When was the phrase trump derangement syndrome first used in print or media?
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Executive summary
Multiple sources trace "Trump derangement syndrome" back to usage after Donald Trump rose to prominence, with commentators linking it to Charles Krauthammer's earlier coining of "Bush derangement syndrome" in 2003 and noting a possible first printed use by Esther Goldberg in August 2015 (Wikipedia notes Goldberg; Krauthammer originated the "derangement syndrome" template) [1]. Reporting and background pieces show the phrase entered mainstream discourse through opinion writers, presidential tweets and later legislative and media references rather than a single incontrovertible inaugural citation (AP, Wikipedia, Psychology Today) [2] [1] [3].
1. How reporters and encyclopedias situate the phrase
Reference works and chroniclers treat "Trump derangement syndrome" as an outgrowth of Charles Krauthammer’s 2003 phrase "Bush derangement syndrome," and routinely credit Krauthammer with inventing the template even when they distinguish the two terms; several accounts say the Trump-era label surfaced in conservative commentary and op-eds rather than as a medical term [3] [1] [4].
2. The earliest printed candidate: Esther Goldberg, August 2015
Wikipedia’s summary reports that the "first use of the term Trump derangement syndrome may have been by Esther Goldberg in an August 2015 op‑ed in The American Spectator," where she applied the phrase to intra‑GOP critics of Trump [1]. That claim is presented as a tentative "may have been" by the source, not as an absolute provenance.
3. Krauthammer’s intellectual lineage and how sources use it
Analysts explain the genealogy: Krauthammer coined "Bush derangement syndrome" in 2003, and writers and columnists later adapted the structure to label intense reactions to subsequent presidents — "Obama derangement syndrome" and then "Trump derangement syndrome" — which is why many sources trace the idea to him even if he did not utter the exact Trump phrasing [4] [3] [5].
4. How the phrase spread into mainstream media and politics
News outlets and opinion pages captured and amplified the term across years: AP notes its appearance on social media and in mainstream commentary, and reporting documents Trump and allies using the shorthand to dismiss critics; by mid‑2020s it had reached Congress and state legislatures as lawmakers proposed bills and resolutions referencing TDS [2] [6] [7].
5. Conflicting or uncertain provenance in the record
Sources differ in tone and precision. Wikipedia and some commentators flag Esther Goldberg’s August 2015 op‑ed as a possible first printed use but couch that as tentative [1]. Other analyses point to a gradual proliferation from opinion writers and social media rather than a single, universally accepted moment of coinage [4] [2]. Available sources do not mention a firmly established earlier printed occurrence predating Goldberg; they present her op‑ed as the earliest candidate discussed in secondary reporting [1].
6. What "first used" can mean here — headline, tweet, or op‑ed?
The term’s adoption followed three vectors: pundit/op‑ed usage, social‑media shorthand (including presidential posts), and subsequent legislative and academic attention. Contemporary reporting shows the phrase was both an organic meme on platforms like Urban Dictionary and an editorial label in opinion pages; that diffuse spread makes "first use" a contest between informal online coinages and formally published op‑eds [8] [2] [1].
7. Why provenance matters politically
Labeling critics as "deranged" has been a rhetorical strategy to delegitimize disagreement; sources emphasize the term is pejorative, not medical, and has been weaponized by political actors to reframe disputes as pathology rather than policy debate [9] [2]. Reporting on legislation and congressional proposals around TDS in 2025 shows the label’s political life moved beyond insult into institutional debate [6] [7].
8. Bottom line for researchers and journalists
Current secondary sources point to Esther Goldberg’s August 2015 American Spectator op‑ed as the earliest cited printed instance of the exact phrase, while acknowledging the term’s conceptual ancestry in Krauthammer’s 2003 "Bush derangement syndrome" and its diffuse uptake across social media, opinion pages and political rhetoric [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention an earlier authoritative printed use that displaces Goldberg’s 2015 op‑ed from being the leading candidate [1].
Limitations: my summary relies solely on the supplied reporting and encyclopedia entries; those sources themselves present the Goldberg attribution as tentative and trace the phrase’s cultural emergence rather than provide a singular definitive citation [1] [4].