Trump accused Musk of "Trump derangement syndrome" after previously praising him. This follows critiques from former aides who labelled Trump as divisive and authoritarian. Many Republicans now oppose him, highlighting a significant rift within his own party.
US President Donald Trump said that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome”, just days after praising and celebrating him in the Oval Office as a farewell. He even gifted him a golden key as a gift which he reserves for “very special people”.
Trump cited Musk's opposition to the Republican agenda and said that he is “not the first”, which might suggest that he is aware that people who had been once close aides have become “hostile”, as he says. He added, “I don't know what it is.”
The president also said at the Oval Office on Thursday, "He (Elon Musk) hasn't said bad things about me personally, but I'm sure that will be next.”
In Urban Dictionary, it has been defined as a "mental condition" wherein a person has been driven effectively insane due to their dislike of the US President "to the point at which they will abandon all logic and reason.”
According to a July 2018 report by CNN, Trump Derangement Syndrome goes back to the early 2000s when the idea of having Trump as US President was a "punch line for late-night comics".
Members of a presidential team work closely together, and even more closely with the president. Many officials who have witnessed his leadership style up close, have all been part of this club.
John Kelly
Kelly was the retired Marine general who was Trump's former chief of staff. He said that the latter fits “into the general definition of fascist”, he also said that the president spoke about the loyalty of Hitler's Nazi generals.
He also told the New York Times that Trump “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government.” Kelly told the Times that Trump “never accepted the fact that he wasn't the most powerful man in the world — and by power, I mean an ability to do anything he wanted, anytime he wanted.”
In response to criticisms from Kelly, Trump wrote on his social media platform, “Thank you for your support against a total degenerate named John Kelly, who made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred! This guy had two qualities, which don't work well together. He was tough and dumb.”
Mark Esper
Esper served as the Secretary of Defence for Trump for only 18 months. He said that the president wanted to use the military in ways he thought was inappropriate and they often clashed. Finally, Trump fired Esper in November 2020.
He also made a shocking revelation that Trump inquired about shooting people who took part in the protest after George Floyd's murder in 2020.
"We need leaders of integrity and character, and we need leaders who will bring people together and reach across the aisle and do what's best for the country. And Donald Trump doesn't meet the mark for me on any of those issues”, he said, per NPR.
Donald Trump has said that he did not want recommendations for staff associated with some of his political enemies.
“In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), ‘Dumb as a Rock' John Bolton, ‘Birdbrain' Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Mark Milley
Pete Hegseth, US Defence Secretary, had revoked the personal security detail and security clearance for Mark Milley in one of his first acts in the job, according to Reuters.
Milley was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Trump. He, too, said that Trump was “fascist to the core” in “War”, a book by journalist Bob Woodward. In his 2023 farewell speech, he said that the military does not swear allegiance to a "wannabe dictator", referring to Trump.
James Mattis
Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis served as President Trump's first defence secretary. “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us,” Mattis said in a statement obtained by CNN. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership”, he added.
Mattis criticised the president after long refusing to do it. His remarks are one of the strongest to date by a former Pentagon leader.
Mike Pence
Pence, Trump's former Vice President, has now become a prominent Republican critic. “I've never been a fan of American presidents criticizing America on foreign soil,” he said on NBC. “And particularly giving that speech in Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers hailed from, not including Osama bin Laden, I thought was unfortunate,” he continued.
Stephanie Grisham
Trump's former White House press secretary condemned Trump after working with him and also urged the public to vote against him at the Democratic National Convention.
"I saw him when the cameras were off, behind closed doors. Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers," she said, adding that he had "no morals and no fidelity to the truth".
She was one of the few Republicans to address a Democratic gathering. “I never thought I'd be speaking at a Democratic convention,” Grisham stated. “But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.”
Replying to Grisham's statement, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in an email, “Stephanie Grisham is a stone-cold loser who clearly suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome and many other mental issues”.
Moreover, there are other Republicans too who have left Trump's side or criticise him, whom the latter has labelled “disloyal”, such as Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul. Trump had called them "extremely difficult" and wrote "Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS?" in aTruth Social post.
Now Musk has unexpectedly joined them.
The opposition that Trump has faced from members from his own team is unprecedented in the history of America.
