The Imperial President Begins his First Week!

The Imperial President Begins his First Week!

Author: Really American Media January 31, 2025 Duration: 1:39:59

Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segal review the norm-crashing first week of the Trump administration, before returning to the issue of authoritarianism with Dr. John Bone, professor and author of “The Great Decline,” a study of the historical and psychological forces contributing to the rapid new rise of the right.


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In this all-new episode, our hosts explore Trump’s rapid succession of executive actions, which they describe as a tactic designed to overwhelm the sensory processing capabilities of an entire nation. By inundating the public and political institutions with a relentless stream of outrageous initiatives, Trump's administration seeks to destabilize any opponents, leaving them grasping for time and unable to respond effectively.

We’ll draw parallels to past regimes and examine how Trump’s deliberate psychological warfare creates an atmosphere of chaos and fear. 

Professor John Bone of the University of Aberdeen joins the show to explain how chronic stress can impair our cognitive functions and make us more susceptible to emotions like fear and anger. This psychological state, Bone argues, is intentionally cultivated by Trump’s malignant narcissism—his drive for power unrestrained by norms or legal constraints.

We’ll also take a look at what role economic insecurities and cultural nostalgia plays in determining whether someone is more or less susceptible to Trump-style populism. 

Amidst the chaos, our hosts remind us that resilience lies in understanding these psychological dynamics and finding ways to counteract them. They emphasize the critical role of media and political figures to resist the reigning disinformation and fear. And they’ll better equip us all to handle the road ahead.

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Each week, psychologists John Gartner and Harry Segal sit down for a session focused on a singular, complex subject: the mind of Donald Trump. In their Shrinking Trump podcast, produced by Really American Media, they apply their clinical expertise to publicly available behavior and speech, methodically documenting signs of cognitive decline and exploring the ramifications of his diagnosed malignant narcissism. They are joined by a roster of expert guests from various fields, turning each episode into a nuanced discussion that goes beyond standard political commentary. Dr. Gartner, a former Johns Hopkins psychiatry professor and founder of the Duty To Warn association, brings a particular urgency to these conversations, framing them within a broader ethical context. This isn't about partisan politics; it's a forensic psychological examination of a figure who has profoundly impacted the national landscape. Tuning in, you'll hear a careful, evidence-based analysis that breaks down rhetoric and action through a clinical lens, offering listeners a distinct perspective found in few other news and politics podcasts. The dialogue is direct, informed, and dedicated to understanding the psychological drivers behind the headlines, providing a deeper framework for interpreting ongoing events.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 70

Shrinking Trump
Podcast Episodes
#Untruth: The Psychology of Trumpism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:42:41
In this episode of Shrinking Trump, Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Siegel are joined by special guest Dr. Dan Partland to analyze the latest evidence of Trump’s cognitive decline. Dr. Parland tells us all about his new h…
Trump is SHRINKING before our eyes. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:31
In this all new episode of Shrinking Trump, hosts Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Siegel are joined by Veteran journalist and Trump expert David Cay Johnston to analyze the latest glaring symptoms of Donald Trump's cognit…
The Psy-Op against Trump Is Working [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:57
In this session of Shrinking Trump, our hosts Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segel are joined by PhD-trained psychologist Dr. Ben Michaelis to explore the latest evidence of Trump's rapid cognitive decline, and discuss h…
This is why the Press is FINALLY covering Donald's decline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25:39
Hosts Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segal highlight Trump’s deteriorating language skills and verbal fluency, and Hafiz Rashid of The New Republic shares his insights on why the Press has finally started to cover Donald…
Conway's Anti-Psycho PAC is "getting inside his head" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:00
In this all-new episode of Shrinking Trump, our hosts Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segal are joined by author and expert psychotherapist Dr. Alissa Hirshfield-Flores to diagnose the intricate aspects of Donald Trump's…
Kamala Mania and the 'Weird' Campaign: Turning the Tables on Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:20
This week we are joined by the esteemed Dr. Diane Pomerantz and Anti-Psychopath PAC’s George Conway, as hosts Dr.’s John Gartner and Harry Siegel push forward with their mission to inform the public of Trump's dangerous…
Driving Trump crazy will destabilize and trigger him [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:31
George Conway, President of the all-new Anti-Psychopath PAC, joins the show to warn Americans about Donald Trump's increasing mental instability and discuss what it’s going to take to defeat him in November.Make sure you…
The Real Reason Why Donald Trump raised his fist after being shot at [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:54
Drs. Gartner and Segal are joined by clinical professor Justin Frank MD, who wrote "Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President," who explains how Trump's grandiosity made him able to process the assassination a…
Biden Bounces Back: It's his stutter, NOT cognitive decline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:00
Drs. Gartner and Segal talk to Dr. Eric Jackson, Director of the Stuttering and Variability Lab at NYU who argues that a lot of what looked like cognitive decline in Biden’s debate performance was actually stuttering: a…
Post-debate analysis: We all need to take a breath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:23
Hosts Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Harry Segal are joined by geriatrician and dementia expert Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk to analyze Biden’s debate performance and determine what signs of dementia, if any, he actually displayed.…