Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a real thing and it doesn’t just cause harm to the mental health of people. It's harming the country.Some have become so obsessed with their hatred of president-elect Donald Trump, they have lost all sense of reason. A perfect example in Canada is veteran journalist Andrew Coyne. While Coyne has never made a secret of his dislike of Trump, he is typically well-composed online and in public. But he has become outright unhinged since the US election on November 5th. Coyne’s raging posts about Trump on social media initially drew chuckles from people but have now reached a point where people are seriously concerned about his state of mind. People don’t joke about making wellness checks on Coyne any longer as it becomes evident, he really is suffering a mental health breakdown.Coyne is far from alone and the issue isn't just in Canada. One only needs to tune in and watch the coven of harridans hosting ABC's The View for ten minutes to see how bad TDS can be with public figures. The show used to cover a variety of topics. It now is a daily rerun of hyperventilating over Trump’s win and hyperbolic predictions of what he will do when in office. The extent of the derangement is evident in the bags under their eyes as lack of sleep has overpowered the magic of Botox injections and facelifts. If Trump literally keeps you awake at night, you have a problem.Pundits and politicians must embrace a controlled reaction to Trump’s presidency and start looking at how we will interact with it. Blindly opposing Trump on all issues while insulting the man is only going to harm Canada’s already fragile economy further.National political commentators and leftist politicians have been aghast that Premier Danielle Smith will be traveling to Washington for President Trump’s inauguration in January.Are they complete fools?Have they no clue whatsoever about diplomacy and trade?Alberta exports around $80 billion per year in products to the United States. Canada exports $438 billion annually South of the border. Meanwhile Canada imports $277 billion in products from the states. Canada is dependent upon maintaining a solid relationship with its largest trading partner and it is sheer idiocy to be antagonizing an incoming president.Trump was elected with a protectionist mandate and a vindictive streak. He won’t need much goading to impose heavy tariffs on trade goods, and with Canadian headlines painting him as the second coming of Hitler, he won’t feel much sympathy when he does so.The Trudeau Liberals are swirling the drain in public support and they haven’t managed to chip away at Poilievre’s popularity. They have been pivoting toward attacking Trump in a desperate bid to draw support for themselves. This tactic won’t change the political fortunes of the Liberal Party but it will harm Canada. Trudeau doesn’t have a good track record of putting the needs of the nation ahead of his own, unfortunately.Diplomacy is a delicate art. Leaders don’t want to be too deferential to each other, but they also must maintain respect for each other. Even if they truly don’t care for each other.Danielle Smith’s proactive approach to working with the new administration will surely benefit Alberta. The benefits of her approach may be wiped out if Trudeau continues to take shots at Trump while Canada’s subservient legacy media pundits cheer him on.You don’t have to like the Orange Man. I’m not terribly fond of him. I really do wish the Republicans could have found somebody more rational to represent them. In the end though, it is their choice and Trump is who we must deal with. Rather than having a self-destructive four-year temper tantrum over Trump’s presidency, we should be discussing how we can pragmatically deal with it. Step one in such a plan is to quit attacking the guy. If you are locked in a room with a rattlesnake, trying to pet it probably isn’t a good idea, but provoking it is an even worse idea. Figure out how to live with it until you can both leave the room.Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by Trump Derangement Syndrome and don’t let your friends succumb to it either. The condition is contagious and will harm us far more than COVID-19 ever did if it keeps spreading. You survived the last four-year term of Trump and you will survive this one. It’s on you if you want to come out of the term with a semblance of mental stability, however. Don’t be like poor Andrew Coyne. He is living in a miserable place of his own creation and it's not doing anybody any favours.
