Trump Derangement Syndrome Vs. Trump Devotion Syndrome
Watching a video clip of J.D. Vance in Greenland last week—in which he justified his boss’ effort to control the island by saying, "We can't just ignore the president's desires”—a small plume of smoke went up in my head. Trump’s a guy with desires, many dark and self-centered. The message I got was that the GOP leadership’s now open about declaring that job one is catering to the whims of a megalomaniac rather than the will of the people. Vance’s groveling, chilling statement captured the degree to which Trump has bent the Republican Party to his will, producing the pathetic sight of GOP leadership scrambling around to win brownie points.
The Dems and media have gone overboard in calling Trump a fascist, and bemoaning ad nauseum the condition of our “fragile democracy,” but that’s no justification for pointing out the implied menace behind such a statement by a vice president in referring to a territory the US may be preparing to strongarm away from Denmark.
Now that the GOP’s in power, it can sit back and snicker at the latest instance of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), which was the recent viral video of a woman on the NYC subway platform chasing a man with a MAGA hat in an attempt to take it from him, which would evidently have achieved some sort of victory for her. Not built for such pursuits, the would-be hat thief (reportedly a luxury brand consultant) ended up taking a pratfall on the platform, embarrassing herself and, once again, making her cause (the Resistance?) look petty, mean, and dumb.
The narcissistic progressive movement, lost in self-righteousness, has turned to acting out to release pent-up emotions. Another recent viral video caught a 55-year-old man—a normal looking guy—in Pennsylvania carving a swastika into a fellow gym member’s Tesla. Shouldn't he have at least determined that the car owner was a Trump voter before pulling his keys out? TDS doesn't work that way.
Republicans can laugh at how pathetic such performative “activism” is, and find comfort in being the party of “common sense,” but their post-election hubris blinds them to their own variation of TDS—a debilitating psychological condition that longtime political TV host is now calling Trump Devotion Syndrome. GOP sycophants are now displaying a worshipful attitude towards their idol.
Republicans introduced a bill in the Minnesota legislature that would label Trump Derangement Syndrome as a mental illness, but they see no warning signs within their own tribe, which is in the thrall of the guy who said of Kim Jong Un, “He’s the head of a country, and I mean he is the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”
Trump’s admiration for dictators has never fazed millions of Republicans, even when their leader makes it clear he’s envious of the most evil dictator on the planet. Realizing his blunder, Trump would later walk back the statement by calling it sarcasm. He knows that his followers, their critical thinking impaired by Trump Devotion Syndrome, will buy his gaslighting every time. Watch the video and see if there's even a trace of sarcasm in Trump's voice.
In imagining the scenario by which Trump could eventually lead the nation into some form of “fascism,” I'd say it would be after an accumulation of such authoritarian statements reached a critical mass, with his devotees sloughing off the Dems’ reaction to each one as TDS hysteria.
American political polarity has reached the point where one side wants to put Trump in prison while the other side wants his likeness carved into Mt. Rushmore, and much more. Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas proposed legislation that would put Trump's face on the $100 bill, and then South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson decided to kiss ass even harder by introducing the Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act. GOP congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s bill proposed making Trump's birthday a national holiday. North Carolina congressman Addison McDowell introduced legislation to rename Dulles Airport “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
Republicans know that the key to pleasing strongman leaders is to lather flattery on them, but such adoration of a sitting, chaos-loving president only two months into a term that could still implode is unsettling. The problem is that the ostensible counterweight for Trump Devotion Syndrome is a party that can't contain its anger and delirium. So instead of a thoughtful counter strategy, we get Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett calling her state's governor, Greg Abbott, “Governor Hot Wheels.” We get Teslas burning on dealer lots, and Luigi Mangione, cold-blooded assassin of a health insurance firm’s CEO, made into a hero.
Progressives have run out of ideas, while conservatives have so many ideas they've become what they used to mock the Democrats for.
Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferers keep Trumpers away from them, rendering them clueless as to why he's so popular. Many react like pollster Nate Silver recently did on Twitter: “It's not just stupid and cringe, we're past the point of no return where people defending what's going on are redeemable.” But taking refuge in one side’s inferiority will accomplish nothing.
The fate of the US now rests in a battle between the sufferers of Trump Devotion Syndrome and Trump Derangement Syndrome, but the former group has the power, making them more consequential than the those carping from the sidelines—cultural gatekeepers like progressive activists, elite media, and left-wing campus radicals who've captured academia.
The powerful side is now devoted to a president who told NBC News that there are ways that would enable him to seek a third term, clarifying that he wasn't joking. Trump's testing the waters with such talk, so play close attention to how his party reacts when he continues. Regardless of how that one goes, with no effective opposition currently in place, it's hard not to think, given the fact his underlings are even dressing like he does now, that the groundwork’s in place for things to go haywire.