My correspondent responds regarding Trump’s mental condition:
I don’t think Trump is capable of empathy*. It simply would not occur to him to imagine how people (gun lovers or otherwise) would feel if he announced that it was all a joke.
*Not trying to be unkind. I believe he has full-blown narcissistic personality disorder. See symptoms: http://www.mayoclinic.org/…/basics/symptoms/con-20025568
Oddly enough I was just reading about narcissism in NewScientist (9 July 2016, paywall), which was not coincidental given the obvious correspondence to Mr. Trump. This paragraph seems relevant:
Looking at data on 42 US presidents up to and including George W. Bush, Ashley Watts of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and her colleagues found that those rated higher for grandiose narcissism were judged as being greater presidents: they did better on rankings of public persuasiveness, agenda-setting and the initiation of legislation, for example. However, they were also more likely to be seen as impulsive and bullying, and to face impeachment charges. The study suggests that the benefits of grandiose narcissism stem largely from its association with extroversion, whereas the downside is largely due to lack of agreeableness.
But I myself think he may be a psychopath, in which case he’d probably be aware that dropping out would be an upsetting event for his supporters.
