Other people are NOT living, breathing, feeling beings. They are one dimensional. The world is divided into those that give him the admiration (however phoney it may be) he must have to survive, objects to be manipulated and used, or enemies to be destroyed.
So, it makes perfect sense that it is all a "TV show" to him. His entire worldview is as one-dimensional as a TV screen.
The thing is, the fantasy is breaking down. He is seriously decompensating. And things could get worse as he loses it.
For the hell of it, I asked Gemini "When the defenses against reality collapse for a person with the dual diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Anti-Social Personality Disorder, what can happen?"
Apply whatever level of scepticism you apply to all AI.
When defenses collapse in an individual with both Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)—a combination sometimes associated with malignant narcissism or psychopathy—they lose their ability to manage their self-image and manipulate others. This psychological decompensation typically triggers extreme, volatile, and dangerous outcomes.
1. Severe Psychotic or Delusional Episodes
When their grandiosity completely fails to protect them from reality, the ego may fracture. This can lead to brief reactive psychoses or deep paranoid delusions where they externalize all blame, viewing themselves as the ultimate victim of a "persecutory" world.
2. Malignant Aggression and Retaliation
Individuals with this dual diagnosis often react to wounded pride or exposure with intense rage. Without their usual behavioral filters and manipulative facades, this can escalate into severe physical violence, stalking, harassment, or calculated attempts to ruin the lives of those they hold responsible.
3. Complete Loss of Empathy and Behavioral Restraint
The ASPD traits (lack of remorse, disregard for others) are normally kept somewhat in check by the NPD need for admiration and social status. When defenses collapse, the need for approval disappears, leaving behind a highly impulsive, predatory individual who acts purely on instinct without any moral or social constraints
4. Extreme Self-Destructive Behaviors
If they can no longer maintain their grandiose narrative or control their environment, they may turn their aggression inward. This can manifest as severe substance abuse, high-risk reckless behavior (gambling, dangerous stunts), or acute suicidal crises driven by narcissistic mortification.
5. Ultimate Social Isolation
Because their primary coping mechanism is to exploit and manipulate others, the collapse of these defenses usually results in them burning every bridge. They may alienate family, friends, and colleagues, leading to total social abandonment and destitution.
I suspect he's not the type to suffer an "acute suicidal crises," but one can hope. (I never thought I would become the type of person to wish such things on anyone, but there you go. When it comes to him my hopes go to dark places.)
As grim as having a decompensating psychopath in the WH is, I hold out hope that the level of chaos and insanity he has fomented is so extreme that we're reaching a sort of "breaking point." I think the 50-plus-year right-wingnut project (which has transferred more than 75 trillion from the bottom 90% to the top 1%) may be coming to an end, a victim of it's own success.
Imagine If This Moment Was Not About The Ascent of Authoritarians, But About A New Birth Of Global Freedom...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221186840
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