Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS, began as a concept first coined by the late Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer. In 2003, he introduced “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to describe the irrational hostility and obsession some Americans displayed toward President George W. Bush. Years later, Krauthammer adapted the term to Donald Trump, giving us the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to describe the same pattern of unhinged focus and hysteria. What began as a witty observation has grown into a national condition. Where humor once lived, hysteria now reigns, with journalists, celebrities, and even smart and once-sensible neighbors treating every Trump rally, court hearing, or Truth Social post as an existential crisis.

The symptoms are unmistakable. Protesters scream at the sky or chant to rivers, as if nature itself must join their anti-Trump crusade. A privately funded $250 million ballroom renovation at the White House becomes a “national disgrace,” even though Franklin Roosevelt built a pool and Barack Obama added a basketball court with taxpayer money. Silence then, outrage now. Selective outrage has become the new national pastime, exposing a sickness that goes far beyond politics. Every anti-Trump meme is treated as truth despite obvious exaggerations.

Psychologists now recognize TDS as a genuine phenomenon. It mirrors what some of them call “mass formation psychosis,” where collective anxiety channels itself into a single scapegoat. In Minnesota, legislators have even joked about labeling it a mental disorder, in statute, after hysteria spilled from cable news into the streets. Social media has amplified the effect, with conspiracies denying assassination attempts, predicting “genocide,” or spinning elaborate tales of carbon control and foreign bribes. What began as satire has hardened into mass delusion.

Yet the real tragedy is not the spectacle itself; at best it is a symptom of our issues, and at worst it is a manufactured distraction. While never-Trumpers fixate on imagined crises, America burns. The October 1 government shutdown, now entering its fourth week, continues to hammer working families. Nearly 900,000 federal employees are furloughed, and roughly 2 million more are working without pay. The White House estimates the weekly economic toll at about $15 billion, yet most mainstream media outlets ignore the numbers in favor of court dramas and cable-panel outrage. Known as the “Schumer Shutdown,” it rests squarely on the shoulders of an aging Senate Majority Leader chasing relevance at America’s expense. Chuck Schumer’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has turned federal workers into pawns. And the collateral damage has left critical programs in limbo, all while he seeks headlines and political leverage.

In Alaska, the consequences hit especially hard. Federal employment forms a backbone of our economy, and the shutdown’s ripple effects are immediate. Roughly 11,600 civilian federal employees are at risk, and union estimates warn that as many as 800 could lose their jobs if cuts deepen. The Dunleavy administration has flagged about 4,800 state positions tied to federal funding, or nearly half of Alaska’s executive workforce. From Coast Guard families in Kodiak to FAA technicians in Anchorage, this is not a headline; it is the rent check and the grocery bill. SNAP benefits, which serve roughly one in eight Alaskans, remain secure through October, but uncertainty grows by the day. In many Alaska communities, furloughed workers are already lining up for volunteer-provided lunches, and food banks are scrambling, tangible reminders that Schumer’s partisan brinkmanship has real human consequences in places far from the East Coast.

Meanwhile, the national debt continues to grow. The U.S. now owes over $38 trillion, with a 2025 deficit of approximately $1.7 trillion and $1.2 trillion in annual interest payments alone. The International Monetary Fund warns that, if current trends persist, the debt-to-GDP ratio could reach 143 percent by 2035. Yet Congress continues to treat spending like an auction. The latest “temporary” funding proposal tacks on another $1.5 trillion in new obligations, a democrat, health care fueled, ransom note to taxpayers disguised as relief.

That is the essence of TDS. It is not merely hatred of one man; it is a mass distraction. While Schumer and his media allies strum their symphony of outrage, the real crises, economic decay, fiscal irresponsibility, and diminishing American freedoms, grow louder in the background. Trump is not Nero watching the empire burn; he is the one pointing to the flames and demanding a hose. The string section of the orchestra – Schumer, politicians, the mainstream media, and pundits tune up the outrage to cling to power, keeping America entertained and mesmerized while the country smolders.

What this nation needs is clear vision, not hysteria. Citizens must step away from social media, turn down the noise, and talk to their neighbors while helping one another. We must confront the fire together, not let the fiddlers’ tune dictate what we see or fear. Unless we take control, the music of outrage will drown out reason, and by the time the last note fades, we may be left only with smoke and the faint echo of what America once promised.

Originally published on Substack: https://kevinjmccabe.substack.com/p/tds-the-great-american-meltdown