Imagine what would happen if a preschooler didn’t “use their words” when they got upset about sharing, instead stomping around yelling while adults simply observed in silence. Think about what the school climate would feel like if a student punched another during recess while others watched without seeking help.  

Now consider the actions – and inactions – by Trump Jan. 6 as the electoral vote counts occurred at the U.S. Capitol. Those behaviors show a desperate need for social emotional learning.

Connecting these school scenarios and Trump’s behaviors is not intended to contribute to the ever-mounting list of recommended consequences that could result from his fueling the insurrection that our nation has just experienced. It does bear noting, however, that if Trump were a Black teenager, he most certainly would have received exclusionary disciplinary action such as suspension and perhaps even expulsion from school.

Donald Trump and white men over 40 without a college degree share a common belief: Something is wrong in America, and others are to blame. As a professor and psychologist specializing in the psychology of men and masculinity, I believe there are several critical psychological dynamics that the public needs to know that explain why these white men see Trump as their savior, their masculine hero and ideal, and their only choice in this election.

CT Post (Neag School’s Morgaen Donaldson was interviewed about education policy regarding the incoming administration)