All Episodes

June 6, 2024 62 mins

Hosts Brooklyn Dad Defiant and Kenny Hesse are joined by Dr. John Gartner for another epic episode of Defiant, a Really American Media Podcast Production. 

In this episode, you’ll hear Brooklyn Dad and Kenny share their touching personal reactions to hearing the news that Donald Trump is the first US President in history to be convicted of a felony. 

“I was watching, wrapped as Ari Melber was reading off the counts,” said Majid Padellan. “ ‘Count one, guilty. Count two, guilty.’ And he was reading them one at a time. I was bursting. I was ready. I was already queuing up the tweet.” 

Dr. John Gartner is our guest, a leading psychologist, psychotherapist, author, activist, and long-time former part-time assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. He’s also host of the HIT NEW PODCAST, Shrinking Trump.

In this shocking interview, Dr. Gartner explains in terrifying detail how Trump’s psychopathy, narcissism, paranoia, and personal sense of victimization from the felony convictions puts him right in the position he loves to fight from. 

“Have you ever been a competitive athlete and you're down in the score and something rises in you, some fear, some energy that you're not gonna let those guys beat you,” asked John. “I think you're underestimating the extent to which Trump is energized by conflict.”

Why does Trump lie the way he does? How has Trump’s malignant narcissism created an alternate reality and new normal in our society? And what insight can we gain from Trump’s increasingly disturbing behavior? You’ll get the answers to these questions and many more in this fantastic episode.

You will not want to miss Dr. Gartner's tips from a psychological perspective, for how President Joe Biden can dominate Trump in the upcoming debates. And he has some very strong words for folks who suggest that Biden shouldn’t attack Trump with the “felon” label. “I disagree strongly. Violently, actually. I think they need to take it like a cudgel and beat him over the head until he is politically dead, okay? We are not above the fray, we are in the fray.” 

Dr. Gartner also calls out the biased media coverage of Joe Biden’s normal aging versus Trump’s obvious cognitive decline. “Biden actually shows more signs of normal aging,” he said. “For example, speaking more softly. Speaking more slowly. Okay, so he shows more of those signs but he shows zero signs of dementia.”

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Ridiculous History

Ridiculous History

History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.