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

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Are You A Charlotte?

Are You A Charlotte?

In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.

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

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.