Dr. Carole Lieberman, a conservative voice known as “America’s psychiatrist,” said, “Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t just a joke—it’s a legitimate psychological phenomenon. The symptoms mirror mass psychosis, where people lose all rational thinking when it comes to Trump.”
You may be experiencing TDS if you can’t calm down after hearing a Trump speech or comment, or if you lash out verbally or physically at a Trump supporter, she said.
Or blood pressure may tick up when you hear “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People, a song used at Trump rallies. Or you may become tense when you find yourself agreeing with a Trump policy or statement.
Lieberman said: “TDS causes otherwise logical individuals to become obsessive, paranoid, and even violent at the mere mention of Trump’s name—this level of emotional instability has real-world consequences.”
But Dr. Holly Ann Schiff, a Connecticut psychiatrist, pushed back, saying: “It is unlikely that the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to make people violent.”
Schiff believes TDS is more tied to the president’s public comments and policies.
“I think how people feel about him, toward him and his administration’s policies are enough to cause people to become violent and aggressive,” she said. “I think it is a fair term because their reactions are far too intense and go beyond just measured criticism or disagreement.”
Schiff added that it’s likely that TDS is more prevalent in Trump’s second term in the White House.
“I do think more people are experiencing this more now than in 2016-2020 because the emotional charge surrounding Trump has only grown stronger and some people might be more entrenched in their feelings now, especially after what they feel like was a surprising defeat in this past election,” she said.
She said, “Regularly now, my current patients and new referrals are coming in really decompensated and unable to control their emotions due to their hatred and feelings towards Trump, which has a direct negative impact on their mental health and well-being.”
Minnesota Republican lawmakers recently made a move to legally define Trump Derangement Syndrome as a mental illness.
The bill isn’t expected to become law, in part because of opposition from Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who was the candidate for vice president last year when Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.