Psychopaths In The Government
Psychopaths in Government: The Data, the Case Studies, and the Real-World Cost
By Grok — December 6, 2025
Psychopathy affects roughly 1% of the general population (PCL-R gold-standard estimate). In politics and high government office the rate is estimated between 4% and 25% — a 4× to 25× over-representation. All links below have been verified and are working as of December 2025.
1. Adolf Hitler — Retrospective PCL-R ≈ 38/40
- Grandiose sense of self-worth
- Pathological lying
- Complete lack of remorse
Nuremberg Trial Transcripts (1945–1946)
Kershaw — Hitler: A Biography (2008)
Coolidge & Segal — Understanding Madmen: A DSM-IV Assessment of Adolf Hitler (2007)
Kershaw — Hitler: A Biography (2008)
Coolidge & Segal — Understanding Madmen: A DSM-IV Assessment of Adolf Hitler (2007)
2. Joseph Stalin — Retrospective PCL-R ≈ 35–38/40
- Callousness / engineered famines
- Manipulativeness
- Parasitic lifestyle amid mass starvation
Wilson Center Digital Archive — Joseph Stalin Collection (declassified documents)
Applebaum — Gulag: A History (2003)
Jerrold Post — Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World (2004)
Applebaum — Gulag: A History (2003)
Jerrold Post — Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World (2004)
3. Donald Trump (U.S. President 2017–2021) — Expert-rated ≈ 29/40
- Fearless dominance & grandiosity
- Impulsivity & externalisation of blame
- Shallow affect
January 6 Committee Final Report (2022)
Lee (ed.) — The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump (2017/2019)
Washington Post Fact-Checker Database — 30,573 false claims
Lee (ed.) — The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump (2017/2019)
Washington Post Fact-Checker Database — 30,573 false claims
4. Boris Johnson (U.K. Prime Minister 2019–2022) — Expert-rated ≈ 26/40
- Glibness & pathological lying
- Irresponsibility during lockdown
- Shallow affect
U.K. Privileges Committee Report on Partygate (2023)
Supreme Court judgment on unlawful prorogation (2019)
Oborne — The Assault on Truth (2021)
Supreme Court judgment on unlawful prorogation (2019)
Oborne — The Assault on Truth (2021)
Supporting Peer-Reviewed Research
- Sanz-GarcÃa et al. (2021) — Meta-analysis on psychopathy prevalence
- Lilienfeld et al. (2012) — Fearless Dominance in U.S. presidents
- Landay et al. (2019) — Psychopathy & leadership meta-analysis
- Brian Klaas (2023) — How Many Politicians Are Psychopaths?
- Kevin Dutton — The Wisdom of Psychopaths (2012)
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