In a political era where slogans dominate headlines and empathy is increasingly optional, a new study dares to ask a deeper question: What kind of person feels drawn to Donald Trump? The answer, according to researchers, may be less about policy and more about personality — and the results are as unsettling as they are revealing.
The Big Picture: A Mirror Held to Ideology
In a sweeping psychological study involving over 9,000 Americans, researchers found that people who view Trump favorably consistently scored higher on what psychologists call “malevolent traits” — including psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism — and lower on markers of empathy, compassion, and humanism. Supporters of Trump weren’t necessarily less intelligent or more economically distressed, as some older theories have suggested. Instead, they were more likely to score high on traits associated with emotional callousness, enjoyment of others’ suffering, and a tendency to manipulate or dominate. In contrast, those with more benevolent traits — like belief in human dignity and compassion — leaned left and overwhelmingly rejected Trump’s political style. That’s not just a partisan jab. The findings, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, reflect group-level trends — not moral absolutes. But they do raise profound questions about how personality itself may shape political ideology, and why some people are drawn to leaders who break rules, provoke outrage, and flout social norms.
Where the Study Found Trump supporters scored higher
Trump supporters scored higher on psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. They also scored lower on affective empathy — concern for others’ suffering — and higher on dissonant empathy, meaning they were more likely to enjoy or feel indifferent to others’ pain. These patterns held even after accounting for education, income, age, race, and gender. Among white men, malevolent traits more strongly predicted both conservative ideology and positive views of Trump. Among minorities, these traits did not predict political leanings as clearly, suggesting race and lived experience influence the pathways to political belief. Meanwhile, those who reported stronger benevolent traits — such as humanism, faith in others’ basic goodness, and a belief in treating people as ends rather than means — were more likely to support liberal policies and reject authoritarian politics.
So What? Why It Matters
This isn’t just about Trump. The study speaks to something much larger: the psychological architecture behind politics. It suggests that political allegiance may be less a matter of debate – stage ideas and more a reflection of how people relate to others — whether they see others as fellow citizens or as tools to be used, obstacles to be crushed, or threats to be eliminated. As Dr. Craig Neumann, co-author of the study, put it:“If a given ideology is fundamentally about one group’s malevolent domination of other individuals, then we should ask ourselves if this is the type of (uncivil) society we want to live in.”
It’s a chilling reminder that democracy is not just a clash of opinions. It’s a reflection of who we are—and who we’re willing to become.Final Takeaway: The Platform Behind the Politics
Benevolence and malevolence are not campaign platforms. They’re personality traits. But the study suggests that the rhetoric, tone, and values of Trump’s political brand may act as a kind of personality magnet — attracting those who already lean toward dominance, aggression, and a disregard for others. That doesn’t mean every Trump supporter is cruel, or that every liberal is kind. But it does mean the traits we valorize in politics — strength, empathy, boldness, respect — matter, because they draw out corresponding traits in voters. The kind of society we build isn’t just about policy. It’s about the psychology we normalize.
In the end, this study asks a simple but profound question: What kind of leader brings out the best in us — and what kind brings out something else? Go beyond the headlines…Only 13 percent see transparency on Epstein case: Fox News poll
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