Commentary

During President Trump’s first term, I recall quoting from Psychology Today, in which it stated that there was “no shared lay understanding of TDS,” assigning it to a folk category rather than a professional category.

The publication noted that “some people have been seriously disturbed and distressed by the policies, speech, behavior, and tweets of President Trump, so much so that it has affected their cognitive, affective, and behavioral functioning.

“Shared amongst these is a notion that the everyday activities of President Trump trigger some people into distorted opinions, extreme emotions and hysterical behaviors.  Such people may need mental health support.”

I decided to see how the publication might be addressing TDS in Trump’s current term, and found this confounding lead:

“Fast forward to today, and the obsession with Donald Trump appears to have no signs of receding.”

I think it’s interesting that the president often speaks of the media’s negative reaction to whatever he says or does.  While that may trouble him, he presses on with his agenda.

Deep in my stack of stuff I found a piece from the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star written by Jim Sacia, a former Illinois state representative, who wrote about struggling with the hatred of Trump, having followed the hatred since 2015.

“As a presidential candidate, hatred grew,” wrote Sacia, “The love and respect for him grew also,” he wrote noting “I hate his mouth, but I admire his abilities and accomplishments.

“Why the hatred of Donald Trump? This man should be universally admired. Thus, my daily struggle.“

It is President Trump’s unprecedented effort to bring an end to the killing in the Ukraine-Russia war that triggered this edition.  A few days ago, I wrote how the media appeared giddy since there was no deal by the man known for his deal-making when he met with Putin in Alaska.  The president never predicted there would be a deal.  Ukraine’s Zelensky would need to be a part of any deal.

He chided one of the leaders, who he did not name, who suggested a follow-on meeting in a month or so.  Striking while the iron is hot, so to speak, at the invitation of Trump, Zelensky and the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Finland and representative of the EU and NATO flew to the U.S. for a Monday White House meeting to discuss the next move. Unprecedented.

TV anchors often use their interviews with Trump cabinet members to take their shot at “the boss.”  Secretary of State Rubio on two occasions, has challenged remarks about Trump by Margaret Brennan, host of CBS’s Face the Nation, who Sunday suggested that the Europeans would be “bullied into signing something away.” Rubio repeated that that was not true.

New York Times White House correspondent Shawn McCreesh was appropriately put down by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when he questioned why she said it would be disrespectful for Trump to place the call to Putin in the presence of the Europeans.

“With all due respect,” she said, “only a reporter for the New York Times would ask a question like that, Shawn.”

President Biden was in no hurry to see the war end.  In December 2022, a headline in TIME magazine read, “Biden Asserts to Zelensky and the World That U.S. Will Back Ukraine ‘As Long As It Takes.’  All while we taxpayers provided Zelensky with some $300 billion in weapons and cash.

And who can forget Biden’s single word that was supposed to be a deterrent to any aggression – “Don’t.”

Trump, on the other hand, persuaded NATO nations to spend their five percent of GDP on U.S.- made weapons, that they would in turn furnish Ukraine.  It brings stability to our manufacturers, who no doubt will hire more workers.

Michael Murphy of San Pedro, in a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times put it succinctly:

‘It has been nothing but gravy since Jan. 20 watching the Democratic Party and the liberal left implode, all the while sanctimoniously cloaking themselves as the defenders of democracy. What we are all seeing is democracy in action. We, the People of the United States, elected President Trump to get things done after the previous four years of babbling, cackling ineptitude.

The intense hatred of Trump by the left swings between infantile and deranged, and borders on pathological. Rush Limbaugh used to say liberalism is a disease and conservatism is the cure. I couldn’t agree more. I expect more gravy on my grits in the next four years.

During Trump’s first term I often referred to the left’s “disdain” for Trump.  It was an accurate word to describe the Democrats dislike of him, but to me, they clearly have a “hatred” for the president

This blogger will no longer allow Democrats to cloak their hatred for Trump behind the folk term Trump Derangement Syndrome.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.