When the Mirage Is Revealed: Trump, DARVO, and the Quicksand Model® of Coercive Control

As an expert in coercive control and the creator of The Quicksand Model®, I’ve spent years teaching professionals and survivors alike how to recognize the patterns of domination, gaslighting, and narrative manipulation that define coercive and controlling abusive power. This week, the US political landscape has provided a stark, public demonstration of these dynamics—on a national stage… Again!

Donald Trump’s behavior over the past several days is a masterclass in the weapons of coercive control, with a primary focus on the goal of Evading accountability through Escalation. As the House moves closer to releasing the full files on Jeffrey Epstein—a convicted sex trafficker with whom Trump’s connections are both deep and well-documented—the president’s responses have become increasingly erratic, vindictive, and revealing.

The Quicksand Model® in Action: A Week of Escalation

Evading Accountability Through Escalation: The Overarching Goal of the Coercive Controller in The Quicksand Model®

Although coercive controllers have more than one goal, one of their central goals in The Quicksand Model® is the calculated effort to Evade accountability through Escalation. When a coercive controller senses their lies unraveling or their abuse of power over others slipping, they don’t retreat—they Double Down. Escalation can take many forms: ramping up public attacks, sowing fear and confusion, or shifting blame onto others in increasingly dramatic ways. The goal is always the same—to distract, destabilize, and overwhelm those who seek the truth, making it harder to hold the coercive controller to account. In Trump’s recent barrage of threats and scapegoating, we see this principle in action: rather than face scrutiny for his own actions, he amplifies his rhetoric and chaos, hoping to bury the truth beneath a flood of noise and intimidation. Recognizing this pattern is essential, because it reminds us that escalation is not a show of confidence, but a desperate attempt to escape the consequences that are closing in.

The primary strategy used by coercive controllers, especially during Escalation, is DARVO.

DARVO on Display: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender

Let’s break down the pattern:

• • Deny: Trump has repeatedly denied any meaningful connection to Epstein, despite overwhelming evidence of their long-standing social, business, and personal ties. Flight logs, photographs, and over a thousand references in Epstein’s own emails paint a very different picture.

• • Attack: This week, Trump launched vicious personal attacks against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie—two Republicans who dared to support transparency and the release of the Epstein files. He withdrew endorsements, hurled insults (“Wacky Marjorie,” “traitor,” “loser”), and threatened to back primary challengers against them.

• • Reverse Victim and Offender: In classic DARVO fashion, Trump has tried to recast himself as the victim of a “hoax” orchestrated by Democrats, while demanding investigations into their alleged Epstein connections—despite the fact that his own ties are far more extensive and substantiated.

Key Finding:
DARVO is not just a tactic used in private relationships—it is a weapon of mass manipulation, deployed to confuse, intimidate, and distract the public from the truth.

The Breakdown of the False Narrative

The Quicksand Model® teaches us that coercive controllers rely on a carefully constructed mirage—a false narrative that shields their true intentions and behaviors. But as the evidence mounts and the public begins to see the dangerous quicksand of coercive control hiding behind this mirage, the controller’s tactics become more desperate and transparent.This week’s events are a textbook example:

• • Attacks on Allies: Trump’s public humiliation of Greene and Massie is not just about personal vendettas. It’s a warning shot to any Republican who might break ranks and support the release of information that could further expose his own vulnerabilities.

• • Desperate Deflection: By demanding that the Department of Justice investigate Democrats like Bill Clinton and Larry Summers for their Epstein ties—despite the lack of comparable evidence—Trump is attempting to muddy the waters and shift the focus away from himself.

• • Escalating Threats: Greene has reported receiving threats to her safety, directly attributing them to Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric. This is a classic escalation: when the mirage is revealed, the controller lashes out, hoping to reassert dominance through fear and chaos.

• • | Tactic | Example from This Week| | Deny | “I know nothing about ‘the girls’... my relationship with Epstein was ‘very bad.’” | | Attack | “Wacky Marjorie,” “traitor,” “loser,” threats of primary challenges against Greene and Massie | | Reverse Victim/Offender | Accusing Democrats of orchestrating a “hoax,” demanding DOJ investigations into their Epstein connections |

Why This Matters: The Systemic Danger of Coercive Control

Coercive control is not just a private problem—it is a systemic one. When leaders use DARVO and other manipulative tactics to Evade accountability, they endanger not only individuals but the very fabric of democracy, freedom and human rights. The public shaming, gaslighting, and narrative manipulation we’ve witnessed this week are the same tools used by coercive controllers in homes, workplaces, and institutions across the country.

Call to Action:
We must recognize these patterns for what they are: not just political theater, but dangerous coercive and controlling abuses of power. Transparency, accountability, and survivor-centered protections are the antidotes to coercive control—whether in our personal lives or in the halls of government.

Conclusion: The Inevitable Reckoning

As the quicksand of coercive control is uncovered, the mirage of the coercive controller is inevitably revealed. Trump’s escalating use of DARVO and other weapons from The Quicksand Model® is not a sign of strength, but of breakdown. The more desperate the tactics, the clearer it becomes: the era of impunity for character-disordered coercive controllers is coming to an end.

Let us stand together, demand transparency, and refuse to be manipulated by those who would deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender to escape accountability. The truth is rising—and with it, the hope for a future free from coercive control.