This damning lesson would dump Trump on the ash heap of history

There is one thing that tens of millions of zealous Donald Trump detractors get wrong. We try to judge him through the lens of normal human behavior — which simply doesn’t apply.

We don’t need to be psychologists to understand that Trump suffers from overlapping disorders of sociopathy and megalomania accompanied by grandiose thinking. Behavior that to most people appears outrageously deviant is perfectly normal to a person in Trump’s mental state.

Trump lies as frequently and effortlessly as most people breathe, a common characteristic of sociopaths. Pathological liars often convince themselves they are telling the truth and completely ignore obvious evidence to the contrary.

In his demented state, Trump may actually believe that the 2020 election was stolen from him, that voter fraud among noncitizens was widespread, and that Democrats controlled voting machines. The consummate liar, Trump spreads these falsehoods with such adamant conviction that they take root among his followers.

Other characteristics of sociopaths include an inability to feel empathy, to feel guilt or remorse, or to distinguish right from wrong. During the COVID pandemic, Trump was less troubled by the over 1 million Americans who died, many due to his irresponsible, cavalier response to the virus, than by the pandemic’s economic impact and his approval ratings. He has greenlighted Israel’s assault on Palestinians in Gaza, unmoved by the wholesale slaughter of women and children and the massive starvation.

Don’t expect Trump to feel sorry for millions of poorer Americans struggling with rising consumer prices caused by his tariff wars or by 4.4 million American children who aren’t covered by health insurance. Trump reserves such empathy for himself, consumed by feelings of victimization common among sociopaths.

The inability of sociopaths to distinguish right from wrong is at the heart of their illness. For example, in separate trials, Trump was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and bank fraud, and found guilty on criminal charges related to his scheming to influence the 2016 election. He was indicted but never faced trial on further criminal charges, for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results and absconding with classified documents.

In Trump’s warped mind, he did absolutely nothing wrong.

Lacking a moral compass, sociopaths are guided by their uninhibited desires to do whatever they want for personal gain, no matter how immoral or hurtful to others.

Megalomaniacs have a strong desire for power and control, which they are reluctant to share with anyone. They believe in their grandiose state that they are exceptional, above all others, singularly responsible for anything good that happens while blaming others for their failures.

Trump has little acquaintance with the pronoun “we.” He claims that he personally ended seven wars in seven months, that his tariffs are bringing great wealth to the country, and that he saved Los Angeles by calling in the National Guard.

In Trump’s grandiose projections, only one man holds the key to America’s future and the future of the world, despite mounting evidence that Trump often makes bad situations worse.

Trump disdains coalitions like NATO, the United Nations, and the Paris Climate Accord. Trump believes, deludedly, that he can accomplish more on his own than any coalition, and longs for the individual acclaim and admiration that megalomaniacs feel they deserve, including a Nobel Prize.

Megalomaniacs are insufferable braggarts. In Trumpworld, not a day passes that he doesn’t brag about greatly exaggerated or falsely claimed successes. At the apex of grandiose thinking, Trump often laughably characterizes his achievements as the greatest the world has ever seen. Of course, apologies, admittance of mistakes, and expressions of remorse never pass his lips.

So here we sit, with a mentally unhinged president whose outrageous behavior is difficult for normal people to comprehend.

Megalomaniacs are attracted to politics because of the power and control they can exert. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao rank among the most destructive in history. In the US, it took 240 years for Trump to come along and con a nation. Germans keep the horrific memory of Hitler’s reign alive today to make sure that German history never repeats itself. Americans must do the same.

It is every democratic-loving American’s responsibility to do everything within the law to hamstring Trump’s presidency before he causes irreparable harm to the country. In a democracy, only we the people can change the country through the awesome constitutional power of the ballot.

• Tom Tyner is a freelance editorialist, satirist, political analyst, blogger, author and retired English instructor