Do you think Donald Trump is reflective and self-critical in private?

[Gepl]

Donald Trump likes to tell us how brilliant he is and how amazing everything he does is. His strikes on Iran were a stupendous mega-success. His tariffs are single-handedly the greatest economic move in the history of the universe. He’s removing more illegal immigrants than every American President in history ever, ever.

But is this just front, or does he believe all this stuff? In private, is he reflective and wracked by self-doubt? Is it all a front to project a strongman image?

I wish there was a picture of what I perceive may be going on in POTUS's head (brain). If I was to put it into an AI generator image (which I won't as I don't want to use up energy resources), I would say:
I am the leader of the free world but no one is listening to me WAH WAH WAH. I hate anyone who isn't orange like me and who hasn't got a great comb over like me (which is 99.991% of the world).
All politics should be decided on golf.
That Kim bloke is ...
Oh look a puppy...
Netanyahu... you hooo, who are U?
Ah yes Ukraine... don't like that guy, he's kind of fit and seems focused...but not focused on my....
My oh my... I seem to have forgotten to moan about China and immigrants since teatime.
Meanwhile, back to golf and quashing that pesky Epstein case. You know, that Prince Andrew was a great golf player....

No I suspect he is just the same in private as he is in public - a narcissistic arsehole.

I agree with all this but think it was Goodfellas :-)

Bollocks he knows how the world works in terms of wealth.

I think it’s even more basic than that. It’s about being a winner versus being a loser. See the awful comments he made about John McCain being a POW. Most of us would feel humbled by someone who had undergone such an experience. Not Trump. All that matters is that this man was in a subservient position he wasn’t. The end.

No, I don’t think he’s reflective. I think he broods over slights and that’s as close to deeply thinking as he gets.

I said Goodfellas, Limpy!

The man is a narcissist and a compulsive liar and like all narcs he believes his own lies and his own hype. They never accept they are wrong and they never accept accountability for their actions.

No. He’s thick as mince. The truly dangerous people in this world are those who fail to recognise their own limitations. He’s a rapist, bully and narcissist. He acts through whatever fleeting whim floats through his butterfly brain.

Unconscious incompetence.

It would be impossible for someone who is self critical and reflective to remain such a thundering great arsehole at the age of 79.

Nooo definitely not!

he lacks the intelligence especially emotional intelligence to actually be reflective.
He has delusions of grandeur!

Intelligent people often experience imposter syndrome- not a chance that Trump would experience this or humility in any shape or form.

Ah, so you did!
And yet I definitely read the Godfather. Is this the quickest ever case of the Mandela effect? In which case the aliens/AI are getting better at their manipulation...their takeover must be drawing nearer.

No

Emotionally immature people can’t let those feelings in. They defend against them with anything they can - lies, deflection, compulsive behaviours. It would just be all too overwhelming to start to have some insight. If they started challenging the skewed way they saw the world it would just be way more than they could handle.

I spluttered over my tea when I read the title of this thread - as McEnroe would say: "You can't be serious!"

I don't think he has many craven loyalists.

Elon Musk: Fallen out with him, big style.
Tulsi Gabbard: Was a Democrat until the last election, now undermined and absolutely enraged.
RFK Jr: Very quiet lately. Also was a Dem until five minutes ago. As was the whole dynasty of the Kennedy family.
Steve Bannon: Pissed Off.
J.D. Vance: Used to be a, "Never Trumper" accolyte of Peter Theil, his big idea is, "Me next!"
Ron de Santis: Governor of Florida. His main idea, "Me next!" too.

The podcast allies like Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Theo Von etc: Not on board just lately.

Who does that leave him with?

Marco Rubio?
Pete Hegseth?

Absolutely not.

No 🤣

Fair point @Redheadedstepchild

Err, no! Absolutely not!

What @tobee said.

His remaining total loyalists are unfortunately more women than men. Kristi Noem, Pat Bondi, Karoline Leavitt, Sarah Huckabee. All seem to derive some sort of personal satisfaction from rubbing his ludicrous ego and jumping through the stupid hoops he holds out.

The man is a narcissist so I doubt it.

Nope. He is the epitome of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

No. He’s a narcissist with no self-awareness or self-reflection.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jun/23/israel-iran-war-live-updates-us-trump-regime-change-middle-east-gaza-latest-news

Well he's just single handedly engineered world peace allegedly.

He's probably snogging his mirror right now.