When I first began writing about Donald J. Trump, my words were filled with sharpness and disdain. Over the course of five books, I cataloged what I saw as his failures, his arrogance, his dishonesty, and his destructive influence on our nation. Every sentence I wrote was from the ego’s perspective, fueled by judgment and a sense of moral superiority. At the time, I believed I was simply chronicling the actions of a dangerous man. What I did not realize then, but see now with greater clarity, is that Trump was never truly “out there.” He was, and remains, a creation of my own mind, reflecting my own weaknesses, fragility, and insecurity.
This is the radical teaching of A Course in Miracles: “Projection makes perception.” Whatever we condemn in another is but a reflection of what we have not yet healed in ourselves. My so-called exposés of Trump were, in truth, exposés of my own unhealed mind. He was my scapegoat, the vessel onto which I poured my own fear, pride, and self-deception. If I saw him as arrogant, it was because I had not yet forgiven the arrogance in me. If I saw him as dishonest, it was because I had not yet admitted to the lies I tell myself. My earlier books, then, were not failures—but they were incomplete. They represented the first stage of seeing: the recognition of grievances. What they lacked was the second, higher stage: forgiveness.
The Mirror Principle
In Trump, I see the ego’s voice amplified and broadcast. He is boastful, defensive, and perpetually in need of validation. But is this not the nature of my own ego as well? Quietly, in the recesses of my mind, I too demand to be seen, to be right, to be special. His loudness may draw attention, but the form does not matter. The content is the same. The ego wants to be noticed, whether through shouting or whispering. Trump, then, is not my enemy—he is my mirror.
When I condemned him, I was condemning myself. Each angry word I wrote was a stone hurled not at Trump, but at my own reflection. And so the Course reminds me gently: “You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite.” I expected to see arrogance, so I saw arrogance. I invited dishonesty, so I perceived dishonesty. Trump is the stage upon which my unhealed thoughts performed.
The Ego’s Playground
The world, as ACIM teaches, is the ego’s playground. It is a theater of separation, filled with roles, grievances, and special relationships. Trump played the role I assigned him: the villain, the deceiver, the arrogant king. But behind the mask, he is no different from me: a mind that has forgotten its source, a brother lost in the same dream.
The danger is not Trump himself but my choice to make him into a “special hate” object. By elevating him as the symbol of all that is wrong, I gave my ego fuel. I made him different, when the Course tells me he is the same. Beneath the bluster and bravado lies the same Christ-light that dwells in me. To see anything else is to be deceived.
The Lesson of Projection
When I look at Trump and feel disgust, I am called to pause and ask: what is this showing me about myself? His dishonesty points to my own self-deceptions. His greed reflects my own hunger for more. His division echoes the walls I build in my heart. His arrogance mirrors the pride I hide behind. His claims of victimhood expose the times I, too, have played the victim’s role. His endless defensiveness highlights my own refusal to surrender.
The ego is cunning. It would rather I keep pointing the finger outward than turn the gaze inward. Yet forgiveness demands honesty. I cannot heal what I refuse to acknowledge. Trump, then, becomes my unwitting teacher. He forces me to face what I would rather avoid.
Forgiveness Is the Answer
Forgiveness in ACIM does not mean condoning behavior or excusing harm. It means recognizing that what I see “out there” is only a mistaken projection of my own mind. Forgiveness is not about Trump changing. It is about me changing my mind about him.
When I forgive him, I forgive myself. When I release judgment of him, I release judgment of me. When I see Christ in him, I remember Christ in me. Forgiveness is not passive—it is the most radical act of love I can extend. It says: you and I are the same. We are both children of God, merely asleep and dreaming of exile.
Gratitude for the Mirror
I now look back on my earlier Trump books with gratitude rather than regret. They were necessary steps on the journey. They exposed the depth of my judgments. They revealed how invested I was in the ego’s narrative of attack. Without those books, I might never have recognized the need for forgiveness. But now, with the help of the Course, I see more clearly: Trump is not the problem. My mind’s belief in separation is the problem.
Trump is the perfect mirror. He shows me where I still cling to grievances, where I still defend illusions, where I still fear the truth of who I am. For this, I am grateful. His presence in the world is not a curse but a gift—an opportunity to choose again.
The Way Forward
This new book will not be another attack on Trump. It will not be a tally of his misdeeds. Instead, it will be a tally of my own ego’s errors, uncovered and brought to the light. Each so-called transgression will become a lesson in forgiveness. Each grievance will become an invitation to healing. Trump, the teacher I once despised, will now guide me back to love.
And so, I write not with disdain but with humility. Not with judgment but with compassion. For what I withhold from him, I withhold from myself. And what I give to him, I give to me.
Trump is my mirror. Trump is my brother. Trump is my path to forgiveness.
robert@dinojamesbooks.com
This essay is a brief summary of my latest book: Trump as My Mirror: An Essay on Projection and Forgiveness.
This book will soon be available in its entirety on Amazon, or contact robert@dinojamesbooks.com if you would like a free digital copy in exchange for a candid review.