Conservative commentator and former radio host Charlie Sykes unleashed a blistering critique of the Republican Party, accusing it of devolving into a “cult” that has rubber-stamped President Donald Trump’s return to power despite glaring warning signs.
In a fiery essay published Wednesday on his Substack, Morning Shots, Sykes—an NBC and MSNBC contributor and editor-in-chief of The Bulwark—declared that what Trump once called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) was actually a prescient warning about the dangers of his presidency.
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Sykes recalled his early criticism of Trump in 2015 when he described the then-candidate as “a cartoon version of every left-wing media stereotype of the reactionary, nativist, misogynist right.”
Despite those concerns, many conservatives dismissed Trump’s critics as suffering from “TDS,” arguing that while Trump was brash and unrefined, his policies aligned with traditional Republican principles such as tax cuts and deregulation.
But Sykes argued that those reassurances have since crumbled, leaving the country to deal with the fallout of Trump’s second term. “You elected a convicted felon to the most powerful office in the world—broadly immune from accountability, and literally above the law in his official duties. WTF did you think would happen?” Sykes wrote.
His critique extended beyond Trump himself, taking direct aim at Republicans who enabled his return to power. “Now look at you, with the chaos bubbling all around you. On again, off again, pointless trade wars with our allies; endless graft; a slash and burn through the government that endangers everything from air travel to Social Security; pardons for rioters and crooked politicians; assaults on the rule of law and free speech; the abandonment of allies; and now a crumbling stock market,” he wrote.
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Sykes argued that Trump’s presidency has been defined by corruption, recklessness, and disregard for democratic norms and that the consequences are now unavoidable. “What you called Trump Derangement Syndrome turns out to have been a warning—and a prophecy. And you ignored it, you cowardly, ignorant, servile scum,” he concluded.
Sykes, a longtime critic of Trump and a leading figure in the anti-Trump conservative movement, has frequently warned about the transformation of the Republican Party under Trump’s leadership. His latest broadside reflects the growing frustration among conservatives who feel their party has abandoned its principles in favor of blind loyalty to the former president.
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