to the editor: re <u+201c> trump<u+2019>s sad, lonely life <u+201d> (column, oct. 11): david brooks<u+2019>s insightful essay about the utter lack of empathetic understanding displayed by donald trump misses an opportunity to explore why such a man would find a home in the republican party. do we not see in somewhat less grotesque form the same lack of humanity in telling the unemployed that they are lazy, pregnant women that their bodies are not their own, black americans that the first black president wasn<u+2019>t an american, gay people that their love is sinful and second rate, and helpless and traumatized victims of war that they are terrorists and that the great lady in new york harbor is blind to them? richard j. kessler long island city, queens to the editor: david brooks, in his exquisitely written psychological analysis of donald trump, doesn<u+2019>t quite say it all. to say mr. trump is suffering from <u+201c>narcissistic alexithymia, the inability to understand or describe the emotions in the self<u+201d> omits the self-constructed mental trap mr. trump is in. a self-contained, closed and cyclical loop, mr. trump<u+2019>s narcissism has no exit: he couldn<u+2019>t stop himself from his behavioral patterns if he tried. that is what is so tragic. diana y. paul carmel, calif. to the editor: what david brooks misses is that in donald trump<u+2019>s insulated, gold-encrusted, sheltered world of privilege, he is not alone. he is surrounded by family and associates who enable and empower him, say yes to him, or are silenced by him. it<u+2019>s impossible to understand how the real world works or have empathy for the <u+201c>masses<u+201d> when you live in the penthouse of an office building and fly in a private jet everywhere. for mr. trump<u+2019>s entire life there has been a disconnect from the real struggles of americans, immigrants and people living in the inner cities. this is glaringly apparent in his campaign and in this most recent town hall debate. scott r. meyers northampton, mass. to the editor: i read david brooks<u+2019>s column about <u+201c>the essential loneliness of donald trump<u+201d> after finishing my mindfulness meditation, in which i seek to be <u+201c>filled with lovingkindness,<u+201d> but i must acknowledge that i am hard pressed to find any generosity of spirit in myself in mr. trump<u+2019>s behalf. rather, i lament the terrible damage he has already done to our country<u+2019>s social fabric, the coarsening of our national conversation, and the insults and violence that he appears not only to condone but also to encourage. i do feel empathy, however, for all those people who have persuaded themselves that a whiny charlatan can offer them anything that will improve their lives. i hope that mr. brooks is right that after donald trump<u+2019>s loss on nov. 8 (which may be resounding), <u+201c>everyone will just walk away.<u+201d> but what if this crowd-addicted narcissist finds a way to continue to spew his hate-filled rhetoric and conspiracy theories at rallies that once again draw his faithful followers, now convinced that the election has been stolen from them? mr. trump<u+2019>s own words have demonstrated that his election would threaten our democratic institutions. i shudder to think of the harm he could inflict after a humiliating defeat. anne l. finger teaneck, n.j. a version of this letter appears in print on october 17, 2016, on page a18 of the new york edition with the headline: the inner world of donald trump. today's paper | subscribe
the inner world of donald trump
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