http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Is-the-new-president-mentally-ill-tp7588635p7588651.html
This is, overall, a strange concern, because you need additional layers of analysis. Functional narcissists do well because they have particular strengths, and when those strengths are on the side of third parties, those third parties tend to do quite well. To the extent that we can get Trump's narcissism to effectively feed off of the success of the country (which he seems quite willing to do), things will probably go quite well. To the extent that he is able to look at Putin and say "Who care's what you think? I'm president of the U.S., which is doing great by the way, terrific, and you are at the top of a crumbled empire," I don't think there is any risk of reaching for the football. A nuclear bomb wouldn't be good for the stock market, wouldn't help real estate prices, wouldn't help convince Ford to move that factory to the U.S., where Trump could do a ribbon cutting in front of an adulating crowd.
People keep saying that he is quick to anger, holds grudges, goes on the attack to much, but, frankly, we are mostly talking about tweets here. Has he ever bought a company just to fire someone? Is there an implication he has ever had people killed who were suing him (something well within his financial means)? Has he started a company to bankrupt someone else in the same niche who pissed him off? Are we really afraid he will go from tweet to nuclear launch with no escalation in between? What past history of escalation do we have to suggest that is a thing to worry about? And, in the mean time, might we not get some countries to the bargaining table based on the perception that Trump won't rule nuclear launch out, who might not be dealing with us otherwise?
If we are lucky, we have an effective narcissist on our side. If we are unlucky we have a reasonably competent businessman, in way over his head. Either way, I'm not worried he'll launch a nuke in week 2.
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
by Dr. Strangelove