Dear President Trump, The other day I said that one of the chapters in your “Dictatorship for Dummies” book ought to be “Make Sure They Know You Are Lying.” I’ve had second thoughts about this one so I want to unpack and possibly amend it. In his (real) book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson describes how … Continue reading Your allies believe you 200%
Lying
“Dictatorship for Dummies”
Dear President Trump, Because it’s the polite thing to do I will wish you a happy St. Patrick’s day, though I really don’t want to wish you a happy anything. I know it can’t be a literally apt metaphor since it’s been going on way too long, but you are stepping on my last nerve. … Continue reading “Dictatorship for Dummies”
What is wrong with you?
Dear President Trump, What is wrong with you? Seriously, I really want to know. Psychologists, like psychiatrists, aren’t supposed to diagnose people we don’t actually assess in-person so I will refrain from saying you have any particular diagnosis or diagnoses. However, I think it’s completely fair to use observed behaviors and see how they may … Continue reading What is wrong with you?
“Don’t Believe Everything You Think”
Dear President Trump, It must be as rare as hens’ teeth since I’ve only seen it three times to date, but Wednesday I saw my favorite bumper sticker: “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” I immediately thought of you. However, before I launched into an internal rant about your thinking, I dutifully reminded myself that this … Continue reading “Don’t Believe Everything You Think”
One heck of a reframe…
Dear President Trump, In the last week I’ve received three “Response to Your Message” emails from you, in addition to the daily auto-reply. There have been a total of six of such emails since January 6th. The first couple included an appropriate salutation, but the rest just launch right in with your “response.” I’m betting … Continue reading One heck of a reframe…
Domestic violence is rightly part of the conversation now
Dear President Trump, I haven’t seen the pictures yet of you sitting at your pristine (no-real-work-ever-gets-done) desk signing the budget, but I’m sure those images will make the rounds. What we won’t see are the lumps in the rug and the straining closet doors where you hid the mess. And I bet there was more … Continue reading Domestic violence is rightly part of the conversation now
If you didn’t want to win….
Dear President Trump, I wonder whether any day now your camp is going to pivot on the Wolff F & F book and claim that his commentary on how none of you expected to nor wanted to win the election is “proof” you all didn’t collude with Russia. It would be a tidy turn of … Continue reading If you didn’t want to win….
“The softer I am with myself, the easier I am with others”
Dear President Trump, This morning I edited a paper for work about a qualitative study we did with Veterans who have PTSD who participated in a mindfulness-based stress reduction class at our VA and I came across this quote from one of the participants: "What I’ve learned about me is that the softer I am, … Continue reading “The softer I am with myself, the easier I am with others”
Plausible deniability
Dear President Trump, The phrase "plausible deniability" has been prominent in the news lately. Maybe it always has been or maybe it has come to the fore since you came on the political scene, I'm not sure. Whatever the case, recently it is has gotten enough traction that I realized it's a phrase I kept … Continue reading Plausible deniability
You can’t make yourself condemn the hate
Dear President Trump, While I doubt you could pull it off in a thoughtful, wise sounding way, you know full well what is expected of a president in response to situations like the one that took place in Charlottesville this past weekend. You would have to be a complete idiot not to understand that you … Continue reading You can’t make yourself condemn the hate
Daily Trump Letters 