What lies behind Donald Trump’s success — political strategy, charisma, or the deeper psychological mechanisms he intuitively knows how to activate within society? Why do millions perceive him as a protector, while others see him as a threat to the world?
These questions were addressed by Otto Kernberg, M.D., one of the most prominent contemporary psychiatrists, in his interview for the German magazine Spiegel on November 23, 2025. The conversation, titled “Psychologie der Massen. Am Ende hat Trump Angst vor Putin” (“The Psychology of the Masses. In the End, Trump Is Afraid of Putin”), explored the psychological mechanisms that shape the behavior of political leaders and how society responds to them.
Kernberg’s perspective goes far beyond traditional political analysis: he invites the reader to look deeper — into the internal logic of a leader’s personality, one capable of shaping reality around himself and influencing mass attitudes. This leads us to the key question:
Can Donald Trump be considered a leader with features of malignant narcissism?
According to Otto Kernberg:
“Donald Trump obviously wants his supporters to love him, yet he behaves in a way that makes many other people oppose him. But I cannot give a psychiatric diagnosis to someone I have not examined personally. Therefore, I do not know whether Trump suffers from malignant narcissism in the clinical sense. Perhaps, in his personal life, he behaves much more sensibly and decently than he does in public — though I do not believe that. But as a politician, he certainly demonstrates traits of malignant narcissism.”
Expanding on these characteristics, Kernberg describes concrete patterns of behavior. He notes:
“Alongside his striving for grandiosity, Trump exhibits aggressiveness and almost pathological vindictiveness: he sees himself surrounded by enemies and pursues anyone who has ever spoken against him. Another feature is the dishonesty with which he fights his imagined enemies. For him, what matters is to win — by any means. Trump’s supporters admire him for the courage with which he lies.
He creates the impression that he lies for a good cause — as if he were striking back at a hostile, deceitful society, which they themselves perceive as a threat, using its own weapon. When he denies climate change or labels scientists as enemies of the state, his supporters view this as an act of bravery.
People who work closely with him surely know that he lies. But the vast majority of his supporters believe him, even when he claims, for example, that he was the true winner of the 2020 election and not Biden. The 40 million Americans who follow him think above all: he is powerful, he can achieve anything he wants — he will solve all problems. At the same time, he shows them that he is an ordinary person, just like them — ‘one of their own,’ because he speaks their language and, for their sake, dares to say anything, even the crudest insults. These behavioral patterns are reminiscent of the admiration for Hitler during the era of National Socialism.”
We, the Ukrainian Institute for Personality Disorders Studies, support Kernberg’s reflections on the political figure of Donald Trump. In our view, Dr. Kernberg’s insights highlight the importance of understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying leadership, mass movements, and social conflict. This discussion is not merely about one political figure — it concerns broader processes that shape collective attitudes, perceptions of authority, and the willingness of people to trust charismatic individuals, even when their behavior appears contradictory or dangerous.
It was Otto Kernberg who formulated the concept of malignant narcissism, which includes the following features:
- severe narcissistic personality disorder
- exploitative interpersonal relations — that is, a person with malignant narcissism builds all relationships on the basis of exploitation
- intense envy
- paranoia
- sadism
- vindictiveness
- absence of moral values, that is, antisocial tendencies
In ordinary pathological narcissism, there is already a grandiose self, envy, lack of empathy, and exploitation — but aggression and antisocial traits may be less pervasive. Malignant narcissism adds severe destructive aggression, sadism, and marked paranoid tendencies, which, according to Kernberg, makes such patients clinically closer to psychopathy and significantly poorer in treatment prognosis — they stand on the borderline of treatability.
If you read this description now and apply it to other political leaders of today, you will see how complex a situation we all currently find ourselves in.
Otto Kernberg also offers ideas on how groups form around a narcissistic leader. This is equally important for understanding current socio-political processes.
Kernberg does not provide ready-made solutions for changing the situation, but a realistic understanding of what is happening may support one’s ability to build a coherent personal life path and make important decisions.
This material is based on Otto Kernberg’s interview “Psychologie der Massen. Am Ende hat Trump Angst vor Putin” published in the German magazine Spiegel on 23.11.2025. The full text is available at: https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/otto-kernberg-ueber-boesartige-narzissten-es-haette-auch-andere-trumps-geben-koennen-a-41ce39c6-8659-44db-888d-83e683fa3140
(c) Yuliia Holopiorova,
Ukrainian Association of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy