It’s that time of year again. The holiday time, when families gather to celebrate giving thanks, the birth of a white savior, the miracle of Hannukah, the celebration of African culture, the mundane recognition of traveling another year around the sun and of course, the ceremonial Airing of Grievances that is Festivus. It is also the time when our MAGA relatives remind us of our horrible affliction known as Trump Derangement Syndrome.
If anyone is to utter anything even remotely negative about Der Fuhrer the president, they will be summarily attacked and accused of having Trump Derangement Syndrome. And, unlike past Family arguments, this doesn’t even need to involve alcohol. Such is their devotion to the MAGA cult, that they do not even need an intoxicating beverage to launch into an attack onto someone they had just moments ago declared their undying Love for.
Trump Derangement Syndrome is as serious as a heart attack and, depending upon the age of your attacker, could certainly result in one. It is characterized by someone having the audacity to question his approach to the Economy, immigration, religion, or a myriad of other topics that have been the subject of his late-night rants.
But what about The Donald? When he makes an outrageous claim, attacks a helpless victim or cause or even makes a random blurb like covfefe, isn’t this a sign that there is something not quite right in his bronzed noggin? Isn’t this what Trump Derangement Syndrome actually looks like?
As evidence, let’s look at some of the deranged topics Trump has covered over the years.
Let’s start with a classic. Trump has been obsessed with Obama for the better part of two decades. Some say it was light-hearted ribbing by President Obama during the White House Correspondence Dinner that spurred on Trump’s presidential aspirations. The notoriously thin-skinned Real Estate bankrupt tycoon reportedly left the banquet and immediately launched into an exploration into becoming president (Thanks Obama!). He latched on to the Birther conspiracy theory, demanding that Obama release his birth certificate to prove he was actually born in the United States and not, as some accused him of, being born in Kenya, which would have made him ineligible to be president. He boasted that, had he run against Obama, he would have won handily despite President Obama’s winning both terms with relative ease.
Further evidence of his mental instability is his willingness to ignore the Constitution; the very document he took an oath to defend. His not-so-subtle hinting that he would seek a third term, despite a Constitutional amendment preventing it, meant that Obama could also seek the office again. While this cannot be allowed to happen, the very thought that Trump is seeking a showdown with President Obama is a clear sign of his obsession with the former president.
Once in office, Trump used Executive Orders to undo many of President Obama’s initiatives, not because he disagreed with them, but because they bore the former president’s signature. Obama Derangement Syndrome.
The one law he could not undo, because it was an actual law and not an Executive Order, was the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. During the 2016 campaign he promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with something better. The vague claim lacked any specific details yet became the cornerstone of his first term.
When he was unable to come up with an actual plan, he shifted gears to repealing Obamacare with a replacement coming sometime later. He declared Obamacare dead when the Republican controlled House passed legislation to repeal the law only to be undone by the dramatic thumbs down vote of Senator John McCain.
During the 2020 presidential campaign he again teased at having a better plan. However, instead of releasing any details, he promised he would present the plan to the public ONLY IF HE WON.
Healthcare became a sticking point in the longest shutdown in history. Democrats attempted to use it to force the Trump administration to extend COVID era subsidies that lowered the cost of Health insurance for millions of Americans. They were left with a meaningless promise that they would “talk about it” on some unspecified date in the future.
Trump’s obsession with President Obama is clearly deranged.
Coming in at a close second, or perhaps even a tie, is Trump’s obsession with losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden. The loss, and subsequent insurrection, became a mania that Trump refused to let go of. Up until the time of Biden’s swearing in, and even after, Trump ordered his minions to seek any means, legal or illegal, that would allow him to remain in office.
During the abbreviated 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly referred to Biden as “Sleepy Joe”, implying that he lacked the stamina necessary to be president. That moniker has come back to bite him as the media has caught a glimpse of Trump nodding off on more than one occasion during official functions.
He claimed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if he had been in office and even boasted that he would have the war settled on his first day in office. Now, several months later, the humorless Trump said that he was only joking. Yeah, because a war that has killed thousands already is such a laughing matter.
Like President Obama, Biden is living rent free in Trump’s tiny brain. The mere mention of the former president is enough for Trump to shoot off a nasty social media comment, as was evidenced when the public was updated on Biden’s Cancer treatment.
Yet a deranged Trump makes sure that any reports on his own medical condition contain nothing more than laughably glowing result.
The current Republican Party, once known as the Party of Lincoln, is no more. It has been replaced by a MAGA cult that will broach no dissension. Those who dare to challenge it are labeled RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and are quickly forced out of power, either by being driven into Retirement or primaried by a MAGA friendly opponent.
Such was the fate of Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, among others. As the release of the Epstein files becomes more likely, even MAGA stalwart Marjorie Taylor Greene finds herself on the outside looking in as she and a few other Republicans signed on the petition advocating for their release.
With the threat of being ousted hanging over their heads, MAGAs would rather knuckle under to save their precious hides than to actually find a way to Make America Great. Instead, they only want to “own the Libs” rather than do any real governing.
Trump’s deranged attitude towards RINOs was on full display as he tried to do some arm twisting to force Greene, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert to change their stance on release of the Epstein files. But, in a rare instance of defiance, he was unable to make that happen, so he uncharacteristically changed his stance, allowing for the files to become public in near unanimous fashion.
In a public appearance following his meeting with the female congresswomen, Trump’s voice was noticeably hoarse. He used the excuse that he lost his voice because he was shouting during a meeting over trade. More than likely he lost it in a different screaming outburst as he attempted to bully the congresswomen to change their votes
Perfectly normal stuff, isn’t it?
There are even more examples of Trump’s deranged behavior. There is BPDS (Brown People Derangement Syndrome). Trump’s attacks on immigrants, both legal and illegal, have been the cornerstone of his administration even before he took office. Now, he is openly attacking them in Democratic-led cities using his ICE storm troopers to intimidate both immigrants and everyday Americans who are protesting this illegal occupation. That has led to some mocking, particularly by Comedy Central’s South Park. One biting episode took on puppy killer Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem who is using her position to rabidly pursue individuals in these cities.
Trump is using so-called DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives to remove Blacks from positions of authority and to force law firms, colleges and universities and even private business to adopted specific racially charged policies.
There is also FDS (Female Derangement Syndrome). Trump is threatened by strong women, so of course he has to demean them by calling them ‘nasty’ or ‘low IQ’. It’s no doubt the attitude he took with him into the Situation Room as he attempted to intimidate Boebert and Mace over the Epstein files. He even chastised a female reporter who tried to press him on this issue by calling her “piggy”; much to the delight of the twisted MAGA cult.
And then there is LNTSHDS (Late Night Talk Show Hosts Derangement Syndrome). Well, at least they know he’s watching. Trump pressured CBS to cancel top-rated late night host Stephen Colbert’s late-night gig because his thin skin couldn’t handle being mocked. Similar pressure led to the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Now, Seth Meyers has become the latest target of his deranged rants. Trump declared that making fun of him is ‘probably’ illegal which is contrary to the First Amendment.
So, as the holidays approach, be prepared to be accused of suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome as you point out these multiple instances of unhinged behavior. Pass the cranberry sauce, but be prepared to stomach a heaping helping of whataboutism with a side of malarkey.
Happy Holidays!
C J (Chris) Waldron is a former public school educator in New York State and adjunct English professor in Conway, SC. He is co-author of Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s Greatness, published in three volumes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He is a regular contributor to Lean to the Left and all of his articles are archived here.
