Minnesota Republicans launch bid to officially classify ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ as a mental illness

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA: A group of Minnesota Republican lawmakers is set to introduce legislation aiming to classify ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome‘ (TDS) as a recognized mental illness under state law.

The bill is scheduled for introduction in the state Senate on Monday.

Proposed legislation describes TDS as ‘acute paranoia’ in otherwise normal persons

The proposed legislation, according to Fox 9 authored by Senators Eric Lucero, Steve Drazkowski, Nathan Wesenberg, Justin Eichorn, and Glenn H Gruenhagen, defines TDS as the “acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J Trump.”

“Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J Trump’s behavior,” the proposal reads.

If approved, TDS could be included in the list of mental-health-related definitions in Minnesota. The “syndrome” is not recognized as an illness in any state in the US.

TDS bill proposal criticized by Minnesota Democrats

The bill’s introduction has been met with swift criticism from Democratic circles.

“This is why Minnesota Republicans have lost every statewide election in recent memory — every time they get an opportunity to try to improve Minnesotans’ lives, they instead double down on an agenda that caters to their party’s most extreme right-wing activists,” a spokesperson for the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer-Labor Party said, according to Star Tribune.

Despite its introduction, the bill faces an uncertain future in Minnesota’s politically divided legislature, where Democrat-aligned parties hold a slim majority.

What is Trump Derangement Syndrome?

The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” has been utilized by Trump and his supporters to describe opponents they perceive as irrationally hostile toward him and his policies.

The phrase traces its origins to 2003 when political commentator Charles Krauthammer coined “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to characterize liberals’ reactions to resident George W Bush.

Use of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ by Republicans

Former Trump attorney Alina Habba in May 2024 told Fox News that the jury in Trump’s hush money trial should’ve been sequestered over Memorial Day weekend to avoid them coming down with TDS and “forgetting all sense of reality.”

In October, Trump dismissed his former chief of staff John Kelly accusing him of making “up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome” after he branded the president a fascist and made damning claims about his views of Adolf Hitler.

Last month, Elon Musk revived the term telling Sean Hannity on a Fox News interview that he used to be “adored by the left” until they were affected by TDS, comparing it to rabies.

“There’s this whole sort of, you know … they call it like Trump Derangement Syndrome. You don’t realize how real this is until, like — it’s like you can’t reason with people,” Musk said during the interview.

Musk described a personal experience recalling a birthday dinner in Los Angeles where a simple mention of Trump’s name triggered an intense reaction from others at the table.

“It was like they got shot with a dart in the jugular that contained, like, methamphetamine and rabies,” he quipped.