There has been a lot of commentary about what Trump administration appointees have in common.  Generals?  Wall Street financiers?  Add one more to the list.  Domestic abusers.  As pointed out in a December 9 article in the Huffington Post, the president-elect, his strategy chief Steve Barron and Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder all have been accused by ex-spouses of abuse.

There are certain things we know about domestic abusers.  First, their prime motivation is to belittle their victims.  In turn, the recipients doubt their self-worth.  Second, in most cases, abusive acts take place in private while the perpetrators go out of their way to present a public facade of domestic bliss.

It is now clear many voters do not think abusive behavior in one’s private life is a disqualification for president.  And we will soon learn whether the U.S. Senate considers it a factor in confirming or rejecting a cabinet appointment.  The question they should be asking is, “What does domestic abuse in one’s personal life tell us about how a president or senior federal officials will carry out their responsibilities?”

In the case of Trump and his appointees, that is where the the concept of “Bizarro World” comes in.  First introduced in DC Comics, Bizarro World (or Htrae as it is called) is a planet where everything is the opposite of what we have come to know.  Bizarro World got an additional PR bump in the 137th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld when Elaine associates with a new trio of male friends who are the polar opposites of Jerry, George and Kramer.

The president-elect is already giving us a good idea how abusive behavior will play out in Bizarro Trump World.  Consider his two latest victims: Mitt Romney and Al Gore.  Instead of belittling these clueless pawns in private while embracing them before the cameras, Trump has done just the opposite.  Gore emerges from a private meeting stating he and Trump had a good, substantive discussion on climate change.  The next day, he shames the former vice-president by appointing a vocal climate change denier as EPA administrator.  In Romney’s case, their kiss and make up charade takes place at an intimate dinner with incoming chief-of-staff Reince Prebus.   In public, Trump stands on the sidelines while surrogates, including his former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and BFF Rudy Guliani, denounce Romney as a potential choice for Secretary of State.

Pun intended, we are also seeing how Bizarro World domestic abuse has gone foreign.  Warm private conversations with Chinese officials are followed by public rebukes.

In most cases, domestic abuse begins as verbal assaults which only later becomes physical and violent.  This is bad enough when the offense involves just two people.  Imagine what the consequences could be when abusive behavior is applied on a national or international scale.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP