Watching the full interview between President Zelensky and Donald Trump, I couldn’t help but notice the classic tactics of narcissistic abuse playing out in real-time. The gaslighting, blame-shifting, deflection, dominance, and demand for gratitude—it’s all there. And just like with narcissistic abuse on a personal level, these tactics aren’t meant to solve anything. They are meant to control the narrative and condition those of us watching to accept a false reality.

1. Reframing Justified Emotion as the Problem

At one point, Trump says of Zelensky: “He’s got tremendous hatred for Putin.”

This is a perfect example of how narcissists flip reality to frame the victim’s response to abuse as the problem, rather than the abuse itself.

Zelensky’s anger toward Putin isn’t irrational. It’s not misplaced. It is the natural, justified response of a man whose country has been invaded, whose people have been slaughtered, whose cities have been reduced to rubble. But instead of acknowledging the cause of Zelensky’s anger—Putin’s war crimes—Trump subtly reframes it as the problem itself. The implication is that Zelensky’s emotions, rather than Putin’s actions, are the true obstacle to peace.

This is how narcissists distort reality—by using a half-truth while stripping it of context to shift the blame. Trump doesn’t say outright that Zelensky shouldn’t hate Putin, but he doesn’t have to—he knows his followers will fill in the gaps. That’s the game.

2. The Demand for Submission Disguised as Gratitude

Zelensky is hardly allowed to speak in this interview, constantly talked over and bulldozed by Trump and J.D. Vance. Yet in one of the few moments he manages to get a word in, he says, “I’m thankful.”

That doesn’t stop Trump from later saying, “You’re not acting at all thankful.” And again: “You have to be more thankful.”

This isn’t just about gratitude. It’s about dominance.

There’s a clear expectation here—not just that Zelensky should acknowledge U.S. support, but that he should perform his gratitude in a way that satisfies Trump’s ego. Trump and his allies don’t want appreciation; they want obedience. They want Zelensky to grovel, to make himself small, to demonstrate submission in a way that reaffirms their power.

This is textbook narcissism: do something for someone, not out of goodwill, but as leverage. True generosity doesn’t demand repayment. Control does.

3. Setting Up an Impossible Task, Then Blaming the Victim for Failing

One of the most insidious moments comes when J.D. Vance accuses Zelensky of campaigning for Democrats and Marco Rubio later suggests that Zelensky is being “antagonistic” when he challenges Trump’s stance.

Let’s break this down:

• Zelensky is a leader fighting for his country’s survival.

• Democrats have supported Ukraine’s defense; Republicans (led by Trump) have sought to cut aid.

• Of course, Zelensky aligned with the people who were actively helping Ukraine. That’s his job.

Yet J.D. Vance twists this reality into a false betrayal narrative—as if Zelensky’s decision to work with the party that supported him was a personal slight against Trump. This is how narcissists operate:

• They create a no-win scenario.

• Then they punish you for failing an impossible test.

It’s like saying: “If you really wanted to survive, you wouldn’t have accepted food from the only people willing to feed you.”

Later, Marco Rubio takes it even further, saying there was “no need for Zelensky to become antagonistic”—which is a level of gaslighting so extreme it’s almost laughable.

Zelensky wasn’t antagonistic—he was barely allowed to speak. He was talked over, cut off, and manipulated at every turn. And yet, when he shows the smallest flicker of frustration at being bulldozed, suddenly he is the problem.

This is another classic narcissistic tactic—create a dynamic where someone has no power, then blame them for not responding “appropriately” to their powerlessness.

It’s like putting a knee to someone’s throat and saying, “There’s no need to choke.”

Or locking an animal in a cage and saying, “If it really wanted to leave, it would find a way out.”

Zelensky isn’t refusing diplomacy. He’s stating the reality that Putin cannot be trusted. That’s not an emotional outburst—it’s a fact. But instead of holding Putin accountable for making negotiations impossible, they twist it to make Zelensky the problem.

4. Disowning America’s History to Avoid Responsibility

Over and over in the interview, Trump dodges responsibility by saying, “That happened under Obama” or “That was Biden.”

This is another major red flag—because Zelensky isn’t even trying to assign blame. He’s simply recounting history to explain how Ukraine got to this moment. But Trump reacts as if any mention of events before his presidency is a personal attack.

This is what narcissists and authoritarian leaders do:

• They don’t see themselves as part of the country’s history—they see themselves as separate from it.

• If something bad happened before them, it’s irrelevant.

• If something bad happens under them, it’s someone else’s fault.

• If something good happens, it’s entirely because of them.

You cannot lead a country while refusing to take ownership of its past. But Trump doesn’t want to be a leader. He wants to be the entire story.

The Bigger Picture: The Anatomy of Manipulation

This interview wasn’t a discussion—it was a case study in control.

• Blame-shifting – Shifting focus from Putin’s actions to Zelensky’s emotions.

• Gaslighting – Reframing justified frustration as “antagonism.”

• Weaponizing Gratitude – Demanding submission under the guise of appreciation.

• Setting Up an Impossible Test – Expecting Zelensky to please an unpleasable leader.

• Avoiding Accountability – Distancing Trump from America’s history while demanding loyalty.

This isn’t **just political strategy—it’s a psychological operation designed to warp reality, plant seeds of doubt, and make the victim look like the problem while the abuser gets away with everything.

And the most dangerous part?

Millions of people watched this unfold and didn’t even recognize it for what it was.

This isn’t just about Ukraine.

This isn’t just about Trump.

This is about how power is abused, how truth is manipulated, and how dangerous men rise when people don’t know what to look for.