The Empty Politics of Trump Derangement Syndrome

A Party Without a Plan

Introduction

It’s 2025, and the political landscape in America has shifted in ways few thought possible just a few years ago. Donald J. Trump, written off by pundits and opposed by every major Democratic institution, has not only returned to the White House but has begun implementing the policies he promised voters in plain language. The border is closed. Federal DEI programs are being dismantled. Critical race theory is being stripped from classrooms and agencies. The cultural obsession with “myriad genders” is being rolled back in favor of biological reality. And America, once again, is asserting itself as the world’s preeminent power.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party finds itself stuck in the same loop it has been trapped in for nearly a decade: Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). Their strategy, once again, is not to offer an agenda for the American people, but to shout down Trump as a “Nazi,” a “dictator,” and an existential threat to democracy. The problem is that after nearly ten years of using that script, the audience has stopped listening.

This essay explores how the Democratic Party has become a party without a plan, a movement more defined by what it hates than what it offers. At the same time, it will highlight how Trump — for all his flaws and bombast — has delivered results that voters explicitly asked for. From securing the border to dismantling DEI, from confronting global adversaries to affirming the basic truth of male and female, Trump has governed in line with promises. In short, where Democrats deliver slogans, Trump delivers policies.

Section 1 – What TDS Looks Like in 2025

The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” started as a joke in 2016, but by 2025 it has become the defining pathology of the Democratic Party. TDS operates on two levels:

1. Personal obsession – Everything Trump says or does must be portrayed as evil, dangerous, or authoritarian. Even when he advances bipartisan policies, Democrats reflexively oppose him.
2. Narrative obsession – Instead of articulating positive policy, Democrats invest their energy in repeating slogans: “Trump is Hitler.” “Trump is destroying democracy.” “Trump is a fascist.”

The irony is glaring. For nearly ten years, the political left has claimed that Trump is an existential threat to democracy. Yet he has stood for election, won, lost, and returned, all through the ballot box — the very essence of democratic accountability. The American people, not some shadow cabal, decided his fate. If democracy were truly “over” under Trump, there would be no 2024 election to put him back in office.

And yet, the slogans persist. This is because Democrats have found themselves unable — or unwilling — to articulate a governing vision beyond opposing Trump. Ask the average voter today what the Democratic Party’s plan is for inflation, energy, the border, or crime, and the answer is silence. Ask what they think of Trump, and you’ll get the script: Nazi, dictator, danger.

The problem is that slogans don’t solve problems. Fear can drive turnout once or twice, but it cannot sustain a movement forever. By 2025, Americans are tired of being told the sky is falling. They want leaders who fix the leaks in their roof.

Section 2 – Trump’s Achievements That Delivered

While Democrats hyperventilated about Trump’s tweets and personality, his administration — in both his first and second terms — focused on issues that cut directly to voters’ concerns. These achievements are not abstract; they are tangible.

Securing the Border

By 2025, the southern border is closed in a way not seen in decades. Construction of the wall, once mocked as a symbol, has been completed in strategic sectors. Border Patrol has been empowered with resources, and asylum loopholes have been closed. Illegal crossings that once numbered in the millions under Biden have plummeted. The message is simple: a sovereign nation controls its borders.

Dismantling DEI and CRT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs have long served as taxpayer-funded bureaucracies promoting ideology rather than competence. In 2025, Trump moved aggressively to abolish these offices, slash their funding, and return federal hiring and promotion to merit-based criteria. Critical race theory, once embedded in government training and classrooms, has been rooted out. Trump reframed the conversation around unity rather than division — the idea that America is not a land of permanent oppressors and oppressed but a nation of individuals judged by character and achievement.

Reasserting American Preeminence

Globally, Trump has restored America’s standing by doing what he always promised: putting America first. NATO allies, once freeloading, are now paying more of their share. China, emboldened under previous administrations, has been forced to the table on trade and technology. The Middle East, once destabilized, has seen renewed pushes for peace through strength. For all the hysteria about Trump being a “threat to global order,” the record shows he reestablished deterrence and reminded the world that American leadership is indispensable.

Defending Biological Reality

Trump has stood firm against the cultural tide of gender ideology. While universities and activists still chant about “myriad genders,” federal policy has been restored to biological reality: male and female. Title IX protections have been clarified to protect women’s sports, not erase them. Federal agencies no longer fund experimental procedures on minors. The radical redefinition of sex and gender that swept institutions during the Biden years has been halted and reversed.

Judicial Appointments

Trump’s judicial appointments in both terms have reshaped the courts. By selecting judges committed to constitutionalism rather than activism, he has left an imprint that will last generations. The Supreme Court, already decisive in overturning Roe v. Wade, now serves as a bulwark against attempts to legislate ideology from the bench.

Economic Policy

Despite global turbulence, Trump’s emphasis on energy independence, deregulation, and fair trade deals has steadied the economy. Gas prices, once punishing, have stabilized as domestic production ramps back up. Inflation, spiraling under Biden, has been curbed. For everyday Americans, the difference is felt at the grocery store, the pump, and the utility bill.

Section 3 – Democrats’ Contrast: Slogans, Not Solutions

While Trump has focused on implementing policy, Democrats remain trapped in the TDS loop. Their talking points in 2025 are eerily identical to those from 2016:

• “Trump is a Nazi.”
• “Trump is going to destroy democracy.”
• “Trump is unfit for office.”

What is missing? An agenda. When asked what they would do differently, Democrats default to vague promises about equity, climate, and “protecting democracy.” But where are the specifics on controlling inflation? Where are the details on securing the border? Where is the plan to confront China or stabilize cities plagued by crime?

The truth is, Democrats have confused moral outrage with policy. They believe that opposing Trump is enough, that shouting “fascist” is a substitute for governing. But by 2025, voters have figured it out: outrage doesn’t fix their neighborhoods, their wallets, or their future.

Section 4 – Words vs. Policies

This is the core contrast. Democrats rely on words. Trump relies on policies.

Democrats call Trump Hitler. Trump abolishes DEI.

Democrats scream about democracy. Trump closes the border.

Democrats insist America is in crisis. Trump reasserts American strength abroad.

The irony is that Democrats, so obsessed with words, fail to see their own hypocrisy. They rail against “hate speech” while excusing political violence from their side. They demand “tolerance” while labeling half the country as fascists. They speak endlessly about “equity” while ignoring the very policies that keep communities safe and prosperous.

Trump, for all his rhetorical excess, has shown that policies matter more than words. And voters have responded.

Why This Matters

America is at a crossroads. The Democratic Party has staked its future on fearmongering, convinced that hatred of Trump will outweigh the hunger for results. But the politics of hysteria cannot last forever. Voters do not live in hashtags; they live in neighborhoods, paychecks, and families.

Trump’s appeal lies not in perfection but in performance. He delivered what he promised. He confronted the issues voters care about most. He acted, while Democrats shouted.

The deeper point is this: politics built on hatred cannot govern. The Democratic Party has become a party of “no” — no to Trump, no to borders, no to biological reality, no to energy independence. The void where a vision should be has been filled with nothing but TDS.

If Democrats want to survive as a viable party, they must abandon the obsession with Trump and rediscover how to articulate an agenda that resonates with real Americans. Until then, Trump will continue to dominate not just because of who he is, but because of what he has done.

Conclusion – Beyond the Noise

It is 2025, and the contrast is unavoidable. Trump’s record speaks for itself: dismantling DEI, closing the border, reasserting American strength, defending women’s sports and biological reality, securing energy independence, and reshaping the judiciary.

The Democrats’ record, by contrast, is defined by slogans, fear, and hysteria. Their plan begins and ends with Trump Derangement Syndrome — a disease of political imagination that substitutes outrage for action.



Words may generate headlines, but policies change lives. Trump has shown that governing is not about what you call your opponent, but about what you deliver for your people. Until Democrats learn that lesson, they will remain a party shouting in the wilderness, waiting for the next apocalypse that never comes.

References

1. White House. Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. Executive action (Jan 20, 2025). The fact sheet asserts that nearly all DEI programs across federal agencies will be terminated or defunded. The White House+2Harvard Law Forum+2
2. White House. Securing Our Borders. Executive Order (Jan 20, 2025). Declares a national policy to secure the U.S. southern border by building physical barriers, using personnel, and enforcing immigration law strictly. The White House
3. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / Department of Homeland Security. Border Wall System Frequently Asked Questions. Explains that under Trump’s 2025 orders, building of physical infrastructure (walls, other barriers) at the southern border is a priority. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
4. White House. Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. Executive Order 14168 (Jan 20, 2025). Orders restoring sex-based (biological) definitions, ending or limiting “gender ideology” in federal policies, directing agencies to use “sex” not “gender,” and rescinding or repositioning funding / recognitions relating to gender identity. The White House+219th News+2
5. U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education Takes Action to Eliminate DEI. Press release (Jan 23, 2025). The Department is removing references to DEI and associated workforce elements in its public communications and policies. U.S. Department of Education
6. Associated Press / “President Trump Acts to Roll Back DEI Initiatives.” Harvard Law / CorpGov “Harvard Law School” blog (Feb 10, 2025). Details how Trump’s executive orders are being used to roll back DEI programs, including removal of grants, equity-offices, and roles for diversity leadership. Harvard Law Forum
7. White House / DHS. DHS awards contract for 27 miles of new border wall in Arizona. National Media Release (June 18, 2025). Shows that construction of the border wall is under way in specific segments (Santa Cruz County, Arizona), including granting waivers in Texas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
8. White House. Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions. Memorandum (Apr 11, 2025). Establishes a mission for the military to assist in securing the southern border, describing unlawful entry as an “invasion” under this administration’s view. The White House
9. Williams Institute (UCLA) Policy Brief. Impact of the Executive Order Redefining Sex on Transgender, Nonbinary, and Intersex People. Analyses of EO 14168, showing how redefinition of “sex” (biologically defined “at conception”) will affect federal programs, services, and rights for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people. Williams Institute
10. Washington Post. Trump officials ask CDC, FDA to use gender notice on restored websites. (Feb 14, 2025). Reports how the administration directed health agencies to place notices condemning “gender ideology” on agency web pages after a federal judge ordered those pages restored. The Washington Post

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this post are opinions of the author for educational and commentary purposes only. They are not statements of fact about any individual or organization, and should not be construed as legal, medical, or financial advice. References to public figures and institutions are based on publicly available sources cited in the article. Any resemblance beyond these references is coincidental.