A case for the real feelings behind Trump's "Build a Wall" chants
A deep dive into the mind and motivations within the pursuit of self-absorption
A Note: The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election is already underway, making the work I do here on Faith is Feminist even more critical. We cannot afford to endure another Trump-like presidency so I am humbly asking for your assistance ahead of the below article. Thanks so much!
The Hebrew word for “city” is עִיר or “ear.” You pronounce it with a bit of the “r” rolling off the tongue.
Like the protective walls of medieval kingdoms, עִיר, as it pertains to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament (as Christians call it), symbolizes developing a barrier that isn’t life-giving to the world. Putting up a symbolic wall like this limits our humanity and care for others, especially marginalized people and the oppressed.
Now, in 2016, when Donald Trump first ran for president, many of us experienced those “Build a wall” chants. This chant dominated Trump’s supporter rallies and became a fixture in his campaign bid.
Though this sentiment solidified his immigration policy among supporters, many of whom were white evangelical Christians, the intention was never to build a physical wall. Rather, I’m arguing this “wall” or עִיר is metaphorical, signifying the inherent fear of Trump supporters — of a rapidly changing United States that is more diverse and inclusive, an erosion of white supremacy. The עִיר to which they seek is a white supremacist barrier against this changing reality, not a physical wall that deters migrants.
As a note, white supremacy isn’t just about Jim Crow and racial acts of violence against non-white Americans. It also encompasses the behavior of exclusion and superiority over others as witnessed among white people on social media, in conversations, and the like.
My case for why Trump's “Build a Wall” was never about solving the migrant crisis and immigration in the first place.
I’ve never understood the obsession with “border security” from Trump supporters and the drain on society known as Marjorie Taylor Greene. The United States is one of the most complicated countries for immigrants to attain citizenship.
We could blame it all on “The War on Terror” that erupted after the 9/11 attacks. However, this stance is too simplistic and uniquely applies to the intelligence community.
The paranoia isn't really about Democrats, either. President Barack Obama deported more illegal immigrants than any other president in history. Biden recently enacted a Trump administration-like asylum policy.
What, then, is their fixation on border security?
I think it all goes beyond pure law and order.
I recently began watching the documentary series How to Become a Tyrant. It delves into the tactics of authoritarian leaders in their attempt to accrue and maintain power.
One episode of How to Become a Tyrant delves into the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany after WWI and how his anti-Semitic platform articulated what Germans were already thinking about but were hesitant to disclose — that was until Hilter started saying it. In 2016, Trump offered this exact opportunity for disgruntled white Americans who wanted a place to funnel their anger about:
losing steady jobs to cheaper labor sources,
the heightened awareness around speech and vernacular regarding marginalized people groups, and
the fact that a man of color, Barack Obama, successfully became president.
Hence their emotional need to chant “build a wall” and to maintain control with this metaphorical attitude, including standoffs with “wokeness.”
Stay with me here.
As I’ve discussed previously, what was once fringe is now the dominant stance of the Republican Party: an ideological belief system motivated by the fear that one’s place at the top of the racial hierarchy is eroding. Scholars and sociologists have termed this position White Christian Nationalism. It blends Christian symbolism with political and social power structures, and it has nothing to do with the sanctity of the original Christian texts — just a means to protect, single out, and control others as cults do and as Hilter’s “Jewish Conspiracy” strategy did.
Like my therapist tells me about “my triggers” and a disproportionate reaction to an event, my emotions have engaged out of place when I didn’t feel secure in the past. The reality, however, is that I am indeed safe at that moment; the threat of years ago is no longer present. My job then is to train my intellect to tell my nervous system and the lizard part of my brain (the oldest part of the brain in humans that relates to our animal friends) I am fine; there is nothing “to fear” as I am now the adult in the scenario. I, of course, do this with the safety of a therapist present and then take my learned strategies and insight into real life.
I want to bring this idea into our current heavily divided country. The Republican Party and White Christian Nationalists are correct in their somatic response that change is brewing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest data collection, the United States is more diverse than in years past.
Yet when presented with ideas of change, emotionally regulated adults should be able to manage challenging feelings instead of resorting to angry tantrums and empty epithets of “persecution,” fears of a “pluralistic Babylon,” and “build a wall” chants. Healthy, emotionally mature adults would understand this modification is out of their control, realizing any reaction to this news is all they can reasonably accommodate. They would then focus their energy, or anger, elsewhere without taking down millions of innocent people with them through toxic measures intended to physically stop the inevitable reorientation of diversity, inclusion, and equality.
Ironically for a political party that preaches against government oversight and spending, Republicans are paying loads of energy to restrict fundamental human rights provisions. To provide perspective, the ACLU is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ bills, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration is restructuring its statewide education materials to exclude accurate depictions of Civil Rights and American history. Because of DeSantis’ sweeping executive measures and grievances, the NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens, and Equality Florida (an LGBTQ advocacy group) have all issued Florida travel advisories that are official documents stating Florida is not a safe place for non-white, non-heterosexual Americans.
The Supreme Court also recently voted in favor of allowing businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+-identifying customers. Ironically, the “gay couple” to which self-proclaimed “Christian” graphic designer Lorie Smith cited in court filings may not have even existed. When The New Republic contacted Stewart, the supposed gay man in Smith’s case, he had no recollection of the encounter with Smith. He told Melissa Gira Grant for The New Republic, “[This is] the very first time I’ve heard of it…I wouldn’t want anybody to … make me a wedding website?”
He continued, “I’m married, I have a child—I’m not really sure where that came from? But somebody’s using false information in a Supreme Court filing document.”
This exhaustive current cultural policing of Republicans is an attempt to “control,” a common maladaptive coping strategy among people raised in dysfunctional family systems. These individuals develop this strategy in childhood, resulting in dysregulated and emotionally immature adults. You could even make the case that this behavior also generates narcissistic personality types or what psychologists diagnose as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) in extreme cases. (I emphasize this distinction between narcissistic personality types and NPD because “narcissism” exists on a spectrum or among clusters of symptoms, like grandiose or covert narcissism.)
You’ve most likely encountered someone with a narcissistic personality type. Here's an example: if you argue the sky is blue (and in reality, it is), the narcissist will belittle you down to their belief that it is either red or green, putting themselves first always. There is no compromise or discussion, and you’ll feel like garbage for even having the conversation in the first place. Narcissists, too, make great authoritarian leaders for their charm and charisma that masks manipulations and deceit. Followers and friends might even enable the narcissist's behavior, gaslighting the recipient to believe he, she, or they are crazy and wrong/bad for questioning it.
I share and contextualize this with you because, based on the journalistic research I’ve conducted over the past two months, I’m seeing a trend taking shape among the policies informed by White Christian Nationalism, the past words and actions of Trump, and the current lineup of 2024 presidential nominees (including AIDS Denialist Robert Kennedy Jr).
The trend I’m noticing comes from the narcissist’s playbook — to obscure the truth, lack empathy when leaders publicly make racist or derogatory statements, the need to have “an enemy” for what Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula calls “source” or “supply,” and to belittle and control others through their manipulations. All of this is an effort to put themselves first at the expense of others (this is where the lack of empathy arrives).
Narcissists can also attract other narcissists. Two clinical studies (this one from 2016 and a most recent one) demonstrate a pattern that narcissists can “like” someone because this person possesses the same maladaptive personality traits as they do. Imagine that radio feed of "He's just a good guy" and "He says it like it is!" among Trump supporters. To me, this suggests they are resonating with his maladaptive personality characteristics.
All of this to say, I believe the loyalty of Trump followers — even to the point where they commit acts of violence in his name — suggests an epidemic of narcissism. When I conceptualize the White Christian Nationalist phenomenon Trump perpetuates in this way, I more fully understand why his supporters enjoy singling out minorities and their allies while making emotionally-fueled statements like “build a wall!”
Their lack of empathy, evidenced by a shocking rise in acts of violence toward Asian and Latin Americans and now LGBT+ events, further supports my observation. Narcissists possess an obsessive drive to maintain and bolster public-facing appearances; they will gladly trample over others to secure it as such. This maladaptive behavioral aspect is why they won't take responsibility for their mistakes or shortcomings or even acknowledge the message of guilt and repentance the Biblical texts teach. Equality and vulnerability aren't present in their personalities because to admit wrong would be a big blow to their already severely damaged egos.
For Trump and his supporters (which includes most Republican representatives), a lack of empathy is why they continue to deflect the admission of past wrongs, obfuscate racist and sexist viewpoints, and support the idea that Trump is a victim in all of the ways possible, including during his most recent legal troubles.
They make Trump out to be “their savior,” someone who, like them as narcissists, champions infallibility and possesses no qualms about treating other people like waste. It’s all in a narcissist’s way of being, and when anyone questions that, the recipient will most likely receive vitriolic fervor. Sound familiar?
When it comes to the Biblical story of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, most people like to cite it was the sexuality of its residents that caused God to cast judgment. This interpretation is an incorrect reading. The actual sin, or consequence of the city, was their self-absorbed nature and the presence of walls or עִיר they put up against others, causing them to treat their peer image-bearers of the Divine as less than the God or Source who created them.
As narcissists, White Christian Nationalists and the Republican Party aren't interested in reading the Bible they espouse. Instead, they view it as a powerful device to bolster their self-image and grandiosity while wielding violence and control over others. Unfortunately, they don't know any better, but this doesn't give them a permission slip to continue abusing innocent people.
Narcissists will also obscure the truth to meet their own maladaptive needs. This makes sense for why Trump supporters, or White Christian Nationalists, distrust media sources, science, and medicine and fully take to conspiracy theories — Flat Earth, QAnon, and Pizzagate — as reality.
How do we address this, and how can we talk to family members and friends about it?
In my experience, one of the best resources against narcissistic personalities is not giving in to their manipulations by being your most authentic self, where your decisions and values align without resorting to outside validations. Narcissists become uneasy around these genuine, agreeable people, especially when they are happy and confident in who they are.
If you have family or friends who are Republican and are safe to be vulnerable with, please proceed to have those critical conversations about race, gender, and the fate of our democracy. Here is a recent case where someone turned around from being anti-LGBT+.
Narcissists also thrive on having enemies to maintain a consistent source or supply for their maladaptive coping strategy. As Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula said in a recent video, “If you think you ruminate a lot about the narcissistic relationship — when it comes to their enemies, narcissist folks ruminate all of the time.”
During stressful times of societal upheaval, individuals will hold anger or rage with no idea of where to diffuse it, says the How to Become a Tyrant documentary series, making the presence of narcissistic leaders particularly enticing because of their propensity to have “enemies.”
As a collective, I'm unsure of the exact solution to overcome the narcissism of White Christian Nationalism, but I do know that awareness of it is the first step toward healing.
For more resources about narcissistic personality types and the creation of maladaptive coping mechanisms in dysfunctional family systems:
Dr. Ramani Durvasula’s Youtube channel has fantastic free materials
Speaking of the American southern border and the stories of the migrants who arrive there, Tucson-based artist Alvaro Encisco has made it his mission to commemorate the lives of people who have died at the border. In the places where they took their last breaths, he places a wooden cross.
Encisco doesn’t identify as a Christian, but the idea of crucifixion paralleling the costly migrant experience of traversing the Sonoran desert — often, like those dying from Roman-style crucifixion, in excruciating circumstances without food and water — makes the symbol of the cross even more impactful to Encisco.
He also points out an irony — that the people arriving at our southern border are often Christians. Yet White Christian Nationalists and many of our elected representatives refuse to treat these Divine image-bearers with the dignity they deserve.
Do you see a pattern here? The situation is Sodom and Gomorrah all over again.
To learn more about Alvaro Encisco’s art installation to honor the lives of migrants who have died at the border, listen to this fantastic BBC audio piece.
Resources used in the research of this article:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/21/biden-trump-migration-policy-asylum-00083873
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-part-of-the-brain-controls-emotions#the-limbic-system
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/nasty-brutish-and-long-americas-war-on-terrorism/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-bad-looks-good/202010/do-narcissists-attract-each-other
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/narcissists-like-other-narcissists_n_58e51a80e4b0fe4ce0873f36
https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/conspiracy-theories
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-legal-cases-explained