Trump biographer is 'terrified of what he'll do next'

President Donald Trump is doubling down on "toxic masculinity" no matter how much his personality flaws endanger his re-election chances, according the ghostwriter of his brand-making book.

Tony Schwartz, who helped Trump write his self-hyping "Art of the Deal," wrote a new column for The Daily Beast explaining how the president's masculine insecurity led to his consistently bad decisions.

"No disease is going to tell Trump what to do," Schwartz wrote. "He treats COVID as just another opponent he must squash — not by bringing the crisis under control for the sake of all citizens, but by minimizing and sneering at it himself. Likewise, no one is going to make him denounce the white supremacists who support him, and no defeat at the polls is going to force him to voluntarily give up the presidency, even if each of these stances make it more likely that he’ll lose the election."

Trump appears unsure what to do since he can't lie himself out of the public health crisis, and Schwartz said he's "terrified of what he'll do next."

"Now, sensing defeat, Trump is doing what he’s always done under stress: doubling and tripling down on whatever fictional facts he wishes were true," Schwartz said. "But this time, his brazen tactics have produced exactly what they’re meant to defend against. He looks weaker, more vulnerable, and more out of control than at any time since his election. His poll numbers have plummeted."

Trump's failures as president are all rooted in the personal failings that Schwartz saw up close in their 18 months working together.

"This is toxic masculinity in action — the sense of entitlement, the embrace of privilege, and the wanton exercise of authority over others," Schwartz wrote. "It’s also marked by the rejection of any qualities that might be considered feminine, including gentleness, vulnerability, and empathy — the very qualities that Biden is relying on to distinguish himself from Trump."