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I have a confession. I have Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Before you jump to conclusions and call me a liberal or a leftie or a socialist or a Marxist, let me just offer my belief that you have Trump Derangement Syndrome, too.
TDS is not a “real, diagnosable, or treatable mental disorder,” according to an article by psychologist Rob Whitley in Psychology Today. But I’m telling you that it affects me, most of the people I know and, I submit, has a very real effect on American life.
Whitley says TDS falls into a folk category of mental illness, as opposed to a professional category. So, it’s real.
What is it, exactly?
Here’s a definition from Politico.com that I accept. TDS is a “neurotic obsession with [Donald Trump] and his provocations, and [an] inability to maintain emotional detachment from outlandish behavior, leading ultimately to distorted perception of reality.” It is something that affects not only the Trump opponents who are most often mentioned as victims, but also Trump supporters and, in fact, Trump himself. And maybe even civic-minded citizens who are in the middle. What I’m saying is that, unless you have your head in the sand, you have likely been infected with TDS.
It can be subtle. I was talking with a friend who is on vacation in Florida the other day, and out of the blue he pointed out that he is in an area full of MAGA types. He said he’s glad he has Indiana license plates so that no one will question his beliefs (this being a Red state and all.)
Or it can be obvious. I belong to a lunch group that includes a number of Never Trumpers. At every gathering, it seems, someone will express the belief that Trump must be stopped at all costs.
On the other hand, subtlety has never been valued by MAGA TDS victims, including the one who, until recently, lived a couple of doors down from my grandkids. A father of small children himself, he placed a sign in the front yard that said, “F### Joe Biden.” And don’t let your family values get in the way.
TDS is making social media increasing difficult to follow. X (formerly Twitter) has decided I want my feed to be filled with the most extreme views from TDS victims of all stripes.
I just opened it to find this post: “Joe Biden is the worst President in our history and intent on destroying our country … .” That’s from Mike Braun, the U.S. senator and candidate for governor. He might believe it, but he would never have used rhetoric like that if Donald Trump had not cleared the way to make it appear normal.
The next post in my feed is from someone I have not chosen to follow (Elon Musk apparently thought I should), who says, “The election was not ‘stolen.’ Your guy just sucked.”
Remember rational policy debates?
Cable TV is just as bad.
Whether it’s CNN, Fox News or MSNBC, the news is dominated every day by reports about Trump court appearances and campaign events, followed by panel discussions with TDS victims trading insults about what they just heard.
Trump Derangement Syndrome. There is no cure. Don’t think the November election will provide one. Trump is not going away, win or lose, and he’s altered the political culture in this country in ways that might never change. TDS is the new pandemic, and we all have the long form.•
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Shella hosted WFYI’s “Indiana Week in Review” for 25 years and covered Indiana politics for WISH-TV for more than three decades. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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