President Trump and his defenders have suggested that some of his opponents behave in a way they characterize as "Trump Derangement Syndrome" or TDS. They say that President Trump’s actions trigger people to have distorted opinions, extreme emotions, and hysterical behaviors. (The same language was used previously to describe reactions to Presidents Bush and Obama.) However, Trump Derangement Syndrome is not a real, diagnosable, or treatable mental disorder. Opponents have responded that TDS is a term used to discredit and delegitimize criticism of the president.

The 27-year veteran of four tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, a former spokesman for U.S. Central Command, had seen firsthand the sacrifices the nation’s service members made in combat. He had closely followed the reports of the 13 Americans killed and more than 200 injured in the U.S. and Israeli campaign in Iran.

But President Donald Trump’s top communications team, he said, had decided to treat the international conflict like a big joke. Veterans who were already questioning the war’s strategy and endgame, he added, were unnerved to find the nation’s highest office posting pop-music-scored clips of missile strikes, mixed with footage from Call of Duty and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”