Trump derangement syndrome

The origin of the term is traced to Charles Krauthammer, a conservative political columnist, commentator, and psychiatrist, who coined the phrase Bush derangement syndrome in 2003 during the presidency of George W. Bush. That "syndrome" was defined by Krauthammer as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush".{{cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/trump-derangement-syndrome/|title=Trump Derangement Syndrome|last1=Davis|first1=Michael|date=March 26, 2016|work=The Spectator|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308140517/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/trump-derangement-syndrome/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/12/united-states-constitution-congress-legislative-authority-tame-imperial-presidency/|title=Taming the Imperial Presidency|last1=Cost|first1=Jay|date=December 4, 2017|work=National Review|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308143635/https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/12/united-states-constitution-congress-legislative-authority-tame-imperial-presidency/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2003/12/05/the-delusional-dean/cbc80426-08ee-40fd-97e5-19da55fdc821/|title=The Delusional Dean|last1=Krauthammer|first1=Charles|date=December 5, 2003|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 22, 2018|author-link=Charles Krauthammer|archive-date=February 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212172010/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2003/12/05/the-delusional-dean/cbc80426-08ee-40fd-97e5-19da55fdc821/|url-status=live}} The first use of the term Trump derangement syndrome may have been by Esther Goldberg in an August 2015 op-ed in The American Spectator; she applied the term to "Ruling Class Republicans" who are dismissive or contemptuous of Trump.{{cite web|url=https://spectator.org/63786_trump-derangement-syndrome/|title=Trump Derangement Syndrome|last=Goldberg|first=Esther|date=August 17, 2015|work=The American Spectator|access-date=13 September 2018|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162657/https://spectator.org/63786_trump-derangement-syndrome/|url-status=live}} Krauthammer, in an op-ed commented that—in addition to general hysteria about Trump—the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" was the "inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and{{nbsp}}... signs of psychic pathology".{{cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/06/you_cant_govern_by_id_charles.html|title=You can't govern by ID|last1=Krauthammer|first1=Charles|date=June 9, 2017|work=The Oregonian|access-date=May 22, 2018|author-link=Charles Krauthammer|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702064519/https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/06/you_cant_govern_by_id_charles.html|url-status=live|quote=What distinguishes Trump Derangement Syndrome is not just general hysteria about the subject, but additionally the inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences on the one hand and signs of psychic pathology on the other.}}

According to The Independent, "the highly-politicized term" was coined to dismiss criticism of Trump in his first term as liberal hysteria, suggesting that people abandon all logic and reason due to their dislike of the president.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-17 |title=Republicans want to classify ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ as a mental illness |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-derangement-syndrome-mental-illness-republicans-b2716396.html |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

Fareed Zakaria defined the term as "hatred of President Trump so intense that it impairs people's judgment".{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/04/16/fareed-take-trump-derangement-syndrome.cnn |title=Fareed: Is 'Trump derangement syndrome' real? |last1=Zakaria |first1=Fareed |publisher=CNN |date=April 16, 2017 |access-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105025513/https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/04/16/fareed-take-trump-derangement-syndrome.cnn |url-status=live }} CNN's editor-at-large Chris Cillizza called TDS "the preferred nomenclature of Trump defenders who view those who oppose him and his policies as nothing more than the blind hatred of those who preach tolerance and free speech". Pointing to previous allegations of Bush derangement syndrome and Obama derangement syndrome, Cillizza suggested, "Viewed more broadly, the rise of presidential derangement syndromes is a function of increased polarization—not to mention our national self-sorting—at work in the country today." Bret Stephens has described the term as something used by conservative groups whenever someone speaks out critically against Trump, regardless of political affiliation.{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4675860/donald-trump-fake-news-attacks/|title=Don't Dismiss President Trump's Attacks on the Media as Mere Stupidity|last=Stephens|first=Bret|date=February 26, 2017|magazine=Time|access-date=July 30, 2018|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310235522/https://time.com/4675860/donald-trump-fake-news-attacks/|url-status=live}}

CNN political analyst John Avlon uses the term in a more generalized sense inclusive of positive emotions as well as hatred towards Trump, so that for example, TDS accounts for denialism about Trump's defeat in the 2020 election, as a "political diagnosis" of people who "simply can't accept the fact that he lost the election".{{cite news |last1=Avlon |first1=John |date=December 16, 2020 |title='Trump derangement syndrome' has taken on a new twist |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/12/16/trump-derangement-syndrome-reality-check-avlon-newday-vpx.cnn |access-date=December 18, 2020 |author-link1=John Avlon |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616185659/https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/12/16/trump-derangement-syndrome-reality-check-avlon-newday-vpx.cnn |url-status=live }} This new definition derogatorily describing the nature of Trump supporters rather than his deriders has been picked up by others and widely used.{{cite news |last=Harris |first=John |date=2020-10-15 |title=Trump Is Suffering From Trump Derangement Syndrome |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/15/trump-derangement-syndrome-429527 |work=Politico |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130222438/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/15/trump-derangement-syndrome-429527 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Yee |first=Lawrence |date=2019-09-20 |title=Bill Maher Offers New Definition of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/bill-maher-trump-derangement-syndrome-definition/ |work=TheWrap |location= |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=April 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422193406/https://www.thewrap.com/bill-maher-trump-derangement-syndrome-definition/ |url-status=live }}Examples include:

• {{cite news |last=Mills |first=Thomas |date=2019-10-14 |title=The real Trump Derangement Syndrome |url=https://www.politicsnc.com/the-real-trump-derangement-syndrome/ |work=PoliticsNC.com |location= |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125032429/https://www.politicsnc.com/the-real-trump-derangement-syndrome/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |last=John |first=Pavlovitz |authorlink=John Pavlovitz |date=2019-06-17 |title=Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Real. Trump and His Supporters Have It. |url=https://johnpavlovitz.com/2019/06/17/trump-derangement-syndrome-is-real-trump-has-it/ |work=JohnPavlovitz.com |location= |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520030930/https://johnpavlovitz.com/2019/06/17/trump-derangement-syndrome-is-real-trump-has-it/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |last1=Barro |first1=Josh |last2=White |first2=Ken |date=2021-10-06 |title=Trump Derangement Syndrome with David Lat |url=https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/lrc-presents-all-the-presidents-lawyers/trump-derangement-syndrome-david-lat |work=KCRW.com |location= |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=November 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124125701/https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/lrc-presents-all-the-presidents-lawyers/trump-derangement-syndrome-david-lat |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news |last1=Mandaville |first1=Lynn |last2=Young |first2=David |year=2019 |title=One Small Voice: It's GOP that has Trump Derangement Syndrome |url=https://townbroadcast.com/?p=31602 |work=TownBroadcast.com |location= |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622003748/https://townbroadcast.com/?p=31602 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |last= |first= |date=2020-04-26 |title=Trump Derangement Syndrome Works Both Ways |url=https://www.timefortruth.org/the-wilderness-voice/2020/4/TRUMP-DERANGEMENT-SYNDROME-WORKS-BOTH-WAYS |work=TimeForTruth.org |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917182853/https://www.timefortruth.org/the-wilderness-voice/2020/4/TRUMP-DERANGEMENT-SYNDROME-WORKS-BOTH-WAYS |url-status=live }}

Politico co-founder John Harris wrote that TDS is related to gaslighting, "another psychological concept in vogue in the Trump era".{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/15/trump-derangement-syndrome-429527|title=Trump Is Suffering From Trump Derangement Syndrome|work=Politico|author=John F. Harris|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=June 9, 2021|archive-date=November 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130222438/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/10/15/trump-derangement-syndrome-429527|url-status=live}}

Despite the usage of the term syndrome suggesting a medical condition, TDS is not an official medical diagnosis.{{cite web |last=Flaherty |first=Anne |date=January 4, 2019 |title=Is "Trump Derangement Syndrome" a Real Mental Condition? |website=Psychology Today |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201901/is-trump-derangement-syndrome-real-mental-condition? |access-date=May 18, 2024 |archive-date=August 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816142750/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201901/is-trump-derangement-syndrome-real-mental-condition? |url-status=live }} Trump derangement syndrome is not recognized as a legitimate mental disorder by any version or draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association, or by law in any U.S. state.

The term has been widely applied by pro-Trump writers to critics of Trump, accusing them of responding negatively to a wide range of Trump's statements and actions.{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/trump-isnt-father-coughlin/|title=Trump Isn't Father Coughlin|last1=Tobin|first1=Jonathan|date=May 4, 2018|work=National Review|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040837/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/trump-isnt-father-coughlin/|url-status=live}}Examples include:

• {{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/to-understand-why-trump-won-look-at-democratic-hysteria/2018/05/15/7bdfd656-5867-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html|date=2018-05-15|title=To understand why Trump won, look at Democratic hysteria|last1=Thiessen|first1=Marc|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101024453/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/to-understand-why-trump-won-look-at-democratic-hysteria/2018/05/15/7bdfd656-5867-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html|url-status=live}}
• {{cite magazine|date=25 February 2016|url=https://time.com/4236971/donald-trump-derangement-syndrome-and-the-lizard-brain-campaign/|title=Donald Trump Derangement Syndrome and the Lizard-Brain Campaign|last1=Klein|first1=Joe|magazine=Time|access-date=February 22, 2024|archive-date=February 22, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222231547/https://time.com/4236971/donald-trump-derangement-syndrome-and-the-lizard-brain-campaign/|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/10/trump-derangement-syndrome-chuck-schumer-has-it-north-korea-thiessen-said|title=Thiessen: Sen. Schumer Revealed His 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' With NK Hostage Remarks|last1=Thiessen|first1=Marc|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=May 16, 2018|date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202082054/https://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/10/trump-derangement-syndrome-chuck-schumer-has-it-north-korea-thiessen-said|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.winchesterstar.com/opinions/columns/michael-barone-dems-dangerous-case-of-trump-derangement-syndrome/article_57942bc7-af83-5b12-91a3-34681e5bbc7c.html|title=Michael Barone: Dems' dangerous case of Trump Derangement Syndrome|last1=Barone|first1=Michael|website=The Winchester Star|date=May 7, 2018|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030131756/https://www.winchesterstar.com/opinions/columns/michael-barone-dems-dangerous-case-of-trump-derangement-syndrome/article_57942bc7-af83-5b12-91a3-34681e5bbc7c.html|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|date=23 April 2018|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article209669064.html|title=It would be reckless to reject Pompeo because of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'|last1=Hewitt|first1=Hugh|work=The Miami Herald|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517005814/http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article209669064.html|url-status=live}}
• {{cite news|date=2 May 2018|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-nation-is-mired-in-bitter-impotence/2018/05/02/74decfdc-4e3b-11e8-af46-b1d6dc0d9bfe_story.html|title=Our democracy has much bigger problems than Trump|last1=Bruenig|first1=Elizabeth|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=May 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525161329/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-nation-is-mired-in-bitter-impotence/2018/05/02/74decfdc-4e3b-11e8-af46-b1d6dc0d9bfe_story.html|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/5272280477001/?#sp=show-clips|title=Defining 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'|last1=Goldberg|first1=Bernie|date=February 4, 2017|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517082146/http://video.foxnews.com/v/5272280477001/#sp=show-clips|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/howie_carr/2017/01/carr_trump_derangement_syndrome_reaches_epidemic_levels|title=Carr: Trump Derangement Syndrome reaches epidemic levels|last1=Carr|first1=Howie|work=Boston Herald|access-date=May 19, 2018|date=January 4, 2017|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140140/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/howie_carr/2017/01/carr_trump_derangement_syndrome_reaches_epidemic_levels|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/01/29/saritha-prabhu-trump-derangement-syndrome-sad-pathetic-and-ugly/1064679001/|date=2018-01-29|title=Trump Derangement Syndrome is sad, pathetic and ugly|last1=Prabhu|first1=Saritha|work=The Tennessean|access-date=May 19, 2018|archive-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816142742/https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/01/29/saritha-prabhu-trump-derangement-syndrome-sad-pathetic-and-ugly/1064679001/|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=https://townhall.com/columnists/lawrencemeyers/2016/08/14/defining-trump-derangement-syndrome-n2204686|title=Defining 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'|last1=Meyers|first1=Lawrence|website=Townhall|date=August 14, 2016|access-date=May 19, 2018|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309162943/https://townhall.com/columnists/lawrencemeyers/2016/08/14/defining-trump-derangement-syndrome-n2204686|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/01/05/gentry-liberals-trump-college-campuses-elite-glenn-reynolds-column/96155458/ |date=2017-01-05 |title=New status anxiety fuels Trump derangement: Glenn Reynolds |last1=Reynolds |first1=Glenn |work=USA Today |access-date=May 19, 2018 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125180229/https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/01/05/gentry-liberals-trump-college-campuses-elite-glenn-reynolds-column/96155458/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/how-liberals-can-recover-trump-derangement-syndrome-698554 |title=How Liberals Can Recover From Trump Derangement Syndrome |last1=Williams |first1=Walter E. |work=Newsweek |access-date=May 19, 2018 |date=November 2017 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113134241/https://www.newsweek.com/how-liberals-can-recover-trump-derangement-syndrome-698554 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/01/08/you-have-been-warned-trump-derangement-syndrome-will-be-a-cudgel-used-to-silence-his-critics/ |title=You have been warned: 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' will be a cudgel used to silence his critics |last1=Devega |first1=Chauncey |work=Salon |access-date=May 19, 2018 |date=January 8, 2017 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310063021/https://www.salon.com/2017/01/08/you-have-been-warned-trump-derangement-syndrome-will-be-a-cudgel-used-to-silence-his-critics/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-election-reaction-hysteria-1.3855896|title=Trump trauma: A sign of doomsday or mass derangement?|date=19 November 2016|last1=Gollom|first1=Mark|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=May 19, 2018|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403180602/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-election-reaction-hysteria-1.3855896|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web |last1=Pruden |first1=Wesley |title=Paying the price for Trump Derangement Syndrome |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/23/trump-derangement-syndrome-only-gets-democrats-so-/ |date=23 October 2017 |work=The Washington Times |access-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112041654/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/23/trump-derangement-syndrome-only-gets-democrats-so-/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite news|last1=Rove|first1=Karl|title=A Grim Prognosis for Trump Derangement|url=https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/a-grim-prognosis-for-trump-derangement-1527114278|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 23, 2018|access-date=May 29, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308155727/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/a-grim-prognosis-for-trump-derangement-1527114278|url-status=live}}

The use of the term has been called part of a broader GOP strategy to discredit criticisms of Trump's actions, as a way of "reframing" the discussion by suggesting his political opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world. However, according to Kathleen Hall Jamieson of Annenberg Public Policy Center, the term could backfire on Trump supporters because people might interpret it to mean that Trump is the one who is "deranged", rather than those who criticize him. Some Trump supporters have asserted that he plays a form of "multi-dimensional chess" on a mental level his critics cannot comprehend, which they say explains why critics are frustrated and confused by Trump's words and actions.{{cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-isnt-playing-3d-chess-hes-playing-ultimate-tic-tac-toe/|title=Trump Isn't Playing 3D Chess—He's Playing Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe|first=Oliver|last=Roeder|date=May 7, 2018|website=Five Thirty Eight|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127150604/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-isnt-playing-3d-chess-hes-playing-ultimate-tic-tac-toe/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/magazine/the-enduring-appeal-of-seeing-trump-as-chess-master-in-chief.html|title=The Enduring Appeal of Seeing Trump as Chess Master in Chief|first=John|last=Herrman|date=May 31, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119161415/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/magazine/the-enduring-appeal-of-seeing-trump-as-chess-master-in-chief.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/30/trump-is-losing-his-own-3d-chess-game/ |work=Foreign Policy |access-date=23 February 2024 |title=Trump Is Losing His Own 3D Chess Game |first=Phil |last=Levy |date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123084407/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/30/trump-is-losing-his-own-3d-chess-game/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/trump-corker-attack/index.html|title=Donald Trump is playing zero-dimensional chess|first=Chris|last=Cillizza|website=CNN|date=October 8, 2017|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126143748/https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/trump-corker-attack/index.html|url-status=live}} Fox News anchor Bret Baier and former House speaker Paul Ryan have characterized Trump as a "troll" who makes controversial statements to see his adversaries' "heads explode".{{cite web |work=Mediaite |access-date=23 February 2024 |url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/bret-baier-trump-likes-trolling-the-left-to-watch-heads-explode-even-if-he-contradicts-himself/ |title=Bret Baier: Trump Likes Trolling the Left to Watch 'Heads Explode', Even If He Contradicts Himself |date=July 24, 2018 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115050023/https://www.mediaite.com/tv/bret-baier-trump-likes-trolling-the-left-to-watch-heads-explode-even-if-he-contradicts-himself/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/magazine/paul-ryan-speakership-end-trump.html |title=This Is the Way Paul Ryan's Speakership Ends |first=Mark |last=Leibovich |work=The New York Times |date=August 7, 2018 |access-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106213225/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/magazine/paul-ryan-speakership-end-trump.html |url-status=live }}

The term has been used by journalists critical of Trump to call for restraint.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/liberals-have-to-avoid-trump-derangement-syndrome/2017/04/13/81ff4a7a-2083-11e7-a0a7-8b2a45e3dc84_story.html|date=April 13, 2017|title=Liberals have to avoid Trump Derangement Syndrome|last1=Zakaria|first1=Fareed|author-link=Fareed Zakaria|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031112137/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/liberals-have-to-avoid-trump-derangement-syndrome/2017/04/13/81ff4a7a-2083-11e7-a0a7-8b2a45e3dc84_story.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/05/11/am-i-suffering-from-trump-derangement-syndrome-time-for-a-self-audit/|title=Am I suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome? Time for a self-audit.|last1=Boot|first1=Max|date=May 11, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=October 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031160538/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/05/11/am-i-suffering-from-trump-derangement-syndrome-time-for-a-self-audit/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Page|first1=Clarence|title=Democrats, beware Trump Derangement Syndrome|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/page/ct-perspec-page-trump-derangement-democrats-0204-20180202-story.html|work=Chicago Tribune|date=February 2, 2018|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403085434/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/page/ct-perspec-page-trump-derangement-democrats-0204-20180202-story.html|url-status=live}} Fareed Zakaria, who urged Americans to vote against Trump calling him a "cancer on American democracy", argues that every Trump policy "cannot axiomatically be wrong, evil and dangerous". Adam Gopnik, who takes a strong anti-Trump position, responded to these assertions that it is a "huge and even fatal mistake for liberals (and constitutional conservatives) to respond negatively to every Trump initiative, every Trump policy, and every Trump idea". Arguing that Trump's opponents must instead recognize that the real problem is "Deranged Trump Self-Delusion", Gopnik defined the "Syndrome" as President Trump's "daily spasm of narcissistic gratification and episodic vanity".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-persistence-of-trump-derangement-syndrome|title=The Persistence of Trump Derangement Syndrome|last1=Gopnik|first1=Adam|date=April 21, 2017|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=May 23, 2018|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031712/https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-persistence-of-trump-derangement-syndrome|url-status=live}}

According to Newsweek, Trump and his top communication advisers, including current White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and communications director Steven Cheung have repeatedly accused many critics of having a "severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome". The phrase has also been used by Republican politicians and talk show hosts. Newsweek was also accused of suffering from TDS by Cheung. Democrats and others have contended that it is not a legitimate condition, and no clinical data supports its existence and that instead, it is a label used to dismiss criticism of him. Some point out that TDS may also apply to die-hard Trump supporters who defend him unquestioningly without any regard of facts or consequences.

Senator Rand Paul has cited the so-called syndrome several times. In a July 16, 2018, interview he said investigators should simply focus on election security and stop "accusing Trump of collusion with the Russians and all this craziness that's not true"—accusations which he said were entirely motivated by "Trump derangement syndrome".{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/rand-paul-donald-trump-russia-cnntv/index.html|title=Rand Paul dismisses focus on election attack as 'Trump derangement syndrome'|last=Watkins|first=Eli|date=July 16, 2018|work=CNN|access-date=5 September 2018|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820025302/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/rand-paul-donald-trump-russia-cnntv/index.html|url-status=live}}

Trump used the term in a tweet following the 2018 Russia–United States summit in Helsinki: "Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It's called Trump Derangement Syndrome!"{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/18/summit-critics-trump-derangement-syndrome-putin|title=Summit critics have Trump derangement syndrome—says Trump|last1=Smith|first1=David|date=July 18, 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=July 19, 2018|archive-date=July 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718141622/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/18/summit-critics-trump-derangement-syndrome-putin|url-status=live}}{{cite tweet |title=Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It's called Trump Derangement Syndrome! |date=July 18, 2018 | author=Donald J. Trump | author-link=Donald Trump | user=realDonaldTrump | number=1019544304853966853 | access-date= July 18, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210108123629/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1019544304853966853 | archive-date = January 8, 2021}} He also used it in a tweet about Alan Dershowitz's book The Case Against Impeaching Trump: ".@AlanDersh, a brilliant lawyer, who although a Liberal Democrat who probably didn't vote for me, has discussed the Witch Hunt with great clarity and in a very positive way. He has written a new and very important book called 'The Case Against Impeaching Trump', which I would encourage all people with Trump Derangement Syndrome to read!"{{cite tweet|title=.@AlanDersh, a brilliant lawyer, who although a Liberal Democrat who probably didn't vote for me, has discussed the Witch Hunt with great clarity and in a very positive way. He has written a new and very important book called 'The Case Against Impeaching Trump', which I would encourage all people with Trump Derangement Syndrome to read! |date=July 26, 2018 | author=Donald J. Trump | user=realDonaldTrump | number=1022614707637772296 | access-date= July 26, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201115173411/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1022614707637772296 |archive-date = November 15, 2020}}

In July 2018, Jeanine Pirro was a guest on The View to promote her newly published book. While she was responding to a question about how the "deep state" really works, she accused co-host Whoopi Goldberg of suffering from Trump derangement syndrome.{{cite news |first=Meagan |last=Flynn |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/07/20/whoopi-vs-judge-jeanine-trump-derangement-syndrome-comment-sparks-yelling-match-on-the-view/ |title=Whoopi vs. Judge Jeanine: 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' comment sparks yelling match on 'The View' |date=July 20, 2018 |access-date=23 February 2024 |archive-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218193851/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/07/20/whoopi-vs-judge-jeanine-trump-derangement-syndrome-comment-sparks-yelling-match-on-the-view/ |url-status=live }} That same month, Eric Zorn wrote in the Chicago Tribune that the syndrome afflicts Trump's supporters more than his critics, as "what Team Trump is calling derangement is, in most cases, rational concern about his behavior and the direction he's taking the country.... The true Trump Derangement Syndrome loose on the land is the delusion suffered by those who still think he's going to make this country a better place for average people."

File:Sarah Sanders (49290694121).jpg, White House Press Secretary under the Trump administration, made use of the term online.]]

In August 2018, Trump White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders used the term in a tweet: "Trump Derangement Syndrome is becoming a major epidemic among Democrats. Instead of freaking out about the booming Trump economy why not celebrate it?"{{cite tweet|title=Trump Derangement Syndrome is becoming a major epidemic among Democrats. Instead of freaking out about the booming Trump economy why not celebrate it? |date=August 1, 2018 | author=Sarah Huckabee Sanders |author-link=Sarah Huckabee Sanders | user=PressSec45 | number=1024859051145027584 | access-date= February 13, 2021}}

In September 2018, Fox News personality and Trump supporter, Sean Hannity criticized The Washington Post as having Trump derangement syndrome for stating in an editorial that Trump, because of his attitude toward climate change, is "complicit" in hurricanes battering the United States;{{cite web |date=13 September 2018 |access-date=23 February 2024 |url=http://insider.foxnews.com/amp/article/63225 |title=Hannity: 'Trump Derangement Syndrome Reaches New Heights' With WaPo Headline on Trump & Hurricanes |work=Fox News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913172838/http://insider.foxnews.com/amp/article/63225 |archive-date=September 13, 2018 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/another-hurricane-is-about-to-batter-our-coast-trump-is-complicit/2018/09/11/ccaed766-b5fb-11e8-a7b5-adaaa5b2a57f_story.html |title=Another hurricane is about to batter our coast. Trump is complicit. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 11, 2018 |access-date=23 February 2024 |archive-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209181354/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/another-hurricane-is-about-to-batter-our-coast-trump-is-complicit/2018/09/11/ccaed766-b5fb-11e8-a7b5-adaaa5b2a57f_story.html |url-status=live }} Hannity said, "it is now a full-blown psychosis, it is a psychological level of unhingement I have never seen."

In March 2019, Bill Maher on Real Time with Bill Maher noted that while most statements by Trump were worthy of contempt, on occasions he had made perfectly sensible comments which were pilloried without justification. A case in point was Trump's criticism of the overengineering which led to the Boeing 737 MAX crashes and his preference for products to be simpler to use, which some commentators interpreted as evidence of conservative leanings.{{cite tweet |first=Bill |last=Maher |date=March 22, 2019 |user=billmaher |number=1109337313463525376 |access-date=23 February 2024 |title=Trump Derangement Syndrome isn't a real thing, so, on the rare occasion when Trump says something not stupid, don't act like you have Trump Derangement Syndrome.}}

In August 2019, Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's former White House Communications Director, said in interviews with Vanity Fair and CNN that he had "Trump fatigue syndrome" instead of Trump derangement syndrome.{{cite magazine |last=Cohan |first=William D. |date=August 16, 2009 |title='Oh My God, This Jackass': The Mooch Explains Why He Thinks Trump Is 'Crazy', 'Narcissistic', and a 'Paper Tiger' Who Will Drop Out by March 2020 |magazine=Vanity Fair |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/anthony-scaramucci-interview-trump |quote=I don't have Trump derangement syndrome, but what I do have is Trump fatigue syndrome. It's a very different thing, okay? And I submit to you that the nation, my party members, all have Trump fatigue syndrome, okay? |access-date=October 3, 2019 |archive-date=March 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306011459/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/08/anthony-scaramucci-interview-trump |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Transcripts: CNN Tonight: Anthony Scaramucci: President Trump Is Unstable And Getting Worse [22:30:04] |date=August 13, 2019 |work=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1908/13/cnnt.01.html |quote=I'm not going to be a prop for people on the left. I'm my own person. I'm not a guy that has Trump derangement syndrome. But I think like most Americans, I have Trump fatigue syndrome. |access-date=October 3, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224205450/http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1908/13/cnnt.01.html |url-status=live }}

In September 2019, Sean Hannity characterized as "Trump derangement syndrome" the continuing press coverage of Trump's days-long insistence that he was correct to state on September{{nbsp}}1 that Hurricane Dorian posed a danger to Alabama, asserting "pretty much every newsroom in America screwed this up and lied to you", adding there were "a lot of psychotic jackasses in the media mob".{{cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |title=Fox News Host Sean Hannity: President Trump Was Right On Hurricane Dorian Alabama Path |url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/fox-news-host-sean-hannity-president-trump-was-right-on-hurricane-dorian-alabama-path-1202713541/ |date=September 5, 2019 |access-date=25 September 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood |quote=But if you watch the media mob, you would think the president was lying, as they always do. Just another absurd example of Trump derangement syndrome. Take a look.}}

The term resurfaced in 2024 concerning reactions to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and eventual defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris. In October 2024, Bill Maher, expressing his concerns regarding a second Trump term stated, "It's not deranged to fear this! It's not deranged to find this alarming!"{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/its-not-deranged-to-fear-this-bill-maher-trump-derangement-syndrome_n_6713b2cee4b03a110eb46c50|title='It's Not Deranged To Fear This': Bill Maher Calls 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' Bunk|first=Marco|last=Margaritoff|date=October 19, 2024|accessdate=November 7, 2024|website=HuffPost}} A House Democrat stated following the election that the Democratic Party needed to "get past this idea they call 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'".{{Cite web|title=Democrats start clawing each other's eyes out|url=https://www.axios.com/2024/11/07/democrats-blame-game-2024-election-harris|first=Andrew|last=Solender|date=November 6, 2024|accessdate=November 7, 2024|website=Axios}}

In October 2024, Trump dismissed his former chief of staff John F. Kelly as having TDS after he branded the president a fascist and made damaging claims about his views of Adolf Hitler.

In February 2025, Elon Musk revived the term and told Fox News host Sean Hannity he used to be "adored by the left" until they were infected with TDS. He added that when he mentioned the president's name at a dinner party before his return to the White House, "it was like they got shot with a dart in the jugular that contained like methamphetamine and rabies".

During the Signalgate scandal, Trump angrily criticized U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, calling him "disgraceful" and accused him of suffering from a "MASSIVE" Trump derangement syndrome, among other things, after the judge was assigned to oversee the case involving the chats which according to him is statistically impossible.{{Cite news |last=Irwin |first=Lauren |date=March 27, 2025 |title=Trump on Deportation Flight Judge Getting Signal Chat Case: 'Disgraceful' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5216997-donald-trump-james-boasberg-signal-case/%20Donald%20Trump%20blasts%20James%20Boasberg%20being%20assigned%20Signal%20chat%20case |access-date=March 27, 2025 |work=The Hill}}{{Cite news |last=O'Driscoll |first=Sean |date=March 27, 2025 |title=Donald Trump Rages at Judge Boasberg Getting Signal Case: "Disgraceful" |url=https://www.newsweek.com/president-donald-trump-truth-social-judge-james-boasberg-washington-dc-signal-hegseth-deportation-2051239 |access-date=March 27, 2025 |work=Newsweek |language=en}}

Trump severely criticized four "disloyal" Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul who indicated they will join Democrats in voting for a joint resolution to end the national emergency declared by him to undo Trump tariffs on Canada, calling them "extremely difficult" and implored then to get on the Republican bandwagon” and remain loyal to their party. He so wrote, "Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS?" in the overnight Truth Social post.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Trump attacks four ‘disloyal’ Republicans for pushing back on Canada tariffs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-tariffs-mcconnell-b2726245.html |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

A group of Minnesota Senate Republicans which included Justin Eichorn{{Cite news |last=Leingang |first=Rachel |date=2025-03-18 |title=Republican who introduced Trump derangement syndrome bill arrested for soliciting a minor |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/minnesota-justin-eichorn-arrested-soliciting-minor |access-date=2025-03-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} introduced a bill{{Cite web |title=SF 2589 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) |url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=SF2589&version=0&session=ls94&session_year=2025&session_number=0 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.revisor.mn.gov}} in March 2025 that seeks to classify "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as a mental illness and incorporate it into the state's legal definition through amended statutes.{{Cite web |last=Member |first=French Writers Page Mandy Taheri Weekend Reporter Newsweek Is A. Trust Project |date=2025-03-16 |title=Republicans push to make "Trump Derangement Syndrome" a mental illness |url=https://www.newsweek.com/minnesota-senate-republicans-trump-derangement-syndrome-mental-illness-2045600 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Newsweek |language=en}} The bill has proposed that the "syndrome" as the "acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump" which should be recognized in legal and medical contexts.{{Cite news |last=Rathore |first=Bhavika |title=Controversial Minnesota bill seeks to classify 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' as a mental illness |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/controversial-minnesota-bill-seeks-to-classify-trump-derangement-syndrome-as-a-mental-illness-101742049444248.html |work=Hindustan Times}} The bill also states that the symptoms may include "Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald Trump's behaviour" which can manifest as "intense verbal hostility toward Trump" and "overt acts of aggression and violence" towards Trump and MAGA supporters. The Minnesota bill uses the same wording that Krauthammer used to describe Bush derangement syndrome.

• Goldwater rule
• Political abuse of psychiatry

{{reflist}}

• {{wiktionary-inline|Trump derangement syndrome}}

{{Donald Trump}}

Category:2015 neologisms

Category:American political neologisms

Category:Reactions to the election of Donald Trump

Category:Moral panic

Category:Psychiatric false diagnosis