Danger of a Narcissistic President
The greatest danger of a narcissistic president is not ideology or policy—it is the substitution of public service with personal obsession. The office becomes a mirror, not a responsibility. Decisions are made not for the country, but for validation.
In this mindset, facts matter only when flattering. Institutions exist only when obedient. Courts, elections, experts, and the press are praised when useful and attacked when they are not. Democratic erosion does not require a coup; it happens one insult, one lie, and one broken norm at a time.
The deeper damage is cultural. A narcissistic president teaches supporters to personalize power. Disagreement becomes disloyalty. Losing becomes impossible. The leader is framed as the nation itself, making accountability feel like betrayal rather than duty.
Long after such a presidency ends, the damage remains. Trust in elections weakens. Truth fractures. The next leader inherits a system already bent around ego instead of law. Democracies do not collapse overnight—they fail when enough people accept that one person’s self-image matters more than the system that protects everyone.