494 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Theresa's avatar

I'm typically not one to blame the parents for how someone turns out but damn! Fred & Mary raised one seriously F*&#d up monster. You are absolutely right, he's never been held accountable and he's throwing a world class temper tantrum as a result.

Donald Trump should be the example to parents everywhere of "this is what happens when you don't say 'no' to your kids."

Expand full comment
suzc's avatar

Niece Mary Trump's book is revelatory regarding what created TFG. Looks like Fred was a psychopath as well as a Nazi and Mary was a depressive alcoholic (who was distant and mean). Their eldest son (niece's dad) disappointed them by being human so they moved on to TFG who didn't disappoint. But it is no excuse or justification, just explanation.

Expand full comment
Edward's avatar

In reading the indictment, you know Trump was the kid who had the Playboy magazine in middle school and told his friends, “I’m not supposed to have this but I do. Let me show you” and when his dad found out they shared a laugh and Fred slapped him on the back for being the cool son.

Expand full comment
Deutschmeister's avatar

I've been saying this all along ... without absolving Donald Trump for his many sins, his father must have done a real number on him as a kid. I can't think of a worse role model to have turned his child into such a defective human life form. I feel a nearly uncontrollable urge to go piss on his grave for all that he helped to unleash on the rest of us.

Expand full comment
Kathy Balles's avatar

Well, you had to send me into Google land. Unfortunately, 1) I’m not male, so not easy for me to do and 2) Queens is PITA to get to (maybe one more reason why 45 always wanted to be associated with Manhattan instead)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40736522/frederick-christ-trump

Expand full comment
Deutschmeister's avatar

Many thanks, Kathy. I will make sure to drink at least a few fermented malt beverages before I make the journey, so that I am sufficiently capable of leaving my mark for posterity.

Expand full comment
rlritt's avatar

His father made him a millionaire at 5 yrs old. I'm sure his father told him he could anything he wanted.

Expand full comment
Kathe Rich's avatar

It seems to me that poor parenting has been the cause of much misery inflicted on humanity. Putin's parents were pretty awful as well.

Expand full comment
Mary's avatar

Amen! Can't be said often enough or loud enough. I love the "they did their best" refrain that is often times offered in defense of shitty parents.

I think it can be argued that the vast majority of parents "do their best", I think it can also argued that many peoples' best is really quite shitty.

Expand full comment
SandyG's avatar

There's lots of lit in the psych world about abusers having parents who abused, who had parents who were abused, back through many generations in western societies. Children need both firmness AND love from their parents. Parents who were damaged as children can't show love to their own children unless they get therapeutic care to heal the wounds of their childhood.

Expand full comment
suzc's avatar

So many abusers were abused. But many abused did not become abusers. No justification for what TFG is.

Expand full comment
SandyG's avatar

Not a justification, but an explanation.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Every Trump supporter I know would never tolerate his behavior from their own children. He’s the embodiment of every naughty childhood behavior, in human form. I read about his “charisma” and it’s like a different planet. To me he’s 100% revolting.

Expand full comment
Kathryn Page's avatar

It's charisma to people who were abused by their own parents, are stuck in pre-adolescent rebellion stage, always wanted to stick it to them, and now they feel like they are. All that yelling and investigation and name-calling--middle-school assholes.

Expand full comment
SandyG's avatar

Well said! Take a look at "The ‘Shared Psychosis’ of Donald Trump and His Loyalists" (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-shared-psychosis-of-donald-trump-and-his-loyalists/) by forensic psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee. She says exactly that.

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Wow, thanks for this link! I almost didn’t see it. I didn’t realize how desperate I was for answers/explanations about Trump’s followers - even though, thankfully, I don’t have any in my immediate circle.

Removing exposure seems to be the only answer to breaking the dysfunctional link between the mentally ill leader and his followers; hopefully soon? With Trump campaigning it feels like a very fragile hope. Maybe we are too deferential to our political process; what was intended to protect us seems more likely to harm us.

Expand full comment
SandyG's avatar

You are welcome. I came across it a few months ago. Explains a lot!

How is removing exposure to be done?

Expand full comment
JF's avatar

Yes, how indeed? I don’t think prison would do it. Not even death, probably. It feels like we are sliding towards a martyr cult. Maybe some unrelated national catastrophe will change the subject. How unfortunate. But Biden is working diligently on mitigating inequality, by ginning up manufacturing jobs for people without a college degree, which she identifies as a cause in his supporters being so fragile. I just downloaded her book on Kindle.

Expand full comment
Edward's avatar

His father was a piece of work from what I have read. And when you give your kids everything on a silver platter, it doesn’t go well. Look at TFG’s brother; he clearly had serious issues too.

Expand full comment
SETH HALPERN's avatar

It was worse than that. Fred didn't spoil his son, he taught him that the world is divided into winners and losers, and that there is nothing worse than being a loser.

Indeed, Fred sent Donald to military school on purpose to toughen (many would say brutalize) him further. Physical abuse there was rampant, and Trump loved and excelled at it.

Expand full comment
Mary Brownell's avatar

But only Donald was sent to military school, not his two brothers. I know I have read several times about Trump’s violence in school (punched a teacher, I am pretty sure). I thought he was sent to military school for a similar reason as many boys in those days-to “teach” him discipline.

Expand full comment