An MSNBC video featuring Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates expressing his opinion about former President Donald Trump was used by Inc. Magazine to explain the psychology behind persons similar to Trump.
"When I walked in, his first sentence kind of threw me off. He said, 'Trump hears that you don't like what Trump is doing.'" And I thought, 'wow, you're Trump!'" Gates said in the MSNBC video clip.
"I didn't know if the third-party form is what was expected," Gates said.
This practice of referring to oneself in the third person is called illeism, Inc. Magazine noted. The publication also referred to Trump’s reference to himself in speeches: “There’s never been a president like President Trump.”
In the MSNBC video, Gates was seen reflecting on his interaction with the former president during their rendezvous
Apparently, Trump asked Gates about the supposed ill effects of vaccines and the difference between HIV and HPV infections. Gates noted that the former president commented on his daughter’s appearance, and added that Melinda Gates did not take kindly to the comment.
Illeism is a tactic that helps distance oneself from anxiety, Inc. said.