Jonathan Freedland’s comments about Donald Trump highlighted two Trumps: the shoot-from-the-hip tough guy and the supplicant at the court of Vladimir Putin (Trump is the world’s greatest showman – and the weakest strongman it has ever seen, 21 February). Isn’t he an example of the authoritarian personality (not to be confused with being authoritarian)?
Rupert Wilkinson’s 1972 book The Broken Rebel explored the subject. Some of the characteristics of the authoritarian personality that he listed are submission to a strong, admired authority; aggressive hostility to people in authority whose traits he resents, often as a result of being dominated himself in childhood or to compensate for a sense of weakness; open hostility to outsiders and admiration for his own side; a desire to be strong, to hold power and assert it aggressively; detests ambiguity and uncertainty; craves simple solutions and obvious results.
Mary Wilkinson
London
So abject is Donald Trump’s surrender to Vladimir Putin that in this new counterintuitive world, Keir Starmer’s return from his trip to Washington this week must surely be accompanied by Trump’s vitriolic attack on him as a dictator with no mandate and a suppressor of free speech. Only then will we know that our prime minister has grown a backbone and challenged this abhorrent monstrosity that suffocates any moral order.
Tom Brown
Gore End, Hampshire
As a mediocre chess player, I was challenged to a game by someone much better than me. I beat him by making random, nonsensical moves, which turned out to be a brilliant tactic, because he panicked and became so confused that he conceded. Is this what Donald Trump is attempting in his dealings with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine? If so, he ought to be warned that it only works once. My vanquished opponent quickly realised I had no talent and I never beat him again.
Jim Hatley
Brighton, East Sussex
Why aren’t we hearing from Joe Biden or Kamala Harris? Surely senior Democrats should be calling out Donald Trump’s shameless lies.
Sally Burch
London
The Trump administration’s minerals deal with Ukraine (Report, 25 February) brings to mind the forced sale of art by Jews fleeing the Nazis. Perhaps in the future it will come to be seen in a similar light.
Alison Routh
Clayhanger, Devon
Article by:Source: Guardian Staff
