Mock Him Relentlessly: Mary Trump on How to Defeat MAGA and Heal

Are we sleepwalking into autocracy? Dr. Mary Trump joins Gaslit Nation to discuss the terrifying psychology of her convicted-felon, traitor uncle and why "numbing out" is what the fascists want you to do. So listen up—don't check out—find your community, and mock the thin-skinned monsters into oblivion. That's how we win. What kind of childhood produces a Donald Trump? The same kind of childhood that produced Adolf Hitler: a tyrant father, proudly cold and demeaning. Where does the Trump family's misogyny come from? According to Mary Trump, Fred Trump was a sociopath who passed his misogyny and racism to his children, except for Mary's father, Fred Jr. She says that the women in the Trump family were largely ignored, demeaned, and treated like second-class citizens. Trump himself grew up a terror toward his mother. Brash, blond, and handsome by 1980s, coked-up, yuppie New York City standards, the young Donald Trump was Fred Trump's ticket to the ruling elite. Like Trump's mentor, the notorious power-hungry lawyer Roy Cohn, Fred Trump saw potential in young Trump to unlock doors to the halls of media and political power. Over the years, Fred gave his nepo trust-fund baby $400 million, which Trump would go on to squander in six bankruptcies and never-ending lawsuits for fraud. So, what is the skill that propelled him to the top—with Russia's very illegal help? Shamelessness. Mary Trump helps us get under the skin of the thin-skinned wannabe dictator, and, as both an insider and a therapist, provides us with the antidote on how to stand up to the Trumps' crime-spree madness. Demand accountability and relentlessly ridicule Trump with humor and joy. Mocking the aspiring dictator is an important reminder to him and the world that—as the journalist Dorothy Thompson famously said of Hitler—they're just little men. Our bonus shows are now included in our Tuesday episodes, exclusively for the Patreon, Substack, and YouTube communities that make Gaslit Nation possible. To hear the full episode, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com, or become a Gaslit Nation member on YouTube. Discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of Gaslit Nation, including full access to our archive going back to the start of the show. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation's independent journalism. We could not say what needs to be said and make this show without you. Show Notes: Order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Order Mary Trump's books, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Much-and-Never-Enough/Mary-L-Trump/9781982141479 and The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250864635/thereckoning/ Listen to our episode on Dorothy Thompson, the journalist who famously, openly mocked the Nazis, helping defeat America First in the rise to World War II: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/american-cassandra-the-life-of-dorothy-thompson   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.