Oops. Trump Paused Tariffs Because He Lost the Leverage His Personality Disorder Craves. That’s It.

Grandiose Narcissism explains every stage of this ridiculous episode

No, this was not “the strategy all along.” But Trump still alerted the world, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” after realizing his pause on tariffs would juice the same stock market they previously tanked.

This was a manipulation, a convenient opportunity to appear both an economic mastermind and a benevolent king throwing loaves to huddled masses who reached for pittances and cheered his name.

Donald Trump has a personality disorder called Grandiose Narcissism. His own National Institute of Health defines it as, “high self-esteem, a sense of personal superiority and entitlement, overconfidence, a willingness to exploit others for self-gain, and hostility and aggression when challenged.”

The Mayo Clinic notes that a person’s personality is shaped by a blend of genes from their parents and the relationship patterns swirling around them in childhood. Donald Trump’s father was famously ruthless and bigoted, his mother cold and uncaring. Not only did Trump inherit these, he almost certainly spent his childhood trying to attract his parents’ attention and affection, by acting out if necessary, but always unsuccessfully.

While intensely focused on manipulation, Trump never explored the methods and joys of mutual relationships. Instead, his psyche grew a visceral disgust for the vulnerability that healthy relationships require. His brain forged itself into a warrior trained only for battle, an automaton programmed to wield control over others, an effect he could never achieve with his parents.

For this typology, the presidency is perfect. “Grandiose” narcissism means no size or breadth of self-buttressing is too large. And the biggest sources of leverage in our modern world are the U.S. military and economy, both of which revolve around the person of the President.

Militarily, Trump's disorder makes him unlikely to start a war, especially against a strong opponent, since wars often spin out of leaders’ control, and strong opponents are harder to manipulate than weak ones. But, control of the U.S. economy’s massive influence over every other nation is Trump’s white whale, his Ring of Power, the Infinity Stones that would give him more power over the well-being of more people on earth than any individual in history. Tariffs - or import taxes - are basically a door through which any person, company, or nation must pass before accessing U.S. markets. The keyholder for that door could jolt humanity with a single tweet. Trump has lusted over tariffs for almost 40 years.

Trump also loves tariffs because, at least to him, they are simple. Sufferers of personality disorders cannot conceive of complexity in human relations. To them, every relational dealing is zero-sum and involves only one step: I do something, and you react. This is how Trump intends to use tariffs, as a singular weapon to force others to come to him, hat in hand, to surrender, supplicate, and beg for mercy (or “negotiate,” as he calls it). He wants this not primarily to help grow American prosperity or even to enrich his friends. His first desire above all is his own emotional gratification. After this, every other motivation is a bonus, which will not attract his energy unless it also compounds that gratification.

To economists, tariffs are more complex. They can spur growth in some instances and contraction in others. They can bring benefits and damage, often at the same time. Used strategically, tariffs can boost an economy and enrich a nation.

But Donald Trump is incapable of strategy. Whereas a tactic is the use of a single tool to nudge a scenario in one direction, a strategy is an array of tactics, evolving through a sequence, toward a desired outcome. It involves understanding the facets of multiple systems, including the parts that do not confer direct, immediate benefit, a capability Trump does not have.

Strategies in certain realms, like math and engineering, do not much involve human reactions. This is why a neuro-divergent Elon Musk can mass-produce efficient cars and effective rockets. But markets and economies are human institutions, requiring empathy and curiosity in others to understand how they work. Trump is incapable of empathy and has no interest in others outside of how they can benefit him. It’s then no surprise Trump was blindsided by markets crashing in response to his tariffs, something experts and non-experts easily predicted.

Trump has no interest in market behavior in the short term. He is too focused and invested in the gargantuan wealth he plans to extract from countries that buckle under his tariffs. This is precisely why Trump bragged publicly that many countries were coming to him (“kissing my ass,”) the only metric he cares about. If he cared about the stock market, he would have rescinded his reciprocal tariffs days ago - when they wiped out $10 trillion of capital - or never conceived of them in the first place.

Trump paused tariffs because he failed to account for how much he needs others for his plan to succeed. What gives his tariffs leverage is not the strength of the U.S. economy, but the perception of its strength. If enough billionaires and staffers tell him they’re panicked over market weakness, he’ll be forced to pause his plan - but not abandon it. When asked about the pause, Trump made no mention of turbulent bond markets, only “people…getting a little bit yippie, a little bit afraid.”

The media characterize Trump as having “backed down,” but this is anything but a surrender. Grandiose narcissism makes defeat - especially the public kind - feel worse than death. To salvage pride, Trump is leaning into the investment opportunity his actions created and aiming his tariff cannon soley at Beijing.

But tariffs on other countries will be back, very likely with less publicity next time, so that pesky, “yippie” markets don’t notice.