The partnership between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump seems to have now cracked. The verbal spat and insults between once allies have been seen all over the internet, with each responding to the other’s text. In response to Musk’s critique of the president’s spending legislation, which he termed a “pork-filled Congressional spending bill” and a “disgusting abomination”, Trump offered his comments on Thursday. Musk, who recently stepped down from his position as special employee heading the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), had previously contributed approximately £275 million to Trump’s campaign.During a Thursday press briefing in the Oval Office, Trump expressed uncertainty about their future relationship despite claiming they “have a great relationship”. He expressed surprise at the turn of events, noting that at a May 30 press conference marking Musk’s departure, they had shared a “wonderful sendoff” where Musk “said wonderful things about me”.Trump expressed disappointment, pointing out that Musk was familiar with the bill’s details and hadn’t raised objections until after his departure.“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill. He never had a problem until right after he left.”Trump said that others who have left his administration “at some point they miss it so badly” and “some of them actually become hostile. I don’t know what it is, it’s sort of ‘Trump derangement syndrome,’ I guess they call it,” the president said. “They wake up in the morning, the glamor is gone, the whole world is different, and they become hostile.”
What is Trump derangement syndrome?
Trump derangement syndrome was firstly coined by Trump, which he explained as the instinctual negative and often violent reaction to any supportive statement or event related to him. Not only him but also Musk has used the term while giving an interview in February. He called the left “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and said that he didn’t realise it was a real thing until he was at a friend’s dinner party before the presidential election.During a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Elon Musk, describing about his friend’s dinner party a month or two ago, compared Trump Derangement Syndrome with rabies.“This whole thing they call Trump Derangement Syndrome – you don’t realize how real it is until you see it. You can’t reason with people,” Musk said.Strangely, a bill was proposed in Minnesota seeking to classify intense opposition to Donald Trump, termed “Trump derangement syndrome”, as a mental health condition. The legislation specifically describes this condition as involving “verbal expressions of intense hostility toward” Donald Trump and “overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting [Trump] or anything that symbolises [Trump].”This legislative initiative raises serious concerns about constitutional freedoms, particularly the right to criticise public officials. It potentially creates a precedent for using psychiatric interventions as a means of controlling political dissent. This situation draws parallels to previous instances where mental health practitioners expressed concerns about Trump’s psychological state, suggesting he had a serious personality disorder.It is important to note that legitimate psychiatric diagnoses require proper examination by qualified, licensed mental health professionals. The practice of politicians attempting to pathologise their opponents through legislation, as well as mental health professionals offering remote diagnoses of public figures, presents significant risks to societal well-being and professional integrity.
