Buzzfeed broke several blockbuster stories about Trump. Most famously they were the first to publish the Steele dossier. Here’s an incredible tale just published by Buzzfeed about a mild-mannered sociopath who is one of the most prolific hitmen in history. While this story isn’t about Trump (although there is a mention of Melania Trump) there are lessons to be learned about how someone can live a normal life for decades while hiding his true dark self.
This is an epic crime story which provides a rare insight into of the mind of a killer. It is a long read but I found the story riveting.
The hitman himself provides the psychology lesson in suggesting a title for the Buzzfeed story: “True Evil has a face you know and a voice you trust.”
From PART 1: “THINKING OF ALL THE BAD THINGS I DONE IN LIFE.”
Awaiting his day in court, Martinez, who has a round, friendly face and a frequent smile, remains courteous and solicitous. The guards assigned to him in jail say he is a model inmate. He listens to people when they talk, and nods and laughs at all the right moments. Moreover — as many cops have noted with appreciation — he is funny, a witty, wry observer of the world around him.
Those of us, thankfully about 60% of the population, don’t think Trump has a voice that we trust. We don’t need to understand that many people have mastered the ability to convince people that they mean them the best when they mean them the worst.
This is Jose Manuel Martinez — “a soft-spoken man with an easy smile who’d spent much of the last few months playing soccer and make-believe with his grandchildren.”
Sitting in his cell, he writes to his beloved granddaughters and other family members, dispensing advice and showering praise. He has also written his life story, twice. He suggests headlines for this article, including, in one letter over the summer: “True Evil has a face you know and a voice you trust. El Mano Negra.” He also revealed that he has done research on me and my editors, even obtaining a photo of us, which he keeps in his cell.
He reads almost anything he can get his hands on, including crime books and romance novels by Danielle Steel. And he writes love letters, such as a two-page missive to Melania Trump. “I don’t care if I get a federal charge for loving a woman,” he explained. “I’m very, very good to do love letter. I mean real good.”
The words psychopath and sociopath are used colloquially. The diagnostic term for sociopathic personality was changed to antisocial personality for various reasons I won’t get into (you can read more here).
Here’s a basic definition from Wikipedia. Some characteristics jump out as applying to varying degrees to the president. I bolded them below.
Antisocial personality disorder is defined by a pervasive and persistent disregard for morals, social norms, and the rights and feelings of others.[3] Individuals with this personality disorder will typically have no compunction in exploiting others in harmful ways for their own gain or pleasure and frequently manipulate and deceive other people, achieving this through wit and a facade of superficial charm or through intimidation and violence.[11] They may display arrogance, think lowly and negatively of others, and lack remorse for their harmful actions and have a callous attitude to those they have harmed.[3][4] Irresponsibility is a core characteristic of this disorder: they can have significant difficulties in maintaining stable employment as well as fulfilling their social and financial obligations, and people with this disorder often lead exploitative, unlawful, or parasitic lifestyles.[3][4][12][13]
Those with antisocial personality disorder are often impulsive and reckless, failing to consider or disregarding the consequences of their actions. They may repeatedly disregard and jeopardize their own safety and the safety of others and place themselves and others in danger.[3][4][14] They are often aggressive and hostile and display a disregulated temper and can lash out violently with provocation or frustration.[3][13] Individuals are prone to substance abuse and addiction, and the abuse of various psychoactive substances is common in this population. These behaviors lead such individuals into frequent conflict with the law, and many people with ASPD have extensive histories of antisocial behavior and criminal infractions stemming back before adulthood.[3][4][12][13]
Serious problems with interpersonal relationships are often seen in those with the disorder. Attachments and emotional bonds are weak, and interpersonal relationships often revolve around the manipulation, exploitation, and abuse of others.[3] While they generally have no problems in establishing relationships, they may have difficulties in sustaining and maintaining them.[12] Relationships with family members and relatives are often strained due to their behavior and the frequent problems that these individuals may get into.
The is a striking difference between Donald Trump and Martinez. The hitman has considerable self-awareness, is willing and able to candidly reflect on his life, shortcomings, his motivations, and he is not particularly narcissistic. He also seems to have been a doting father:
(After committing a double murder) Martinez headed to his daughter’s house in Alabama. By chance, it was his granddaughter’s birthday. “I told her, get in the car,” he recalled, and they drove to the nearest Toys ‘R’ Us, where he said she could get everything she could put her hands on during their visit.
“You don’t want to know how much I spent on the Toys ‘R’ Us store,” Martinez recalled proudly.
……..
He’d pick up his granddaughters from school and play with them for hours. He let them dress him up like a Disney princess and subject him to a game of “spa day,” which ended when he gobbled up the avocado facial as the girls howled with laughter. When one was sick, he kept vigil at her bedside all night.
And he threw himself into helping his daughter, who was divorced and working on building her own roofing business. She’d find him up on ladders, trying to hammer at roof tiles. She chased him down, explaining that her insurance didn’t cover him.
There is certainly a difference between being an out and out sociopath and having some of the traits of a sociopath like not having empathy, exploiting others, and enjoying getting revenge.
The vast majority of schoolyard bullies grow up to fit into society, don't end up in prison, and find places where they fit in with varying degrees of success. They could be called socialized bullies.
They could also end up being president.