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Shrinking Trump

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Shrinking Trump
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  • Trump faces push-back as he sinks in the polls
    Your favorite shrinks, John Gartner and Harry Segal, present “this week” in Trump’s cognitive decline, as well as an extended excerpt of Pritzker’s heroic speech pushing back on federal threats to Chicago. While describing this moment in history, the two psychologists offer support and ways to cope with the anxiety Trump’s chaos generates for all of us. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio When we revisit Trump’s rallies and interviews this week, it feels less like campaign drama and more like a national group therapy session. Gartner and Segal track every rambling detour, abrupt topic shift, and glaring contradiction—not as mere gaffes, but as warning signals that someone at the helm may be losing his cognitive bearings. Every photo-op, from overseas summits to tense showdowns on U.S. streets, has started to resemble a rehearsal for power consolidation. Flashing military muscle instead of engaging in normal governance isn’t strength; it’s intimidation. Watching constitutional safeguards brushed aside as mere inconveniences ought to jolt us awake to the creeping authoritarian impulse. Amid that growing unease, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker stood up like a lighthouse in a storm. Invoking the Constitution, he called out federal threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and reminded everyone that local authority can’t be bulldozed for political spectacle. While Trump’s allies cheered each flex of force, Pritzker’s words made clear that true leadership sometimes means speaking truth to power at the risk of losing applause. Gartner and Segal refuse to leave us adrift in anxiety. They argue that naming these mind games—the gaslighting, the fear-mongering—is our first line of defense. Checking facts in real time, fostering honest conversations with friends, and carving out simple daily rituals can help us stay grounded when the political airwaves feel like a hurricane. Listening to Shrinking Trump isn’t just an exercise in critique; it’s an invitation to reclaim our narrative. When we spot the cracks in Trump’s rhetoric and recognize his power plays for what they are, we protect not only our sanity but the democratic foundations we hold dear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Trump’s pathological relationship with Putin is on full display
    Your favorite psychologists, John Gartner and Harry Segal, review Trump’s disastrous Alaska summit and marvel at how he has reverted to Putin’s absurd Ukraine talking points. They also speak with Richard Wood, eminent clinical psychologist and expert on malignant narcissism, who shares his insights on Trump’s pathology. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio We open with a “therapy session” framework—our way of inviting you into a collective examination of how Trump’s behavior has infiltrated our daily lives. Too often, political coverage tip-toes around psychological insights. Not here. We argue that to understand Trump’s volatility, his tantrums, and his rule-by-instinct style, you have to start with his inner life. Dr. Woods steps in to define malignant narcissism: a toxic cocktail of grandiosity, ruthlessness, and paranoia. He walks us through examples—obsessive self-aggrandizement, zero empathy for victims, and a ferocious need to dominate. When you hear Trump lob insults or bully subordinates, that’s not business as usual. It’s the playbook of someone for whom status and control override every other impulse. Too many pundits tiptoe around Trump’s slurred speeches, jumbled tweets, and off-script rants. We don’t. We break down the warning signs of cognitive fragility—memory lapses, word-salad tangents, even motor-skill stumbles. These aren’t just gaffes; they’re red flags that a leader who can’t stay on message is a risk to national security. Why do millions still cheer him on? In a frank discussion, we and Dr. Woods explore how Trump transforms fear into solidarity. His promises of vengeance and identity-based appeals speak to grievances deeper than policy. When democracy feels abstract, demagoguery feels personal—and that’s how authoritarian figures like Trump cement loyalty. We draw parallels to his moves in Washington itself: weaponizing local police, twisting museum exhibits to sanitize his image, and rewriting history to suit his narrative. It’s not accidental. It’s an orchestrated strategy to freeze dissent and manufacture consent. This episode doesn’t leave you helpless. We outline concrete steps—peer education, fact-based conversations, and refusing to normalize destructive behavior cloaked in charismatic populism. Psychological insight isn’t therapy; it’s ammunition. It helps us name the tactics, defang the threats, and reclaim our public life. If you want to see past the tweets and the rallies and understand the man behind the façade, tune in to Shrinking Trump wherever you get your podcasts. Let’s sharpen our collective lens—because democracy demands more than headline-chasing. It demands that we understand, confront, and ultimately shrink the power of rulers unfit to lead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Is Trump becoming “the demented dictator?”
    Is Trump becoming “the demented dictator”? That’s the question driving the latest episode of Shrinking Trump, as clinical psychologists John Gartner and Harry Segal sit down with Dan Rodricks, the legendary former Baltimore Sun columnist, to unpack Trump’s disastrous press conference where he unveiled a plan to seize control of the D.C. police. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio They paint a vivid picture of Trump’s recent media blitz, from declaring eight separate states of emergency to deploying troops in Washington, D.C. Rather than stemming crime—which has actually declined—these moves feel like a staged spectacle, a bid to manufacture chaos and justify an authoritarian grip. Heather Cox Richardson and photographer-writer Rex Huke chime in to call out the mainstream press for glossing over Trump’s erratic behavior. Too often, anchors chase sensational sound bites instead of pressing for real answers, reducing cognitive warning signs to fleeting headlines rather than treating them as red flags. When Trump turns his fire on Baltimore, he distorts a city on the rise into a caricature of dysfunction. Gartner and Segal contrast his fear-mongering with ground-level reality—neighborhood revitalization, falling violent-crime rates, and community-led renewal—showing how he weaponizes urban struggles to stoke division. Pointing out possible signs of cognitive strain in our leaders isn’t a cheap political attack—it’s a civic responsibility. By naming these stunts for what they may be—symptoms of mental strain—we open the door to honest dialogue, inoculate ourselves against manipulation, and reclaim our democratic norms. Tune in to Shrinking Trump on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. Arm yourself with the language to see past the façade and call out authoritarian playbooks whenever they emerge. In a world drowning in noise, psychological clarity just might be our most powerful defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Even Republicans can’t miss Trump’s walk on the roof!
    Your favorite clinical psychologists, John Gartner and Harry Segal, observe how the media is turning again, however slowly, to Trump’s mental decline. They are also joined by James Fishkin, professor at Stanford, whose work on “deliberative democracy” offers an exciting, practical opportunity to address the toxic polarity of our political environment. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio Even Republicans can’t miss Trump’s walk on the roof! This week on Shrinking Trump, clinical psychologists John Gartner and Harry Segal break down what seemed like a headline‐grabbing stunt—and why it feels more like a symptom of real mental decline. They’re joined by Stanford’s James Fishkin, whose “deliberative democracy” experiments show a path out of our hyper-polarized mess. Let’s be honest: watching a former president wander atop the White House roof felt unsettling. Gartner and Segal point out that Trump’s public behavior—impromptu speeches that twist facts on the fly, sudden mood swings, zero awareness of decorum—tracks with textbook signs of cognitive confusion. The roof episode isn’t just theater; it’s a window into someone losing touch with reality. For years, major news outlets tip-toed around this possibility. Calling out a sitting or former president’s mental health felt taboo—until now. In this episode, our hosts talk through the media’s “reluctant pivot,” exploring why reporters and anchors finally started asking whether Trump’s strange stunts hint at something deeper than politics. That’s where James Fishkin’s work comes in. Instead of debating on cable news, Fishkin gathers small, diverse groups of regular Americans to dig deep into issues like health care or climate change. They listen, ask questions, weigh evidence—and emerge with thoughtful, shared recommendations. It’s not a silver bullet, but it shows how we can move past tribal shouting matches and actually learn from each other. Gartner and Segal argue that if we acknowledge Trump’s erratic public displays as possible signs of cognitive decline, we also owe it to ourselves to rethink how we talk politics. Simply calling someone “crazy” or “evil” keeps us stuck in zero-sum battles. Deliberative democracy, by contrast, invites us to step back, pause the outrage, and rebuild trust in our collective judgment. Throughout the episode, you’ll hear concrete examples: a midwestern deliberative poll that shifted participants’ views on immigration, a rural community that used these methods to bridge deep cultural divides, and the surprising way citizens’ recommendations often outshine party-line talking points. By the end, Gartner, Segal, and Fishkin land on a hopeful message: diagnosing cognitive red flags in our leaders is more than a media spectacle—it’s a civic duty. And once we see how easily even big egos can lose track of facts, we’re better positioned to demand standards for everyone in power. Tune in to Shrinking Trump on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. It’s short, it’s sharp, and it might just change how you think about our political future. Because in a world gone mad, understanding minds—and learning how to talk through our differences—could be our best shot at saving democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Finally, Trump’s grip on the country has begun to slip
    Your favorite clinical psychologists, John Gartner and Harry Segal, observe more signs of Trump’s cognitive decline as well as his loss of support among independents. Is it starting to look like 2020 all over again? Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Our site Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Amazon Music Subscribe on iHeartRadio In the latest episode of Shrinking Trump, Gartner and Segal zero in on the cognitive strain that underlies every forced grin, every meandering rant, and every outrageous claim. They map out the mental gymnastics Trump employs—deflecting questions, denying well-documented facts, and firing off wild accusations—to sidestep accountability. What emerges is not just a political playbook but evidence of a mind under unbearable pressure. Watching Trump’s public performances through a psychological lens reveals a pattern of malignant narcissism tangled with genuine confusion. Every time he labels critical reports “fake news,” he isn’t merely spinning a narrative—he’s exposing the cognitive dissonance of someone struggling to integrate reality into his own version of events. Gartner points out that this relentless backpedaling and reinvention of the facts are classic defense mechanisms, signaling a shrinking capacity to process new information. The episode then explores Trump’s combative war on the media, dissecting how he weaponizes executive power to intimidate dissenting voices. Segal lays bare the authoritarian undertones of these moves: by threatening networks, he blurs the boundary between government oversight and outright censorship. The psychologists warn that normalizing these tactics erodes democratic norms and endangers free speech, reminding listeners that silencing critics is always the first step toward unchecked power. Shrinking Trump also brings in trauma expert Matthew Ditty to unpack the national fallout of sexual-misconduct cover-ups. When institutions protect accused offenders—especially at the highest levels—they retraumatize survivors and fracture public trust. Ditty’s insights underscore a painful truth: justice delayed or denied isn’t just a legal failure; it deepens societal wounds and stalls collective healing. Gartner, Segal, and Ditty connect these threads to paint a stark portrait of an administration teetering on cognitive collapse and authoritarian drift. They highlight new polling showing independents’ support slipping as they grow uneasy with erratic behavior and empty promises—echoes of the 2020 backlash that nearly derailed Trump’s first term. These aren’t isolated missteps; they’re symptoms of a presidency fraying at the edges. Understanding the psychology behind Trump’s unraveling isn’t an exercise in academic curiosity—it’s a frontline defense of our democracy. By tuning into Shrinking Trump, you’ll gain the tools to spot the warning signs of cognitive decline, call out authoritarian playbooks, and demand accountability from those in power. This episode arms you with both knowledge and urgency to keep our leaders honest. Listen to “Shrinking Trump” on your favorite podcast platform today. The country needs clear eyes—and a strong will—to push back against confusion, coercion, and cover-ups. Only by staying informed can we ensure truth, justice, and democratic integrity prevail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About Shrinking Trump

Psychologists John Gartner, Harry Segal, and their expert guests, conduct weekly sessions analyzing the psyche of Donald Trump, documenting his cognitive decline and plumbing the depths of his malignant narcissism. Dr. Gartner is a former part-time assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University Medical School and the founder of Duty To Warn, an association of mental health professionals warning about Trump and Trump-ism. Dr. Segal is a senior lecturer in psychology at Cornell University.
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