Trump’s narcissism would be a joke – if it wasn’t so serious

Speaking (or was it ranting?) to a frothed up crowd of supporters in South Carolina last night Donald Trump did something alarming.

I am not just referring to his comment that all Muslims should be barred from entering the USA.

The Donald referred to himself in the third person, with his middle initial for good measure. “Donald J Trump thinks…”

When celebrities of any ilk start referring to themselves in the third person it is usually a sign that something has become unhinged.

Hugo Chavez did it repeatedly in his bloated latter years. So did Julius Caesar, intoxicated with military triumphs in his account of the Gallic Wars. Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian Diva, made it a habit.

And the Diva of surreal art Salvador Dali, in a career twilight interview with Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, referred to Salvador Dali dozens of times.

There is even a word for it: illeism, from the Latin word ille meaning he or that.

Senator Bob Dole, the unsuccessful Republican candidate in the 1996 race against Bill Clinton, used to refer to himself as Bob Dole with a twist of irony.

But Donald J Trump doesn’t do irony (unless I have really missed something) and so one can assume that his Illeism has more to do with the other explanation: “a heightened form of narcissism often but not exclusively linked to a psychotic episode in which the “illeist” finds it difficult to reconcile his own person with reality”.

This might make sense. Donald Trump, who in my interview with him in 2013 sounded very circumspect about a presidential run, probably cannot believe his own success.

Despite having an ego the size of one of his many eponymous towers, he cannot reconcile his own candidacy with the reality of the polls.

Donald now wakes up every morning telling himself:”I can actually win this!” That, surely is enough to do in anyone’s head, even Donald J Trump’s.

His rivals have even agreed with the White House and a vast array of “moderate” Republican voices that this time, with his remarks about Muslims, the undisputed front-runner (just linger over those words for a second) has overstepped the line.

But didn’t they hear the cheering from the crowd? Those Americans who weren’t already offended by his remarks about Mexicans and women will lap up his inflammatory comments about Muslims.

The Donald’s abrasiveness is like a drug. You need more and more each time to get a high.

It is important to understand two things: none of his assertions make sense (eg. the number of Mexicans has actually declined dramatically in recent years because the Mexican economy is booming and wage levels are rising) and – arguably more important – pointing any of this out makes absolutely no difference.

In fact, the insolent introduction of reason into the campaign just riles people more. You can smother the campaign audience, which is lapping up the Donald, in facts and reason and that will just make them even angrier.

They thrive on fear and loathing and, yes, stupidity. It defines who they are.

And even if the American Dream is thumbing its nose at them, they have full possession of their hatred towards which ever group they’re required to hate: blacks, Jews, gays, Muslims, women.

Donald J Trump’s anarchic narcissism (Matt Frei just made that up) fills a void left by the crisis of trust, confidence and direction of the American Republic.

It would be a joke, if it weren’t so serious. By the way, the J in Donald J Trump, stands disappointingly, for John.

Follow @mattfrei on Twitter