1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I’m writing to mention a recent proposal in Arizona introduced by Senator Janae Shamp, a strong supporter of President Trump. Her Senate Bill 1070 calls for research into “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a condition defined as strong emotional reactions to President Trump. The state would study the “origins, manifestations, and social impacts” of TDS, including the role of media influence, and recommend future actions. The senator says this is a serious public health threat, and I think we should be looking at it too. The bill says there is an urgent need to study the intense emotional responses to Trump—his voice, actions, posts, and presence. These reactions are awful: inability to accept contradicting info from respectable sources, feelings of persecution when he gets in legal trouble, apocalyptic thinking when he is criticized, and seeing Trump as a uniquely capable savior despite all of his failures. We’ve seen it all over America: armed vigilantes in tactical gear staking out ballot drop boxes; the January 6th attack on the Capitol; threats against election workers and officials; harassment of journalists and perceived enemies; even election officials breaking the law to help Trump. It’s insane. It’s about time we used taxpayer funds to diagnose whatever this is that’s taken over otherwise rational minds. We've all seen conspiracy theories from QAnon to election denial spread like a contagion. The Senator brilliantly spotlighted media influence, because we all know certain outlets feed anger and worsen TDS. When people are stressed about money, scare-based politics sells easier. When we understand these problems, then our state government might be able to do something. This research could help preserve our democracy and begin bridging the divisions tearing our state apart. I commend Senator Shamp for recognizing the severity of this crisis. I urge our own state leaders to follow Arizona’s example and take this public health threat seriously.