In 2024, the U.S. political landscape underwent a notable shift with Donald Trump’s return as the 47th president. Since taking up the role, he has continued to face criticism related to his first term (2017-2021). In the years following his presidency, Trump became embroiled in numerous legal battles. However, last week, the conversation surrounding him took a new turn as the term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS) gained renewed attention.

Originally coined by psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer, TDS refers to an extreme and often irrational reaction to Trump’s actions and policies and has resurfaced in political discourse as the controversy surrounding his presidency persists. A recent report from The Telegraph declared, “Trump Derangement Syndrome is over: His haters have finally grown up.” This phrase, once used by Trump supporters to dismiss critics, has now become a focal point in the ongoing debate.

On the Joe Rogan Experience #2262, Joe Rogan and Dr. Mark Gordon discussed the syndrome, with Rogan reflecting on the article Influence of Media on the Mental Health of America, which was originally named after the aforementioned condition. Rogan said, “I don’t know if you saw the article, which is called Influence of Media on the Mental Health of America, which used to be called the Trump Derangement Syndrome, but I got so much backlash from having that title. People wouldn’t read it because of the title…And it shuts down a chemical that protects your brain called fractalkine, and then it starts dumping all this inflammation, causing loss of serotonin, so you become more depressed.”

Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t the only such phenomenon that has shaped American political discourse. It began with the so-called “Bush Syndrome,” which later evolved into what some referred to as “Obama Derangement Syndrome.” As Vox’s Ezra Klein observed, “Obama Derangement Syndrome differs from Bush Derangement Syndrome. It isn’t so much about paranoia over Obama’s policies, but rather a deep-seated distrust of the man himself — that he’s fundamentally different, foreign, untrustworthy, even traitorous.” 

Still unclear about Trump Derangement Syndrome? Consider this example from Trump himself: “Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome!” Trump made this comment following his 2018 Russia-United States summit in Helsinki, where he engaged in a positive conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Even a few years ago, Joe Rogan was also one of the critics of Trump. However, with time and through Trump’s friendship with UFC head honcho Dana White, Rogan’s stance has significantly changed.

Joe Rogan reflects on having Donald Trump on his podcast

In October, just one week before the U.S. presidential election, Joe Rogan made waves by inviting Donald Trump onto his podcast for episode #2219. The historic episode, now with 44 million views on YouTube, marked a significant shift in the UFC commentator’s stance. Although Rogan had previously stated that he didn’t want to assist the business mogul, years later, he now supports Trump’s bid to become the 47th President of the United States.

This raises a key question: What was it like to host Trump on his multi-million-dollar podcast? Rogan addressed this in episode #2220, speaking with Francis Foster. He revealed, “He’s very charming, right? So he’s very friendly to me, and we have a very good mutual friend—Dana White. Dana White loves him. He stood up for Dana when MMA was a banned sport and let them put on his events in Trump’s casino in Atlantic City. Dana has always had a good friendship with him, you know.”