For millions of Americans the last four years have had many of the hallmarks of life in an abusive relationship. Trump is an abuser. His bullying, ranting and verbal abuse are typical of such a personality. And, his need for validation of his behavior by hanging out with his MAGA pals is also the typical behavior of an abuser. It is going to take us time to get over the four years we were trapped in Trump's America.
There are certainly many parallels between the end of Donald Trump’s presidency and a psychologically violent relationship. Think about the temper tantrums, the refusal to accept reality, mood swings, fear of reprisal and a sense of looming danger: all are hallmarks of controlling and abusive behavior.
“Throughout his time in office, Trump would belittle communities, enact state violence through policies, act out in vengeful ways when he felt slighted and cut off access to supports or protections, isolating communities from each other,” she tells me. “I feel that under Trump many of us had a collective hypervigilance and anxiety of what he might do next. This has shown up in things like night terrors or constantly scrolling on social media for real or perceived threats from him to your community.”
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