[Quote]Any psychologists care to weigh in?
Well, I have a doctorate in clinical psychology. I did my internship, but never got licensed since I was primarily interested in research. But, yeah, Trump has had some form of mental illness his entire life. A childhood disorder and latter at 18 transitioned to Axis II disorder(s).
One story that struck me about toddler Donald is how he tried to torment and physically abuse the baby next door. The mother put the baby's playpen/crib in the backyard so it could get fresh air. Donald thought it would be great fun to pelt the infant with rocks. As he grew older he became a classic bully and ran with his little gang vandalizing and picking fights until sociopath dad Fred sent him to military school. Donald boasted the reason was that he'd slugged a teacher at his previous school, but it seems the story is apocryphal. Nonetheless, he thought it something to brag about. So he likely could have fit either Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant disorder. (sorry, never dx'ed kids, just adults)
Then well we know it's pretty well established that he has NPD, but he also fits Anti-social PD -- he actually hits each and every diagnostic criterion. The question is where does his mind go from here.
I may have a unique take on it since my late mother had NPD. And a classic case. She didn't eke through by fitting five of the nine required criteria. She nailed every single one. And then she developed Alzheimer's.
Trump demonstrated all sorts of cognitive slippage during his tenure in office, but I suspect it was much worse than the public saw. For two reasons. The first obvious one is that he has been surrounded by people who prop him up, provide talking points, write his speeches, and guide him around like unsocialized child trying to keep him from getting into all sorts of accidents.
Second, across the years he's developed a set of go to scripts he relies on to provide the basis for communication with others and the world. Basically, most of what he says is canned. When my mom was declining, few people outside the family noticed because she relied on a set of scripts that were basically the social niceties one uses with acquaintances or strangers.
Privately, she became "more herself" basically the mother I knew only on steroids. More angry outbursts that lasted longer, more blaming, more grandiosity (she no longer needed glasses because her vision healed itself!), more shit talking about the neighbors, more delusional ("Your father and I had the most wonderful, glorious marriage!" They fought at high volume daily. The worst marriage I've seen out of a mental health setting or where drugs and alcohol weren't used). This on top of the memory issues.
That's pretty much what I think is going on behind the walls of Mar a Lago and Bedminster.
I know tl;dr, but I couldn't have done it in fewer words.