My trusty American Heritage dictionary defines “narcissism” this way: An excessive love or admiration for oneself.
Do you think Donald J. Trump fits the bill?
Consider what he told The Associated Press in a rambling interview that seems to make zero sense when you read the transcript.
One of the things he mentioned was how the TV news/talk show ratings would zoom upward whenever he appeared on them. He said they were the “best since 9/11.”
Let that sink for a moment or two. The president of the United States somehow sought to equate the soaring ratings he brought to TV news shows to their coverage of one of the worst days in the history of the Republic.
Nearly 3,000 people died when the Twin Towers collapsed in Lower Manhattan, N.Y. More victims died at the Pentagon. Even more perished in that Pennsylvania field after passengers battled valiantly against terrorists aboard a doomed jetliner.
And yet …
The president manages to meld that terrible, horrifying tragedy with his TV ratings?
Trump is redefining narcissism. Indeed, they need to put his picture next to the dictionary definition of the word.