Trump Derangement Syndrome has become a full-fledged disease, now an epidemic in liberal enclaves along the east and west coasts.  Perhaps the medical establishment could create an ICD-10 code, adding to the growing number of currently recognized diseases.

There is already an ICD-10 code for "delirium due to known physiological condition."  How about creating a subset for the condition of "delirium due to President Donald Trump," both a physiological and political condition?  This disease affects liberals and pseudo-conservative NeverTrumps, is known to cause florid insanity, and is best treated by avoiding exposure to network and cable news or else moving to Kansas.

Like poison ivy or a peanut allergy, avoidance is better than treatment.  One doesn't pick a fight with poison ivy expecting to win.  Yet that is what Trump-haters continue to do with Trump, using any and all means necessary, including fabrication and sensationalism.  None of these tactics seems to be working – any more than eating more peanuts will cure your peanut allergy.

The latest poison ivy patch that Trump-haters ventured into is a porn actress named Stormy Daniels.  "Poison Ivy" might be a suitable name, too, and equally as titillating for someone in her chosen profession.  Accusations, all unsubstantiated, of a decade-old one-night stand with citizen Donald Trump are expected to lead to impeachment and resignation.

No, Stormy Daniels was not a White House intern playing "hide the cigar" in the Oval Office with the sitting president.  She made no accusations of rape or harassment.  She wasn't discovered after James Carville dragged a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park.  Yet she was given a full hour on "60 Minutes" to tell her story.  This is the same story she previously denied, multiple times.

Similar to the "Access Hollywood" tapes, this interview's sole purpose was to damage or better yet destroy the president of the United States.  The Billy Bush conversation also took place many years before Trump ran for president, during his days as a TV reality star.  The audio tape was leaked shortly before the election, after sitting in NBC's possession for a decade, then miraculously found just a few weeks before the election.  Fancy that: an October surprise, aided and abetted by a major news network.  And without the assistance of Dan Rather. 

The Stormy interview was much the same.  The difference is that there is no upcoming election in a few weeks.  One can speculate as to the timing of this interview.  Perhaps it is being timed to blunt other storms on the horizon – the OIG report, thousands of sealed indictments, or the noose tightening on Andrew McCabe and his lawbreaking, perhaps even treasonous pals in the FBI and DOJ.

So how is this all working out for the left?  Has President Trump resigned yet?  Is he hiding in a White House closet sucking his thumb?  Not quite, despite what you might hear on CNN.    

What if we look at some recent opinion polls to get a sense of what real people think of President Trump – not the liberal Beltway media establishment or the increasingly irrelevant NeverTrump coalition?  Bloomberg reluctantly provided the answer last week.

President Donald Trump's popularity may be on the rise, even as he faces accusations of extramarital affairs, mounting legal challenges and never-ending turmoil among his White House staff.

Imagine that!  Trump is becoming more popular just as the media ramps up its onslaught.  Whatever they throw at him only makes him more popular, from porn stars to special counsels, from Russian collusion to personnel changes in the White House.  The narrative is that Trump is a rube, a buffoon, a carnival barker with no idea what he is doing, and no interest in anything other than watching "Fox and Friends" while eating Big Macs.

Bloomberg throws a lifeline to the left by adding, "Trump's best numbers he's had in over a year would still mark some of the worst numbers that any president has had in the last decade."  The reporter neglects to mention that Trump has had the worst media treatment of any president in recent time, with over 90 percent negative coverage.  No wonder his poll numbers are low, with the constant drumbeat of negativity from the media.

So how can the nonstop stories about affairs and chaos not be having the desired effect?  Doesn't middle America share the same disdain for Trump that illuminates the D.C. establishment and cable news shows?  Apparently not, as the ratings for the new and improved Roseanne television show are higher than Anderson Cooper's hour-long sit-down with the porn queen.

I suspect that this is how Trump-supporters are pushing back against the negativity and hatred toward the guy they chose for president – not marching and protesting in pink hats, not organizing boycotts of any journalist who dares question their motives or beliefs, but instead using polls to push back, watching one of few TV shows not promoting a far-left agenda, not making fun of conservatives or Trump-supporters.  Anything to stick it to the pompous press.

The net result is the same, from "Access Hollywood" to Stormy Daniels.  Trump supporters say, "Beat on our guy, and we like him even more."  It's a show of solidarity and a thumb in the eye of big media and the D.C. establishment.

Persecute Trump, and he rises even stronger than before – confounding the left and creating an interesting comparison during Easter season.

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based physician and writer.  Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.