The Overlooked Strategy to Defeat Trump: Exploiting His Narcissism
Trump is fuelled by narcissism. No one seems to dispute that. Whether he has narcissistic personality disorder, or any other disorder, is for psychologists to decide. But without a doubt, he ticks all the boxes on traits associated with narcissism.
That narcissism is not just a flaw. It is a huge opportunity. Perhaps the best weapon in the fight against him.
Before I show you how to use that narcissism, I want to point out a crucial aspect of Trump's narcissism that is missing from the public debate.
What is that?
For a narcissist like Trump, the need for control is everything. Any threat to his inflated ego must be addressed immediately. Every minute of every day.
Yet, media outlets keep writing headlines about what “Trump said,” analysing his positions on windmills, Palestine, or whatever the issue of the day may be.
But here is the truth: Trump doesn’t have real positions. No values, no convictions, no strategies. It is all about control and how good he looks – here and now. Whatever comes up on his radar – here and now. Whatever he needs to quench – here and now.
Former staff can corroborate that.
Journalists highlight Trump's narcissistic self-absorption and lack of empathy. But they miss a key point: his overwhelming need for control.
Now, here is how we can use that against him.
Throw him silly bones
Trump's narcissism and need for control compels him to react. That means his behaviour is highly predictable.
So, throw him silly bones for him to react upon.
We saw a glimpse of that during the presidential debate on September 10th. Let us hope it is part of a broader strategy by the Harris team.
Kamala Harris brought up the fact that “People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom." That was a huge threat. Trump was forced to respond: “We have the biggest rallies. The most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
Jimmy Kimmel’s joke at the Oscars in March 2024, hinting at Trump going to jail, is another example of a silly bone. Trump keeps ranting about it seven months later.
But the most brilliant and hilarious silly bone ever thrown at Trump has to be Bill Maher’s orangutan joke.
Trump was a prominent leader of the "birther" movement. It pushed the false claim that President Obama was not born in the United States and pressured Obama to release his birth certificate.
In response, comedian Bill Maher made a joke suggesting that Trump was the offspring of his mother and an orangutan from the Brooklyn Zoo (same hair). Maher then challenged Trump to prove his “claim” wasn't true.
The orange man responded as expected: Taking it seriously and suing Bill Maher.
“My parents were very fine people! Very fine people!!” Trump later withdrew the lawsuit.
When people make fun of him, Trump must react. During his presidency, he even tried to make mocking him illegal.
But you don’t win against Trump through single actions. No matter how good your weapon is.
He may spend days, weeks, months, and a Trump tower of money to regain control whenever his ego is threatened. Yet he will have plenty of room to ruin the world.
What to do about that?
A War of Silly Bones
What if Trump was compelled to respond to silly bones all day and every day? Picture him juggling 50 orangutan stories and another 100 complaints about “crowds being bored.” He would not get much else done. His staff would not get much else done either.
“Mr. President, here is a 20-page draft for you to read, pledging our departure from NATO.”
“That stupid %#%&!!! calls my speeches boring and makes people leave!!!” Again!!! The crowds love me! Give me the figures on all the speeches I have ever held! Give me all the videos! Now! I‘ll show them!”
To all journalists, politicians, comedians, and anyone with a public platform, inside or outside of America:
We need a unified strategy to take on Trump. We need a different kind of battle. We need an army equipped with humour and pettiness Trump can’t resist. The silly bones must rain down on him nonstop.
A mental collapse might be too much to hope for, but distraction and overwhelm are achievable.
Stop using the same tactics we’ve seen for almost a decade. They don’t work. Instead, wage a war of silly bones.
What does not work against Trump?
Stop holding Trump to account for all his lies. In his mind, he doesn’t lie—you do. No matter the evidence, admitting he’s wrong or uninformed is a weakness. It is a threat to control.
Stop writing about statements like, “Trump says he won’t run again in 2028.”
He doesn’t know what he said, promised or pledged from one moment to the next. He only remembers when he is forced to defend himself.
Stop calling him a racist. In my view, he’s not even that.
Trump just despises what he perceives as weakness. Whether that “weakness” comes from traditionally marginalized groups, like Black people, or wounded veterans. They remind him of his own vulnerability, and that is another threat to control.
Stop ruminating about Trump's policies. He does not have any. His staff write them for him.
Stop analysing his views on Palestine, energy or whatever. He does not care.
If the worst comes to the worst
If Trump wins (help us all): Keep the “war of silly bones” going—relentlessly.
Your goal: Keeping him too distracted to do any real damage.
Shower him with ludicrous claims and vanity wounds. Call him scared, weak or unpopular. Mock him. Tell him he’s bad in bed.
Challenge his ignorance:
"Hey Donald, I bet you couldn’t pass the U.S. citizenship civics test. Here’s my score!"
Imagine him fuming about it for days, waving his silver fork over Kentucky Fried Chicken while ranting online.
Call him Putin’s puppet:
"How does it feel to be Putin’s useful idiot, Donald? He thinks you’re a joke. Can you imagine the laughs they have about you in the Kremlin?"
Remind him his so-called “friends” are only around because he’s easy to manipulate:
"Your big donors? They stick around because they know you’re easily fooled."
Show him what his life in prison could be like:
"Imagine looking over your shoulder every day to avoid getting stabbed while gulping down a tasteless dinner."
And here’s the ultimate weapon: the terror of oblivion.
Nothing will hit his ego harder.
"A few years from now, no one will return your calls. No one will write about you. People will ask: ‘Trump who?’ A comment on that, Donald?”