American talk show host and clinical psychologist Dr Phil McGraw has spoken in public support of Donald Trump, claiming the former president is not a “bully”.
At a rally, hosted by the Republican presidential candidate on Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Dr Phil made remarks claiming Trump and his supporters are being bullied and silenced.
He described Trump’s supporters as being “cancelled, intimidated, marginalised, excluded or even fired or boycotted”.
He added that Trump was not a “bully” because “there has to be an imbalance of power, and when there’s not, it’s just called a debate, and he’s just better at it than anybody else.”
Based on his track record, however, the term “bully” could very reasonably be associated with Trump.
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, bullying is when people repeatedly and intentionally use words or actions against someone or a group of people to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing. These actions are usually done by people who have more influence or power over someone else, or who want to make someone else feel less powerful or helpless.
Trump has a long history of using his influence and power over people to repeatedly and intentionally cause harm.
During his four years as president, Trump falsely proclaimed he had “total authority” to do whatever he wanted to do. The most grievous example of this being when he urged a mob of his supporters to “take back their country” on January 6, causing unprecedented violence at the US Capitol.
Trump also refuses to acknowledge his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden. In an investigation into whether Trump illegally conspired to overturn the election, federal prosecutors allege he pressured officials to reverse the results, knowling spread lies about election fraud and sought to exploit the Capitol riot to delay certification of Biden’s presidential victory.
Trump is also the first former president to be criminally convicted, having been found guilty of falsifying business records. He’s been charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
He holds a strong reputation for hateful, misogynistic and racist rhetoric. And just yesterday, a 27th woman came forward to accuse the former president of sexual misconduct.
Despite all of this evidence of “bully” behaviour, Dr Phil, a widely watched television personality, has come forward in strong support of Trump.
“You don’t have to love everything about someone, in order to love him. And the last thing he needs is some celebrity endorsement. What the hell do I know? I know I’m no celebrity to begin with, and celebrities don’t know anything about policies or politics,” Dr Phil added.
Dr Phil didn’t mention that Trump was also a TV personality and considered a celebrity before entering the White House, with no political background or qualifications.
Dr Phil also hinted that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was chosen because of the colour of her skin, going so far as to say: “This country was built on hard work, added value and talent, not on equal outcome, not on DEI. This country was built on hard work”.
This argument has quickly been shot down as well, with many people pointing out the fact that Dr Phil gained his own fame and notoriety after he appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
A renowned talk show host and black woman, Oprah is a strong supporter of Kamala Harris, and even hosted a virtual town hall event for the presidential candidate in recent months.
Dr Phil holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, which he earned from the University of North Texas in 1979. However, he’s not a licensed psychologist, after retiring his license to practise psychology in the early 2000s to shift his focus to television.
While his show has now ended, it averaged around 2 million viewers per episode in 2023. And the television personality continues to reach ears via podcasts and other online programming.
The Trump rally Dr Phil spoke at over the weekend was criticised for its racist comments and insults, with other conservative speakers alongside him, including Hulk Hogan, UFC CEO Dana White, Elon Musk and a surprise appearance from Melania Trump.