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Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is apseudoscientificpejorative term used to describe negative reactions to U.S. presidentDonald Trump that are characterized asirrational and disconnected from Trump's actual policy positions.[1] The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way ofreframing the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world.[2][3] Some journalists have used the term to call for restraint when judging Trump's statements and actions.[4][5][6] The term has also come to be used to describe the nature of Trump supporters in their unwavering support of the president.[7][8][9]
The origin of the term is traced toCharles Krauthammer, a conservative political columnist, commentator, and psychiatrist, who coined the phraseBush derangement syndrome in 2003 during thepresidency of George W. Bush. That "syndrome" was defined by Krauthammer as "the acute onset ofparanoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush".[10][11][12][13]
Similarly, conservative activistDavid Horowitz used the phrase "Obama derangement syndrome" to compare "over-the-top hysteria" in the criticism offered by sections of the right-wing commentariat regardingBarack Obama following the latter'selection aspresident to Bush derangement syndrome, citing comparisons of Obama toStalin,David Koresh,Charles Manson andSaddam Hussein, although Krauthammer disagreed with Horowitz's use of the phrase.[14] Horowitz particularly applied the phrase to those who advocated "birtherist" conspiracy theories that claimed Obama was not a native-born United States citizen.[15]Ezra Klein has argued that whilst those accused of Bush derangement syndrome were inspired by opposition to Bush's policies, those accused of Obama Derangement Syndrome were driven by reactions to Obama as an individual, in particular his race andKenyan heritage, and a feeling among some conservatives that these made him un-American.[16]
The first use of the termTrump derangement syndrome may have been by Esther Goldberg in an August 2015op-ed inThe American Spectator; she applied the term to "Ruling Class Republicans" who are dismissive or contemptuous of Trump.[17] 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 ... signs of psychic pathology".[13]
According toThe Independent, "the highly-politicized term" was coined to dismiss criticism of Trump in his first term as liberalhysteria, suggesting that people abandon all logic and reason due to their dislike of the president.[18]
Fareed Zakaria defined the term as "hatred of President Trump so intense that it impairs people's judgment".[4][19] CNN'seditor-at-largeChris Cillizza called TDS "the preferrednomenclature 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".[1] Pointing to previous allegations ofBush 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."[1]Bret Stephens has described the term as something used by conservative groups whenever someone speaks out critically against Trump, regardless of political affiliation.[20]
CNN political analystJohn 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 fordenialism 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".[21] This new definition derogatorily describing the nature of Trump supporters rather than his deriders has been picked up by others and widely used.[7][8][9]
Politico co-founderJohn Harris wrote that TDS is related togaslighting, "another psychological concept in vogue in the Trump era".[22]
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.[23][24][25]
The use of the term has been called part of a broaderGOP 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 toKathleen Hall Jamieson ofAnnenberg 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.[2] 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.[26][27][28][29]Fox News anchorBret Baier and formerSpeaker of the U.S. House of RepresentativesPaul Ryan have characterized Trump as a "troll" who makes controversial statements to see his adversaries' "heads explode".[30][31]
The term has been used by journalists critical of Trump to call for restraint.[4][5][6] Fareed Zakaria, who urged Americans to vote against Trump calling him a "cancer onAmerican democracy", argues that every Trump policy "cannot axiomatically be wrong, evil and dangerous".[4]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".[24]
Trump and his top communication advisers, including current White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt and communications directorSteven 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 for facts or consequences.[32]
SenatorRand 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".[33]
Trump used the term in a tweet following the2018 Russia–United States Summit inHelsinki: "Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with PresidentPutin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It's called Trump Derangement Syndrome!"[34][35] He also used it in a tweet aboutAlan Dershowitz's bookThe 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!"[36]
In July 2018,Jeanine Pirro was a guest onThe View to promote her newly published book[which?]. While she was responding to a question about how the "deep state" really works, she accused co-hostWhoopi Goldberg of suffering from Trump derangement syndrome.[37] That same month,Eric Zorn wrote in theChicago 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."[3]
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In August 2018, TrumpWhite House Press SecretarySarah 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?"[38]
In September 2018, Fox News personality and Trump supporterSean Hannity criticizedThe Washington Post as having Trump derangement syndrome for stating in an editorial that Trump, because of his attitude towardclimate change, is "complicit" in hurricanes battering the United States;[39][40] Hannity said, "it is now a full-blownpsychosis, it is a psychological level of unhingement I have never seen."[39]
In March 2019,Bill Maher onReal 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 theoverengineering which led to theBoeing 737 MAX crashes and his preference for products to be simpler to use, which some commentators interpreted as evidence of conservative leanings.[41]
In August 2019,Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's formerWhite House Communications Director, said in interviews withVanity Fair andCNN that he had "Trump fatigue syndrome" instead of Trump derangement syndrome.[42][43]
In September 2019, Sean Hannity characterized as "Trump derangement syndrome" the continuing press coverage of Trump'sdays-long insistence that he was correct to state on September 1 thatHurricane Dorian posed a danger toAlabama, 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".[44]
The term resurfaced in 2024 concerning reactions to Trump's2024 presidential campaign and eventualdefeat of Vice PresidentKamala 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!"[45] A House Democrat stated following the election that theDemocratic Party needed to "get past this idea they call 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'".[46]
In October 2024, Trump dismissed his former chief of staffJohn F. Kelly as having TDS after hebranded the president a fascist and made damaging claims about his views ofAdolf Hitler.[18]
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".[18]
During theSignalgate scandal, Trump angrily criticized U.S. District JudgeJames 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.[47][48]
Trump severely criticized four "disloyal" Republican SenatorsMitch McConnell,Susan Collins,Lisa Murkowski, andRand Paul who indicated they will join Democrats in voting for a joint resolution to end the national emergency declared by him to undoTrump tariffs on Canada, calling them "extremely difficult" and implored them to "get on the Republican bandwagon" and remain loyal to their party. He so wrote, "Why are they allowingFentanyl 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 overnightTruth Social post.[49]
In June 2025, during the height ofTrump's feud with his ex-DOGE chief, Elon Musk, Trump suggested that Musk "is suffering from 'Trump derangement syndrome.'"[50]
In December 2025, following thekilling of Rob and Michele Reiner, Trump suggested in a Truth Social post thatRob Reiner's death was caused by anger toward his "Trump derangement syndrome".[51]
A group ofMinnesota Senate Republicans introduced a bill[52] 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.[32] 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.[53][18] 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 behavior" which can manifest as "intense verbal hostility toward Trump" and "overt acts of aggression and violence" towards Trump andMAGA supporters.[32][18] The Minnesota bill uses the same wording that Krauthammer used to describe Bush derangement syndrome.[18]
U.S. RepresentativeWarren Davidson of Ohio introduced a bill in May 2025 that would require theNational Institutes of Health to study Trump derangement syndrome and report annually to Congress. Davidson said "TDS has divided families, the country, and led to nationwide violence—including two assassination attempts on President Trump. The TDS Research Act would require the NIH to study this toxic state of mind, so we can understand the root cause and identify solutions."[54]
What distinguishes Trump Derangement Syndrome is not just generalhysteria 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.
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?
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.
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 dictionary definition ofTrump derangement syndrome at Wiktionary_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg)
