Views on group processes and President Donald Trump (as expressed in an interview with Der Spiegel)
As the world has recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the collapse of the Nazi regime, Otto Kernberg articulated his views on contemporary political leadership and mass psychology in an interview with the German periodical
Der Spiegel. Drawing on his clinical experience, psychoanalytic theory, and personal history as a Jewish child who fled National Socialism, Kernberg analyzed what he described as the “Trump phenomenon” within a broader psychological and sociopolitical framework. Kernberg stated that the defining features of
malignant narcissism include grandiosity, aggression, vindictiveness, and a willingness to disregard moral constraints in order to prevail. In his assessment, President
Donald Trump exhibits these traits in his political conduct. According to Kernberg, many of Trump’s supporters interpret his demonstrable falsehoods not as a weakness but as a form of boldness or courage directed against a social order they perceive as hostile or corrupt. Kernberg further argued that Trump’s political appeal rests on a dual strategy: presenting himself simultaneously as an omnipotent leader capable of resolving all problems and as an ordinary person who speaks in a familiar register, violates social norms, and openly attacks perceived enemies. Kernberg compared this mass-psychological dynamic to patterns observed in authoritarian movements of the twentieth century, including the appeal Adolf Hitler exerted over large segments of the German population during the 1930s, while emphasizing that the historical contexts and outcomes differ fundamentally. In the sphere of international politics, Kernberg speculated that Trump’s behavior reflects underlying insecurity rather than strength. He suggested that Trump is ultimately intimidated by Russian president
Vladimir Putin, whom he perceives as genuinely powerful and capable of sustained intimidation. According to Kernberg, Trump avoids direct confrontation with Putin while masking this fear through dismissive or childlike expressions of “disappointment,” thereby maintaining an image of omnipotence for himself and his supporters. Kernberg also addressed the response of democratic leadership to Trump. He expressed concern that prominent Democratic politicians, including Pennsylvania governor
Josh Shapiro and California governor
Gavin Newsom, had not opposed Trump with sufficient clarity or firmness. According to Kernberg, hesitation or visible fear in political opponents can reinforce the appeal of authoritarian figures by confirming their image of dominance and discouraging effective democratic resistance. Kernberg further situated Trump’s rise within longer-term developments in American political culture. He argued that demand for authoritarian leadership had been increasing in the
United States prior to Trump’s emergence, partly as a reaction to earlier administrations that visibly supported marginalized and disadvantaged groups. In this context, Kernberg emphasized that the United States remains, in his view, deeply shaped by structural and cultural
racism, despite the achievements of the Civil Rights movement and subsequent reforms. More broadly, Kernberg connected these political developments to fundamental principles of group psychology. He maintained that authoritarianism exerts a powerful attraction because it allows individuals to regress to a childlike state of dependence, in which responsibility is transferred to a leader who promises a perfect and simplified world. Kernberg contrasted this regressive dynamic with the ethical demands of adulthood, which require individuals to tolerate ambiguity, assume responsibility for their own actions, and acknowledge the inherent complexity of social and moral life. ==Honors and recognition==