I wasn't sure which word to use in the title of this Substack to describe the unique kind of empathy Trump and his MAGA cohorts have. The other terms I considered were obscene, meaing offensive to moral principles, and repugnant. I settled on "perverse" because it was less judgmental. It decribes a person or their actions showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable.
People who understand, and care about, emotions know that empathy is a deeper human experience than sympathy. It means that one can temporarily put themselves inside of another person's experiential world and get a profound sense of what they are feeling. It is as if they are feeling another's feelings themselves. When someone is empathizing, their feelings can be said to be resonating with the other person's feelings. These individuals are called empathetic (sometimes empathic, meaning the same thing).
Trump has been called a malignant narcissist. He fits the definition on Wikipedia and on many other websites.
All of the definitions address the lack of empathy. This is from Wikipedia:
Because traits of antisocial personality disorder are present in malignant narcissism, the "malignant narcissist" has a more pervasive lack of empathy than someone with NPD (narcissstic personality disorder) alone and will lack feelings of guilt or remorse for the damage they cause.
Definitions also include a sadist element:
Psychologist Keith Campbell has defined malignant narcissism specifically as the rare but dangerous combination of narcissism and sadism.
In thinking about Trump and some of the people he is relying on to advance his agenda like Stephen Miller, I've concluded that they have a unique kind of empathy. I am calling it perverse empathy. Because they are sadists they enjoy being able to make their enemies suffer. They want them to be scared. They take pleasure in knowing that they can make millions of migrants, even children, frightened about being deported. They want trans people to be miserable. They want DEI hires to worry themselves sick about where their next paycheck is coming from. They want political enemies to be anxious about their personal safety. They want people like us to be worried sick about the country becoming a dictatorship. As Trump and his minions find more groups to demonize and terrorize the list will grow.
I've been posting the illustration above on my Substacks about Trump lately, but on the bottom of the page. Today it is the main illustration. This is because unless Trump sees the cruelty he unleashes he doesn't enjoy it. He not only wants to know how much he is hurting people, he wants as many other people to know this as possible. For example, he wants immigrant roundups, like the one happening today in Chicago, to get as much publicity as possible.
Here's why I suggest that Trump and his ilk have a particular kind of empathy.
To really enjoy hurting someone a person has to be able to have a good sense of how they, the victims, are feeling. Here's where sympathy and empathy diverge. They actually get into that person's skin and are able to get a glimpse of how they feel, of their fear or terror.
Bishop Budde said directly to Trump that she hoped he would show mercy, as if he was capable of this.
People like Trump take pleasure in inflicting pain. They certainly don't sympathize with their victims. Asking Trump to show mercy is like asking the same of Hannibal Lector.
An empathetic therapist empathizes with their client during a session and often when thinking about them. They learn to pull back emotionally lest they become overwhelmed with what is referred to as caregiver fatigue or burnout. People in all healthcare professions have to learn what is referred to as controlled emotional involvement.
The perversely empathetic person empathizes with their victims because it enhances their own pleasure. Obviously, it never bothers them so they certainly don't need to learn controlled emotional involvement. They really want to know how much the people they injure are suffering.
Trump is on a crusade of cruelty. In this respect he is like Hitler. I expect we will see editorial cartoons about Trump similar to these about Hitler:
 |
| Cartoon by British artist David Low. |
How much Hitler personally enjoyed the pain he inflicted is, as far as I can tell, unknown. He was a psychopath and may or may not have been a sadist. We don't know if he enjoyed thinking about what was happening in the death camps. Of course, he didn't care about how many people he had killed. Killing was a means to achieve an ends.
Trump has many traits of being a psychopathic personality. While not killing people, he is on a path to hurting millions of people, and he is enjoying this.
Using Trump and "having empathy" in the same sentence may seem like an oxymoron. My premise it that he does have empathy, but it is a unique loathsome kind of empathy.
Addendum:
Practical Examples of Empathy (Reference)
To further illustrate the practical use of these terms, consider the following examples:
- Everyday Language: “His empathetic nature made him a great friend, always knowing how to console others in times of need.”
- Clinical Setting: “The therapist used an empathic approach to build trust and understanding with her patients.”
- Literary Context: “The novel’s protagonist had an empathic connection with animals, sensing their emotions as if they were her own.”
- Social Interaction: “Being empathetic towards others can significantly improve your relationships and social connections.”
