I think the Former Guy may be about to have a total public meltdown. He has no center - there is no "there there". He has no internally based self. One much wiser than I has said that if we want to build our self-esteem, we must build upon internal qualities - like honesty, integrity, responsibility, self-trust, don't consciously hurt people, and be real. These internal qualities are built by ourselves and cannot be taken away.
The Former Guy has none of these internal qualities. Indeed he is deeply dishonest, has zero integrity, only blames and never takes responsibility, manipulates and threatens rather than trusts, deliberately and consciously hurts people, and is only a show, a pretense, an image, a "brand" - not real at all.
So, what does he do? His entire life is built around insatiably needing outside validation. He proves that he is valuable by having money. He has no self-esteem, so he demands the worship of others - he is a slave to his rallies with adoring fans of his celebrity. He demands that people submit to him and kiss his ring. He cannot admit a mistake. He cannot apologize. He cannot be seen as "weak". He cannot be seen as human. He has created a super-image of a semi-god. To be rich, to be worshipped, is what it means to him to be valuable - an insatiable need of outside approval, outside worship, outside validation.
And he is about to lose lots and lots of money. And thus, he is about to lose his Brand of Being Rich, his brand of being what he thinks as being a "winner'. I think that there may be a point that he crosses where he has a total melt-down. He seems to me to be disintegrating daily. His speeches are becoming more disconnected and bizarre and demented. There may be a "Caine Mutiny Trial" moment that is so mentally ill that the "conservative" voters finally just turn away. (See the excellent Humphrey Bogart movie) Those turning away can pretend that they never really liked him much anyhow. And his political career, and his pretend business success all comes crashing down.
And he will be, like Captain Queeg of the Caine Mutiny, looked at with pity rather than fear. And he will be, like Senator Joe McCarthy, shouting into an emptying room "Point of order...point of order!"
Just turn away, my dear "conservative" friends. You just made a mistake in voting for him and admiring him. Just let this sick person go. Like his father before him who ended his life with Alzheimer's, he is disintegrating before your eyes. Let him go, Please.
