Psychologist Compares Trump to Hitler, Warning the 'Malignant Narcissist' Wants 'Maximum Destruction'

The comments followed a midterm election in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.

Republicans face the end of their majorities on 3 January 2027, with government funding and the annual defence bill among the outstanding matters before lawmakers.

Psychologist Warns of Trump's Possible Response

Gartner, a former Johns Hopkins University professor, characterised the 80-year-old president as a 'malignant narcissist'.

He predicted that Trump could lash out following the election result, framing his warning around how he believed the president would respond to the Republican defeat.

'Hell hath no fury like a malignant narcissist scorned,' Gartner told The Daily Beast Podcast.

'I think we're now in the third act of the tragedy, and I think we're in more danger now than we've ever been,' he added.

Gartner's remarks combined his characterisation of Trump with predictions about the president's future behaviour. He suggested that Trump would seek to assert his power through destructive conduct.

'He's going to act out in the ways that are destructive—to show his power and dominance, and to gain the sadistic sense of pleasure that he gets from destruction,' Gartner predicted.

Psychologist Invokes Hitler's Nero Decree

Gartner drew a comparison with an order issued by Hitler before his suicide during the Battle of Berlin. His analogy concerned the destruction demanded by the Nazi leader as Allied forces advanced.

The Nero Decree, issued 42 days before Hitler's suicide, called for the destruction of remaining German infrastructure to prevent it from falling into Allied hands. Its scope included bridges, railways, canals, communication networks, factories, power plants and food storage facilities.

Gartner interpreted the order as reflecting Hitler's desire to take German lives with him, using that interpretation to explain his characterisation of malignant narcissism.

'He literally wanted to kill every single German, take every single German life down with him. That's how a malignant narcissist thinks,' Gartner stated.

Returning to Trump, Gartner expressed doubt that anyone could restrain him. 'I don't think there is a strategy that will work,' he stated.

'I think that he is going to do what he is going to do, and he's going to reap maximum chaos, maximum destruction, maximum confusion.'

Psychologist's Trump Warning Precedes Congressional Handover

The political backdrop to Gartner's comments is a six-week lame-duck congressional session before the Republican majorities conclude. Republican lawmakers had hoped to advance party priorities during that period, although those plans now appear uncertain.

Alongside those ambitions, Congress faces a funding deadline. Lawmakers must fund the government by mid-December or risk another federal shutdown if funding lapses.

The annual defence bill is another outstanding priority. It sets policy for the Pentagon and provides pay rises for troops, and Congress has approved it essentially every year since World War II.

The defence package faces progressive pressure to reduce funding for the Iran war and military aid to Israel over the war on Gaza.