Definition
‘Quasi-Psychotic’ Hatred
Trump Derangement Syndrome is an irrational ‘quasi-psychotic’ hatred of anything Trump - resulting in rage and over the top efforts to destroy him and his work. This hatred and rage can spread to people and projects that are closely associated with Trump – such as the destruction of Teslas, precipitating the end of Elon Musk’s reign over DOGE, and blaming JD Vance, a Catholic, for the death of Pope Francis. Some with TDS have even stooped to denigrate his wife, Melania, and his 20-year-old son, Barron.
Trump Derangement Syndrome, incited by political enemies of Trump, some media outlets, social media, and distortions of Trump himself, takes root in people who have underlying psychological problems. Particularly vulnerable are people with: unresolved childhood conflicts with their parents or other authority figures, low self-esteem, disappointments and bubbling resentments that they project onto Trump. They believe Trump is the reason why their life isn’t perfect, and they obsess about him instead of improving their own lot. TDS often masquerades as activism, but reveals its underpinnings in psychiatric symptomatology.
Its Own Diagnostic Category
Some with TDS have a particularly strong emotional reaction to Trump because he triggers memories of their past traumatic experiences. For example, one late night host has said, “I talk about Trump more than anything because he’s a bully. I don’t like bullies. I played the clarinet in high school…. Donald Trump is an old-fashioned 80’s movie-style bully taking your lunch money….” Their hatred of Trump comes from these buried memories that they project onto him, not logical dislike of his views or policies.
Trump Derangement Syndrome has significantly added to the decline of Americans’ mental health, tearing friendships apart, causing marriages to end in divorce, family members going ‘no contact’ with each other, co-workers being unable to work together and even strangers getting into arguments and worse. Logically, one wouldn’t expect political disagreements to have such powerful effects, but TDS is not logical. It has deeper roots which must be treated.
Although some people with TDS may have individual symptoms that could tempt one to classify them under another category that is already in the DSM V, such as: Anxiety Disorders; Trauma- and Stressor- Related Disorders; or Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders; there are enough unique features to warrant its own diagnostic category.
What follows is a proposed diagnostic classification for Trump Derangement Syndrome, in the style of the American Psychiatric Association’s past and current Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals of Mental Disorders. Real people (some famous, some not) are included to exemplify aspects of TDS. What is written about them has been gleaned from public information. I have not formally examined any of them, so these are not formal ‘diagnoses’ per se. They are simply included to elucidate some of the symptoms of TDS, as proposed.
TDS presents as Mild, Moderate and Severe cases. The symptoms need to be present for at least 3 months and cause significant distress or impairment in social, familial, academic, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.