New York Intellectuals included: Seymour Martin Lipset, Nathan Glazer, Leslie Fiedler and Kristol’s wife Gertrude Himmelfarb. They moved from the Young People’s Socialist League to the American Enterprise Institute.
Perhaps this is why Bolton, who is a rabid subscriber to the permanent war/permanent regime change dogma, shrieks in protest every time he is called a neocon.”
Link–
https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2019/09/harper-carlson-hails-departure-of-leftist-bolton.html
The amount of historical revisionism in Carlson’s words and that article borders on Orwellian. Wow.
Republicans loved Bolton until Trump fired him. But all positions must be adjusted at the order of Dear Leader.