Therapists Worry Trump’s Bullying Is Having A Negative Effect

Should President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan be “Make America Mean Again”? It turns out, maybe.

Many people in the United States are only learning to get meaner as Trump continues to name-call, disparage, mock and intimidate his opposers. He regularly calls other political figures “nasty” or “low-IQ,” and has referred to the entire population of Democrats in this country as “gnats.”

He isn’t afraid to insult and belittle citizens and politicians alike, which teaches people that treating others badly is actually acceptable, contradicting every “treat others as you want to be treated” life lesson.

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When asked about Trump’s name-calling, mean comments about politicians and “othering” of marginalized groups, the White House did not respond directly and instead accused Democrats of the same behavior.

“[Donald Trump has] a high-level government position,” said Kristen Gingrich, a licensed clinical social worker in Maine. People should be able to look up to the president and think that “they have solid morals that they follow. They have solid values,” Gingrich said.

But, the reality right now is “he is not someone worth looking up to,” Gingrich continued.

“I would not want my child looking up to someone who calls people ‘crazy,’ or makes fun of them, or any of that,” Gingrich added, “because that’s not the person that I want my child to be.”

Unfortunately, children will grow up in a world where this type of behavior and “us versus them” mentality (for example, Republicans versus Democrats or American citizens versus immigrants) is commonplace, which will impact how they treat others. This type of behavior also allows adults to revert to mean treatment towards others.

The trickle-down effect of Trump’s behavior allows people to get away with bad behavior, just as he does. Below, therapists share why this is happening and why they find it so troubling:

“For me, what’s concerning is when it becomes commonplace for the president of the United States to insult, belittle, mock and threaten other people, it’s not surprising that we’re also going to see that behavior become more widespread,” said Brittany Escuriex, a licensed psychologist, somatic experiencing practitioner and co-owner of Empowered Healing Dallas.

In theory, the president should be someone folks look up to, Gingrich said. And, some people (including children) will look up to the president, no matter how they act.

Not only does Trump model bad behavior for his supporters, but the fact that he gets away with name-calling and mocking shows that these kinds of actions can exist with zero consequences, Escuriex added.

This is hugely different than the social norms that most folks adhered to prior to Trump becoming president and demonstrating this kind of rhetoric, Escuriex said.

If you call a colleague a mean name, you may get fired. If you belittle a family member, they may decide to stop inviting you to holidays. Societally, there are direct consequences to bad behavior.

“I think we’re seeing now that it doesn’t [come with consequences] and that, from a behavioral and psychological standpoint, really worries me,” she said.

The fact that Trump faces no consequences, and barely any pushback, for his actions is why Escuriex thinks we’re seeing this kind of treatment become more widespread.

“At the end of the day, at the core of it all, we are normalizing bullying,” said Gingrich.

Trump has called countless people mean names, such as referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as “dumb” and “stupid,” ABC executives as a “bunch of losers,” and has also claimed to “hate” Taylor Swift.

“He’s setting a precedent for the people in his country that it’s OK to treat people like this,” said Gingrich.

Once again, he does not experience consequences and can say whatever he wants about people, Gingrich added.

He’s showing that there are no consequences to his actions, because he is not experiencing them; he’s not experiencing the consequences. He is able to write, say and talk about people in any way he wants.

“We are normalizing that it’s OK that you are mean to the people you don’t like or have different beliefs than you,” she said.

In other words, if the most powerful person in the country can set this example and talk about other people this way, why can’t you?

With many of Trump’s followers praising him for “telling it like it is,” you could even say he was likely elected because of his bullying, mocking and threatening behavior.

“I really believe in some ways, his second election was based off of support of the bullying, and it really seemed to then only fan the flames for him and his followers and the entire administration at this point,” Escuriex said.

Trump’s second election win showed many that name-calling and mocking don’t disqualify you. Instead, these actions move you forward.

“He was actually rewarded for that behavior — so, why would he change that behavior?” said Escuriex.

More, why would Trump’s supporters who observed his win after years of nasty remarks think they shouldn’t follow his lead?

“All that is, is behavior encouragement. It’s behavior validation. We’re going to continue to do something as long as it serves us, even if it’s harmful,” added Gingrich.

“If you’ve learned how to get your needs met out of anger, and it has always served you,” Gingrich said, “well, of course, you’re going to keep doing that.”

When stripping migrants of their legal protections, claiming that immigrants eat pets or ordering ICE raids in cities across the country, Trump and his administration is only putting these folks in danger.

“He’s targeting many marginalized communities, which may already feel the impact of oppression and discrimination and cultural trauma,” said Escuriex.

When groups or communities are spoken about with malice, it “really only deepens that ‘us versus them’ mentality,” added Escuriex.

“And I think when groups are spoken about so harmfully and violently, it also really serves to dehumanize them,” she added.

Negative generalizations about a group of people issue a call for “those groups to be targeted and harmed,” Escuriex said.

When making statements about someone being a “villain” or that certain groups of people shouldn’t have the same rights, “it’s this high level of office creating a viewpoint, and it’s the tippy-top viewpoint, it’s the top of the pyramid, and they’re creating that this is a belief that people should have,” said Gingrich.

A lot of people tend to just trust their elected officials’ word, Gingrich added.

“And so if [the administration says] that something is a villain, if something is terrible, if something should not be done, [the public is] going to believe that person, regardless of research. And that creates these ideas and beliefs that are not true,” Gingrich noted.

Outside of the White House, this rhetoric has turned into real-life violence, too, experts say.

“We’re seeing with ICE raids and things like that, we’re also seeing just outright violent behavior being rewarded and upheld and supported,” said Escuriex. ICE officers have injured photographers and pushed immigrants to the ground when arresting them.

“I think we’re in really dangerous territory societally, in terms of even the shifting of consequences and the shifting of the belief about the just basic way that we should be treating one another as humans, regardless of differences in our perspective,” said Escuriex.

Growing up, if you called someone a name or threatened them, you likely were taught very explicitly that you can’t do that and would face consequences if you did, said Escuriex.

Maybe you got grounded after calling your sister a name. Or, perhaps you were suspended from a few sports games for being mean to someone on an opposing team.

Now, children are watching the president of the United States and much of his administration belittle and insult folks with no repercussions. “How could it not impact how children are learning about social behavior?” said Escuriex.

“I think especially with how accessible social media has become, I think young people could really easily find themselves immersed in this bullying narrative and rhetoric,” Escuriex added.

It could be made even worse if they live in a household with caretakers who use the same vitriol to describe other groups of people, she noted.

“We know that children are shaped by the environments that they grow up in, at a micro level, within their own home, and at a macro level, within their schools, within their communities, within the country,” said Escuriex.

“So, certainly, the behavior of an entire administration,” she added, “especially one that makes it a point to be blatantly outspoken in their hateful rhetoric, would absolutely inform children’s perspectives on what is normal.”

“I think it’s really important to just be explicit. For this rhetoric to come from the highest office is traumatic. So, it makes sense for there to be a collective feeling of danger and threat,” Escuriex said. “And I think that that is actually part of the agenda, to keep people feeling unsafe and threatened.”

As Trump name-calls and mocks anyone who disagrees with him, do what you can to create moments of safety and calm for yourself. That’s easier said than done, especially for the communities being attacked by the Trump administration.

“Certainly not everybody has the privilege of being able to step away from the presence of these threats,” Escuriex said, adding that when there is space to create little moments of safety in your world, do it.

Be cautious of how much you’re exposing yourself to Trump’s bullying and threats, she said. This may involve limiting social media use or reducing news consumption.

“We, as humans, we’re not made to consume all of this information as much as we are… it is OK to step away, to take a break and come back to it,” said Gingrich.

Surround yourself with people who make you feel safe and seen, added Escuriex. “Finding that sense of social connection during a time when, really, there’s so much social divisiveness, I think, is really incredibly important,” she added.

Escuriex advised doing the things that bring you joy, whether that’s petting your dog, listening to a favorite song or looking at pictures of your best-ever vacation.

“Anything that lets our system unhook from the large-scale traumatic impact of our environment can be helpful,” Escuriex added, “and soothing one little bit at a time.”