Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Political slang and pejorative term

• Primary Usage

  Discrediting critics of Donald Trump by framing their opposition as irrational

• Clinical Status

  Not recognized as a medical diagnosis in the DSM-5

• Related Concepts

  Bush Derangement Syndrome, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Gaslighting, Political Polarization

• Alternative Usage

  Describing unwavering support for Trump or denialism regarding the 2020 election

Timeline

• Donald Trump announces his candidacy for president, marking the emergence of the term in its modern context. (Source: ECPR Blog - The Loop)

  2015-06-15

• Justin Raimondo publishes a piece in the Los Angeles Times breaking TDS down into three distinct stages. (Source: CNN)

  2016-01-01

• CNN's Chris Cillizza analyzes TDS as a function of increased national polarization and self-sorting. (Source: CNN)

  2018-07-19

• Republican senators in Minnesota introduce a bill to add TDS to the state's list of recognized mental illnesses. (Source: ECPR Blog - The Loop)

  2025-03-25

• Representative Warren Davidson introduces the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) Research Act of 2025 in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Source: Rep. Warren Davidson Press Release)

  2025-05-15

Trump derangement syndrome

Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is a pejorative term used to describe negative reactions to U.S. president Donald Trump that are characterized as irrational and disconnected from Trump's actual policy positions. The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way of reframing the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world. Some journalists have used the term to call for restraint when judging Trump's statements and actions. The term has also come to be used to describe the nature of Trump supporters in their unwavering support of the president.

Web Search Results

• Trump derangement syndrome - Wikipedia

  Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is a pejorative term used to describe negative reactions to U.S. president Donald Trump that are characterized as irrational and disconnected from Trump's actual policy positions. The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way of reframing "Framing (social sciences)") the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world. Some journalists have used the term to call for restraint when judging Trump's statements and actions. The term has also come to be used to describe the nature of Trump supporters in their unwavering support of the president. ## Origin of the term [...] Fareed Zakaria defined the term as "hatred of President Trump so intense that it impairs people's judgment". 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 [...] 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". This new definition derogatorily describing the nature of Trump supporters rather than his deriders has been picked up by others and widely used. Politico co-founder John Harris wrote that TDS is related to gaslighting, "another psychological concept in vogue in the Trump era". ## Usage 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.

• The Psychology of Trump Derangement Syndrome

  “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) is political slang—not a diagnosis listed in the DSM-5 or any other clinical manual. Supporters of President Donald Trump coined it as a rhetorical jab — the implication being that critics are so blinded by dislike that they can’t perceive reality. The label discredits rather than describes and its very existence shows how political language can blur the line between clinical insight and partisan insult. > The “Derangement Syndrome” label shuts down the very conversations we need to be having about the issues underneath. [...] ### What is “Trump Derangement Syndrome”? “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is a derogatory, non-clinical label for the intense worry, persistent anger, or ongoing preoccupation some people feel about President Trump’s words and policies. Supporters often use it to discredit critics by implying they’re irrational. It isn’t an official diagnosis—professional guidelines don’t recognize it—and a 2025 Minnesota bill that tried, unsuccessfully, to classify TDS as a mental illness shows how politicized the phrase has become. ### Is TDS a real psychological diagnosis? No. TDS does not appear in the DSM-5 or any professional manual. It’s a partisan label for strong emotional reactions that can arise from nonstop media exposure, deep political beliefs, or group identity pressures. [...] ### How the label works in practice Recognizing TDS—or any “\_\_\_\_\_ Derangement Syndrome” variant—as a partisan insult, not a clinical syndrome, is the first step toward having real conversations about the issues underneath. The label makes that almost impossible. It also shows how politics can hijack both mental health and the language we use to discuss it, stirring powerful emotions that affect even otherwise non-partisan people—and underscores why the grounding strategies we cover next are so important for safeguarding our minds, relationships, and civic dialogue.

• Trump Derangement Syndrome: What is it – and do you have it?

  Let’s start with what Trump Derangement Syndrome means. Urban Dictionary offers up this handy definition: “Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a mental condition in which a person has been driven effectively insane due to their dislike of Donald Trump, to the point at which they will abandon all logic and reason.” Justin Raimondo, the editorial director of Antiwar.com, wrote a piece in the Los Angeles Times in 2016 that broke TDS down into three distinct phases or stages: ### Like what you're reading? - Check out the latest analysis from The Point with Chris Cillizza: [...] The Point here is simple: TDS is, in the eyes of its adherents, the knee-jerk opposition from liberals (and Never Trumpers) to anything and everything Trump does. If Trump announced he was donating every dollar he’s ever made, TDS sufferers would suggest he was up to something nefarious, according to the logic of TDS. There’s nothing – not. one. thing. – that Trump could do or say that would be received positively by TDSers. The history of Trump Derangement Syndrome actually goes back to the early 2000s – a time when the idea of Trump as president was a punch line for late-night comics and nothing more. [...] The truth is that TDS is just 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. 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. We no longer live around, work around or pal around with people who think any differently than us. We watch cable news that affirms what we already think. We read ideological “news” sites that tell us how good our side is and how bad the other one is. And on and on and on.

• Rep. Warren Davidson Introduces the Trump Derangement ...

  Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube # Press Releases Home Media Center Press Releases Print;) ## Rep. Warren Davidson Introduces the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) Research Act of 2025 ### May 15, 2025 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) introduced the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) Research Act of 2025. This bill would direct the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the psychological and social roots of what is known as Trump Derangement Syndrome, a phenomenon marked by extreme negative reactions to President Donald J. Trump. He was joined by original cosponsor Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL). [...] “Trump Derangement Syndrome has become an epidemic on the Left,”said Rep. Moore (R-AL). “Some individuals who suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome have participated in nationwide political and social unrest, even trying to assassinate President Trump twice. Rep. Davidson’s common-sense bill will use already appropriated funds on an NIH study that can make a difference.” Background: The TDS Research Act addresses a critical issue: the instinctual negative and often violent reaction to any supportive statement or event related to President Trump. By leveraging NIH’s existing programs at the National Institute of Mental Health, the bill will: [...] “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.” said Rep. Davidson (R-OH). “Instead of funding ludicrous studies such as giving methamphetamine to cats or teaching monkeys to gamble for their drinking water, the NIH should use that funding to research issues that are relevant to the real world.”

• Is 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' a genuine mental illness?

  Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) began June 15, 2015 when Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2016 at Trump Tower in New York City. In that moment in history, a switch was flipped in the Obama Oval Office in Washington and almost overnight TDS emerged with a viciousness rarely seen in any population in history and millions of people began exhibiting a pathological hatred of Donald Trump. Why? Because they were told to be afraid of him and what he would do as president...again. [...] Trump Derangement Syndrome is not the first diagnosis of a 'presidential syndrome'. But what differentiates Trump is that he has embraced it – and weaponised it to his advantage What differentiates Trump is that he and his allies have embraced the TDS label, weaponising it to their advantage. Trump claimed that those who criticised his relationship with Vladimir Putin were suffering from TDS: Tweet from Donald Trump claiming people are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome because they hate the fact that he gets along with Vladimir Putin [...] ECPR Blog - The Loop Logo - White # Is 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' a genuine mental illness? What happens when political elites claim their opponents are simply mad? A proposed Bill on 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' shows how politics can spill into psychiatry. This, argues Ela Serpil Evliyaoğlu, threatens to turn dissent into pathology On 25 March 2025, five Republican senators introduced a Bill to the State of Minnesota proposing to add Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) to the state's list of recognised mental illnesses. Their Bill defines TDS as a condition of paranoia, hysteria, intense hostility towards Donald Trump, and aggression towards his supporters.