Congressman: Trump Derangement Syndrome now a threat to public health

President Donald J. Trump points to a reporter with a question during the coronavirus (COVID-19) update briefing Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House photo by Tia Dufour)

Trump Derangement Syndrome – a "reflexive refusal to agree with any position that President Donald Trump takes, regardless of merit" – is becoming a "particularly dangerous" contagion, according to a member of Congress.

U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., wrote in a commentary for the Daily Signal that the affliction has risen to the level of a public health threat.

Budd, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, cited the media's response to the president's suggestion that hydroxychloroquine, long used against malaria, might have beneficial effects against COVID-19.

"Sufferers from TDS immediately set out to prove him wrong," he said. "CNN published an 'analysis' titled: 'Trump peddles unsubstantiated hope in dark times,' and The Washington Post proclaimed: 'Trump is giving people false hope of coronavirus cures. It's all snake oil.'"

However, the congressman points out, "several medical studies have suggested that these drugs have promise."

He cited two studies. One was by Chinese doctors who found moderately ill COVID-19 patients improved when given hydroxychloroquine. Another, by the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, found "a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin could be especially effective in treating COVID-19."

"None of this is conclusive, of course. Trump has acknowledged that although hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine may not 'go as planned,' the drugs have tremendous promise if they end up being safe and effective to treat COVID-19," Budd wrote. "Most neutral observers would conclude that the president’s invocation of those drugs is a way of demonstrating hope that our medical community will come up with drugs to treat COVID-19."

TDS sufferers, however, focused on the fact the drugs are not FDA-approved for treating COVID-19, he said.

In fact, the FDA issued an emergency-use authorization for the treatment.

"Formal FDA approval takes years to obtain, but the hundreds of thousands of Americans afflicted with COVID-19 don’t have years to wait," Budd explained. "In the meantime, it is perfectly legal and appropriate for doctors to prescribe the drugs 'off-label' for COVID-19.

"Let's talk about the facts. The president and his coronavirus task force have worked around the clock to monitor and prevent the spread of the virus. In January, he proactively enacted travel restrictions on flights from China. In March, he implemented further travel restrictions on parts of Europe."

He added, "Trump signed the CARES Act into law, providing sweeping relief to workers and small businesses; declared a national emergency, freeing up states, territories, and tribes to access billions in existing funding; signed legislation securing $8.3 billion for an initial coronavirus response; created a task force; and instructed the FDA to cut red tape that was preventing the rollout of tests.

"Too bad there’s no hope for the TDS folks, who are left only with their blind hatred of the president."