By Barbra Streisand – The Huffington Post.

It’s kindness and empathy that will make America greater, Mr. Trump.

I’ve said this before, but I’m saying this again. Trump is a walking, talking illustration of what psychologists call “the disowned self,” a person who refuses to recognize his own flaws and instead projects them onto others. He accused Hillary Clinton of being a liar and said she was “Putin’s puppet,” when that glove seems to fit him. Before he was president, Trump kept accusing Obama of lying about where he was born. And now, he claims Obama is guilty of “McCarthyism,” while his political mentor and lawyer was Roy Cohn, McCarthy’s chief counsel. Cohn specialized in character assassination, and Trump seems to emulate his style. The slurs Trump throws at others always seem to describe himself.

The slurs Trump throws at others always seem to describe himself.
There is a code among presidents to not badmouth one another for the sake of petty, personal resentments. Not so with Trump. His crazed tweets about Obama ordering his “wires tapped” at Trump Tower are based upon nothing more than right-wing radio conspiracy talk as evidence.

If one looks up the attributes of narcissistic personality disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it certainly sounds a lot like Donald J. Trump. Many prominent psychologists agree. He needs help separating his delusions from reality.

It is almost impossible to keep up with his lies or half-baked policies. The “Washington Post” reports, “There hasn’t been a single day of Trump’s presidency in which he has said nothing false or misleading.”

Trump says, “Nobody loves the First Amendment more than me,” and then he bans respected news organizations from a White House press briefing. He calls real news “fake news” while he spews “alternative facts.” When a reporter asked him a question in the White House Press Room, he admonished him for not asking a “fair question.” Then demanded the reporter “sit down.” Does the press have to only ask fair, easy questions? Trump literally put his hand over the mouth of the free press. So much for loving the First Amendment.

Trump either cannot distinguish facts or he doesn’t care. He says crime is up when crime is down. He says, “I’m the least racist person there is,” then bans Muslims from entering the country. Do we even know how this will affect the economy? Undocumented immigrants currently contribute $11 billion in taxes each year, according to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

He can’t take a joke either… always scowling. Lighten up, Mr. President! His thin skin and fear of criticism has made him decline a fun evening at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He is the first president in 36 years to not attend. He didn’t attend the Gridiron dinner either where both parties make fun of each other and themselves. Even former President George W. Bush can accept the reality of being a comic’s target as a public figure, and finds a way to enjoy himself, telling Jimmy Kimmel, “I love humor, and the best humor is when you make fun of yourself.” Kimmel responded for us all when he said, “Well, tell that to [this] president.”

Thank God for laughter. In these dark times for the Republic, comedians have been the fiercest critics about Trump and his allies. Their satire tells the truth while giving us a moment of comic relief.

One disgusting thing that’s increased under Trump: hate crime. The “New York Times” has a weekly tracker monitoring hate crime activity on the rise since Donald Trump became president. The attacks and threats on Jewish centers and cemeteries have become popular sport suddenly. An Indian immigrant was shot dead in Kansas being told, “Get out of my country,” by his murderer. It’s part of an uptick in hate crimes against South Asians. Two more men were killed in South Carolina and Washington following the Kansas killing. Attacks also are on the rise against Muslims… Mexicans… refugees… people who look different.

Rather than bringing out the best in people, Trump brings out the beast in people.
Rather than bringing out the best in people, Trump brings out the beast in people. He’s rounding immigrants up without any compassion. Federal agents are now treating people, even those with visas, as suspect. Refugee families are fleeing from America to the Canadian border while the Statue of Liberty weeps.

America was built by immigrants. America was the place to go… the place to be free… the place that upheld freedom of religion… freedom of thought… freedom of speech. What is becoming of our country? Is this the America they want to come to now?

But there is hope. Trump’s lies and betrayals have given people the energy and the passion to raise their voices in protest. They are not afraid to call him out on his backward policies and the darkness unleashed by his rhetoric.

In January, when a mosque burned down in Texas, one of the leaders of the local Jewish congregation handed the keys to their synagogue over to the president of the mosque, so he and his fellow Muslims could feel free to come in and pray. When vandals toppled 200 headstones in a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, Muslims started a crowdfunding site to help repair the damage. They raised so much money that they will be donating the excess to other Jewish centers that have been vandalized or harassed with bomb threats. On the same weekend the St. Louis cemetery was vandalized, rabbis marched on behalf of Muslims in New York City.

That’s what makes America great. This type of kindness and empathy will make America greater, Mr. Trump. When people have compassion and respect for each other, we can all live together in the country that everyone used to know.