In the middle of what's been a never-seen-before public fallout between arguably two of the most powerful men in the world, US President Donald Trump said that billionaire Elon Musk was suffering from "Trump derangement syndrome."
On Thursday, the two trained guns on each other, with Trump saying he was "very disappointed in Elon" after his criticism of the "Big Beautiful Bill" on tax cuts and spending plans. Musk, among other things, suggested Trump should be impeached.
Musk spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative, until May 31 before leaving his role in the Trump administration to focus on his business commitments.
"He (Elon Musk) hasn't said bad things about me personally, but I'm sure that will be next," Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday.
Noting he helped Musk "a lot," Trump said the two of them "had a great relationship," but does not know if that will happen anymore.
Brushing aside Musk's financial support to get him elected during the 2024 US presidential election, Trump asserted he could have claimed the closely contested Pennsylvania even without the tech billionaire's help.
This came after Musk attacked Trump's signature bill, warning the legislature would only increase the federal deficit. He termed it a "disgusting abomination."
What Is Trump Derangement Syndrome?
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".
Some reports have even traced its roots to the “Bush Derangement Syndrome,” coined by late conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer in 2003.
Mr Krauthammer defined it as an "acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency – nay – the very existence of George W. Bush."
The CNN report states that the "truth" here is that this is just the "preferred nomenclature" for Trump defenders, who see people who oppose the US President as "nothing more than the blind hatred of those who preach tolerance and free speech."
'Mental illness' bill in Minnesota
Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in Minnesota that sought to revise the state law and name Trump derangement syndrome as a form of mental illness, according to The Hill.
The legislation was introduced by five Republican state senators.
It defined it as the "acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump."
“Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behaviour,” read the bill.
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