Definition: delusion, delusional

A delusion is a false belief that someone holds onto, even when there is evidence that it is not real. Delusional means having a fixed false belief that is not changed by conflicting evidence. 

The last eight years with Donald Trump in the political spotlight are a massive experiment in mass delusion. As the prime proprietor of expressions such as “fake news” and “alternative facts,” The Donald eagerly convinced millions of people that despite massive evidence of his fraud, corruption, and criminality, along with outright confessions of sexual abuse, adultery, and forced admission of paying off porn stars to hide his indiscretions, it was anyone who questioned his behavior that were supposedly “deranged” and exhibiting Trump Derangement Syndrome.

The tactic of using coercive means to make people question their grasp on reality is better known as gaslighting, “a form of emotional abuse that involves manipulating someone into questioning their own reality, feelings, and sanity.” But the MAGA crowd loves nothing more than seeking to “own the Libs,” so the term Trump Derangement Syndrome manifested itself as the best way to drive sane people crazy.

In fact, the lies of Donald Trump are what feed a delusional need to feel empowered even when the facts are clearly not on your side. In other words, embrace the lies. Trump privately told journalist Bob Woodward that he knew Covid was deadly, but in public, he insisted it would all “go away” like magic by spring.

Those actions exhibit clear evidence of a delusional need to deny reality. Trump promulgated a fixed false belief because it benefitted his perception of having everything under control when in fact, Covid ravaged the American populace worse than almost any country on earth. Trump then doubled down on his delusion by standing on a balcony exhibiting false bravado in the face of his own dangerous infection with the disease. And yes, Trump recovered thanks to having access to the top medical staff in the country. But millions of other Americans, especially those with pre-existing health conditions and compromised immune systems and little access to medical assistance were not so lucky. They died or suffered long-term effects from their illness. Meanwhile, Trump interfered with medical research in his selfish attempt to limit fear so that the economy he inherited, and did nothing to improve, would not collapse before his eyes.

Trump’s supporters took his delusions as God’s honest truth, resisting mask mandates and even vaccination guidelines to further “own the Libs.” But men like Herman Cain paid a deadly price for their delusional obstinance. He died from Covid, as did many other Trump sycophants and MAGA deniers. But Cain’s was particularly tragic as he openly defied the need for protection against the disease.

A news story cited, “As a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain was one of the surrogates at President Donald Trump’s June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma – which saw at least eight Trump advance team staffers in attendance test positive for coronavirus. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh has told CNN that Cain did not meet with Trump at the Tulsa rally. Cain had posted a photo of himself at the rally, seated closely among other attendees without a facial covering.”

It’s not only Covid through which Trump’s delusional denials of reality caused pain and suffering in the nation. His 2020 election lies led to the mass delusion of the January 6th, 2021 insurrection in which thousands of fatefully delusional Trump flag-bearers and domestic terrorists, Right-wing militias, neo-Nazis, cross-bearing Christian nationalists, Confederate flag-waving bigots, insanely violent attackers, invaders of the US Capitol, and murderous sycophants changing “Hang Mike Pence” sought to overthrow the United States government based on false claims that President Joe Biden’s win by more than seven million votes was fraudulent.

Yet Trump’s delusional fan base even sought to deny this evidence of sedition, fictionalizing stories that it was Democrats or the FBI posing as Trump supporters who committed acts of violence. Others insisted that it was just a “walk-through tour” of the Capitol welcomed by police and the Senate and House members who, in reality, ran for their lives and hid from threats of injury or death at the hands of Trump’s vigilante army of delusional nutjobs.

We’ll repeat the definition of “delusional” here to emphasize the point. Delusional: having a fixed false belief that is not changed by conflicting evidence.

Yes, Trump Delusion Syndrome is real. It’s still with us, as proven by the election of their delusional figurehead to carry out delusional policies against immigrants, gay and transgender people, Black folks, women, and anyone else their fascist instincts depict as “the other” by calling American citizens “woke” for standing up for their own rights.

Trump Delusion Syndrome equate to insanity and fascism, plain and simple.