Trump Derangement Watch: Why would any sane person go around plastering their name on everything in sight?
News and views for Floridians and other thoughtful Americans
Why is Donald Trump so obsessed with plastering his name all over America?
It’s as if he’s trying to rebrand everything in his own image, stealing credit from others.
What sort of mentally healthy, emotionally well-balanced person does that sort of thing?
Oh, I think I just answered my own question. There’s actually a name for it. It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Exhibit A:
Earlier this year, Trump began hanging gigantic banners of his face on federal buildings in Washington, D.C. — at taxpayer expense — raising alarms, including this one from California Sen. Adam Schiff:
“When I saw the banners hanging from federal office buildings last week, it reminded me of [the] Communist Party in China and banners hanging from federal offices—just totally inappropriate and a step towards authoritarianism.”
Exhibit B:
Last week, the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — a board handpicked by Trump and which he chairs — voted to rename the facility The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Besides the need to fulfill his ego, what exactly has Trump ever done for the performing arts that would merit this? Does starring in a reality TV show or owning the Miss Teen USA pageant count?
Here’s what Maria Shriver, the niece of the former war hero and president, said:
“Adding your name to a memorial already named in honor of a great man doesn’t make you a great man. Quite the contrary. Putting your name on top of someone else’s doesn’t mean that people will speak of you in the same breath as the other man.”
Or said another way, you can’t steal someone else’s greatness by stealing their name.
Exhibits C-Z and counting:
TrumpRX. It’s a new website where medications will be ordered from drugmakers at discounted prices. Trump announced it earlier this year. For the record, President Barack Obama didn’t name the Affordable Care Act Obamacare. Others did.
TrumpPass. Beginning in 2026, there will be a new national parks pass. You guessed it, Trump’s face will be plastered on it next to George Washington. It is unknown if there are any distant relatives of Washington around to object like Maria Shriver.
However, Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, noted that ”the national parks are not a personal branding opportunity” and that the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act requires the pass must feature — not Donald Trump — but the winner of an annual photo contest. In other words, it’s illegal.
Trump Accounts. The Trump administration is beginning to process applications from parents for children born between 2025 and 2028 to receive $1,000 from the Treasury Department to be deposited into Trump Accounts. For the record, those are your tax dollars at play, not Trump’s billions.
Trump Gold Card. The cards featuring Trump along with the Statue of Liberty and a bald eagle, allow people who pay $5,000 up front and $1 million later to get fast-tracked immigration services.
The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace is the new moniker for the U.S. Institute of Peace, so renamed while Trump was bombing fishing boats in the Caribbean and stationing the U.S. Navy off the coast of Venezuela.
In the future — and this is just me speculating — we may see:
TrumpCare, when Republicans can’t figure out a better solution than Obamacare, and just rename it to win Trump’s nod.
The Trump/Washington Monument.
The Trump/Lincoln Memorial.
Trump’s Birthday to replace MLK Day. He actually already started the process by eliminating MLK Day from the list of days when it’s free to enter national parks, replacing it with his birthday—June 14 — which also happens to be Flag Day.
And so forth.
What motivates this weird behavior?
One answer from Google’s AI: “People claim credit for others' work due to insecurity, ambition, or lack of ethics, seeking validation, promotions, or to hide incompetence by appearing more capable, often driven by competitive environments or personal psychological needs like low self-esteem or narcissism, rather than genuine contribution. This behavior serves as a shortcut for glory, fear of failure, or a desire to undermine colleagues, reflecting deeper insecurities or manipulative strategies.”
In other words: Trump Derangement Syndrome.
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a website and newsletter dedicated to Floridians and issues of concern to them. He’s a native of the state and an award-winning journalist and author.
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J.C. Bruce
I've said this before, Trump is like a Pomeranian pissing on everything in sight because he has an urge to mark everything. I had a Pom like that once - had to put him in a diaper to get him to stop peeing on all the furniture in the house even after he was neutered. I wonder if that would help in this situation?
The Nazi regime did it with the swastika. Why would these control freaks be any different?