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In
it, Epstein argues that the president is not, as some suggest, mentally ill,
but is instead “highly vulnerable to what can reasonably be called ‘sympathetic
audience control.’”
As
Epstein explains, “all normal people are subject to ‘audience control’ to one
degree or another,” meaning they “regulate what they say and do based on who’s
around them.”
But
while “audience control doesn’t usually cause problems,” for Trump it makes him
“like a rudderless sailboat blown about by the wind.”
“When Trump is in the presence of someone he dislikes or distrusts, he attacks and will continue to lash out for a while, but not necessarily forever,” Epstein writes.
“When
someone he perceives as a threat becomes deferential (Rocket Man, for example),
Trump not only stops attacking, he also becomes highly vulnerable to
influence.”
Meanwhile,
the president is “rapidly influenced” by people he “perceives as supportive,” a
concept Epstein refers to as “sympathetic audience control.”
“When
Trump is in front of a large group of cheering people, his thinking is fully
controlled by the crowd,” Epstein adds.
“It
might seem he’s in control, but the opposite is actually the case. The
supportive audience completely dominates his thinking, causing him to repeat,
over and over, things he believes the audience wants to hear.”
Trump
also, according to Epstein, perceives the world in small time windows, leading
him to shift “his views frequently” — “without shame or even awareness.”
“All
that’s shiny and real to him is what friends or foes are saying inside those
small time windows,” Epstein writes.
“If
I’m right, and I’m pretty sure I am, Trump is capable of only a minimal level
of analytical or critical thinking,” the psychologist continues.
“Perhaps
more alarming, our president — the putative leader of the free world — doesn’t
believe in anything and he rarely, if ever, means anything he says.”
“And
if I’m right, Trump will continue to function this way — blindly, erratically
and reactively, without principle or direction — for the rest of his life,”
Epstein concludes.