TWIT: Uncontrollable and a Lot Less Orange

Update: All twelve jurors and one alternate have been seated in the Manhattan trial today. Five more alternates have been selected.  Jury selection was notably rapid. Opening statements will begin on Monday.

US Person, aka Brand X, agrees with those pundits who have identified Donny as a "narcissistic sociopath". According to the DSM-5, the psychiatric manual used to diagnose those with personality disorders of various types, a person must be diagnosed with symptoms of both narcissism and anti-social personality disorder.  Trumpilini has publicly exhibited both types of disorders.  His anti-social behavior ranges from compulsive lying, cheating on golf, failing to pay business debts, to lack of concern for the safety of others. (Comparing COVID to the flu.)  He also has engaged in behavior considered criminal (sexually assaulting E. Jean Carrol in a Bergdoff changing room.) 

His narcissistic disorder is also unmistakable.  He has engaged in a life-long pursuit of money and power, which feeds his grandiose sense of self-importance (He is the 'Chosen One').  His sense of entitlement is off the charts. (Keeping national defense secrets as his personal property.)  Arrogance and willingness to exploit others for personal gain is beyond denial (From a record of numerous fraudulent business dealings to selling NFTs, Bibles, and sneakers to pay his legal expenses).  He has no guilt for these abusive behaviors. Mary Trump, his niece and a trained psychologist, reveals that Donny has a fragile self-esteem which makes him insecure and easily affronted.  He suffered under an abusive and domineering father, that has contributed to his famously thin skin. Falling asleep during voir dire and not standing for the jury are examples of his narcissistic contempt for others not considered his equal.

So, it is fortuitous that Justice Merchan has experience dealing with mentally-ill persons as a judge on the court handling mental health issues. He should exercise caution with a neurotic defendant attempting to disrupt and distract from his criminal prosecution by attacking witnesses and potential jurors. His goal is to delay and discredit the legal process, and provide basis for appeals. Trump's repeated attempts at intimidation may not be entirely under his control, but yet another symptom of his Cluster B personality disorder. Two of the seven jurors seated this week were removed for cause. One of them stated she was concerned about being identified after a Trump media hack exposed her identity on-line. That post was re-posted by bully-boy Trump. Proceed with caution at your contempt hearing next week, your Honor! Incarceration for contempt should be a last resort. Larger fines, say in the neighborhood of $10,000, or removal from the courtroom might be enough to get him to stop his damaging behavior.

On another legal front, the fifty million dollar 'ghost' loan that appeared in his company's financial disclosure documents and flagged by the independent court-appointed monitor in New York, has triggered a complaint from CREW, Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington to the DOJ. Tax experts have suggested the phantom loan may have helped him avoid taxes. Stayed tuned for developments.

credit: Britt