We’re all familiar with Trump Derangement Syndrome. It’s been a significant factor in politics since Trump’s first presidential campaign, and it’s only gotten worse. But most people forget that Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t a new phenomenon. The left often treats each Republican president or candidate as the worst person in America at that moment. And the left is already showing signs of the next variant: Vance Derangement Syndrome.
During an appearance on the I’ve Had It podcast — which I’m guessing you’ve never heard of — CNN’s Jim Acosta delivered an unhinged rant about the future of the MAGA movement, and made it clear that the left is planning ahead for its next collective psychosis.
“He’s the future of MAGA,” Acosta said of Vice President JD Vance. “It is … a fascist, authoritarian, white nationalist MAGA.” Host Jennifer Welch eagerly piled on, prompting Acosta to escalate the rhetoric. “It is worse than Trump,” he insisted, repeating the point for emphasis. “He’s worse.”
Acosta argued that Vance has something Trump never did. “It’s Trump with staying power,” he said.
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Then came the real irony. He mused that a Romney presidency would have spared the country years of turmoil. “If, if Mitt Romney had been president instead of Donald Trump in 2016, you and I probably wouldn’t be talking right now,” Acosta said. Welch concurred, adding she would still be far removed from political commentary. “I’d still be doing interior design, yeah.”
Of course, we know that’s not true.
Jim Acosta: “[JD Vance is] the future of MAGA. It is a — a — it is a fascist, authoritarian, white nationalist MAGA.”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 16, 2026
Jennifer Welch: “It’s worse than Trump.”
Acosta: “It is worse than Trump.”
Welch: “He’s worse.”
Acosta: “It’s Trump with staying power. You know, Trump, the… pic.twitter.com/98MP2bwrUN
Let’s be honest, the left’s aggressive hatred toward the most prominent Republican in the country goes back. For as long as I’ve been politically active, every Republican president or presidential candidate has been “Hitler” or even “worse than Hitler." The left constantly compared President George W. Bush to Hitler. Later, John McCain and Mitt Romney were treated the same way, each labeled as even worse than the previous Republican. Of course, the ironic epilogue to this is that, eventually, both McCain and Romney went on to oppose Trump, and suddenly, these former “Hitlers” became the left’s favorite Republicans.
Fun fact: when Mike Pence was the heir apparent to Trump during his first term, we heard similar warnings that he was worse than Trump.
There’s an undeniable pattern here: each new Republican leader is cast as a bigger villain than the last. In 2012, Obama advisor David Axelrod compared Romney to Hitler, as did various Democratic leaders and delegates. Make no mistake about it, had Romney won in 2012, he’d have been just as reviled as Trump is now, if for no other reason than ousting Barack Obama.
Ultimately, there’s a lesson to be learned here. Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t really about Trump — it’s a constantly evolving disease that treats any Republican as an existential threat. This pattern will continue with each future GOP candidate cast as an even greater danger, until one day, perhaps sooner than you think, the left will be nostalgic for Trump.
