Trump Derangement Syndrome (or TDS) has evolved – as most viruses do.

It used to be he made his detractors so angry that they would lose their minds, become singularly focused on whatever it was he was saying or doing, stop at nothing to destroy him, and, in doing that, expose their own selfish intentions which were nearly always bad for America.

However, there is a new variant of TDS – TDS 2.0 – and it’s infecting his supporters.

TDS 2.0 is the belief that there is only one man on earth who can save America and the world, and he is Donald J. Trump. And if he is not made the GOP nominee in 2024, it’s over, and they will not participate in the elections.

The problem should be obvious: If you truly believe there is only one person on earth who can stop and/or reverse the decline of America (and, arguably, society), then we are already dead.

It reveals a lack of faith in people, and more importantly, in God. It creates a false idol (which, as I understand it from the Bible, breaks the number one commandment).

As Trump supporters were constantly exposed to the never-ending, hysterically-presented, lies and insults of media and news figures, they naturally started taking those lies and insults personally.

This set off a visceral reaction that unfortunately moved them from any semblance of logic to pure emotion. It was no longer about what Trump purported to say or do, it was boiled down to a simple equation: Trump good, everyone and everything else bad.

You either say something supportive of Trump – or you are the enemy. Full stop.

There are many symptoms (or stages) of TDS 2.0. Some of them may even seem admirable or not all the bad.

  • Inability to recognize the very few and rare good things any other Republican Party leader may do – like most of DeSantis’ signed legislation.
  • Inability to recognize the bad things Trump has done (because no one is perfect) – like endorsing or supporting Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Ronna McDaniel, Lindsey Graham, DeSantis himself!, and countless other well-established and affirmed true RINOs.
  • Support of Trump over country – like the oft-expressed intent to support no one if Trump is not the nominee.
  • Jumping to the conclusion that anyone who expresses even the most remote curiosity wondering “who is this Ron DeSantis guy, anyway?” must be a globalist RINO who hates Trump and refuses to see how amazing he truly is – when most DeSantis fans would definitely vote for Trump in the general election against any Democrat.
  • Walking away from, shouting down, or blocking on social media anyone who asks or points out anything about Donald Trump that may be at all suggestive that he may have made the tiniest of mistakes at one point in his life – like not firing Fauci, endorsing the aforementioned RINOs, installing Christopher Wray, etc.

What TDS 2.0 sufferers can’t, don’t, or won’t understand is that we’re all on the same side. Even if we support Vivek Ramaswamy or Ron DeSantis, we’re all going to vote for Trump in 2024 if he does happen to win the nomination.

Many of those people are concerned about his ability to win the 2024 general election. Some are concerned we need someone who can go two terms. Others are concerned about Trump’s desire to destroy some of the GOP’s best candidates irreparably in his potentially ego-driven desire to win.

I don’t think many people believe Joe Biden can win in 2024. Then again, most people don’t believe he won in 2020 (not legitimately, anyway). But there’s one way he can – if Trump supporters demand a guy who’s, at best, inconsistent on who or what he supports, and gave the world Anthony Fauci and the COVID psy-op, is the only person on earth who can save us.

And we don’t let him, then they’re taking their ball, going home, and leaving America (and the earth) to rot.

It’s not rational, but neither, like TDS before it, is TDS 2.0