A veteran conservative commentator says "Trump Fatigue" — not "Trump Derangement Syndrome" — best explains the mounting weariness many Americans feel toward President Donald Trump, and he counts himself among those who have it.

Bernard Goldberg, a longtime reporter and pundit best known for his nearly three-decade tenure at CBS News, made the argument in an opinion column published by The Hill on Friday. The piece ran in the outlet's opinion section, a venue for columnists' arguments rather than news reporting. Although he has occasionally bristled at the label, Goldberg has often been described as politically conservative — a characterization he now largely accepts, while noting that he would not consider himself a right-wing "nut." That more moderate stance has made him unafraid to criticize President Trump over the years, just as he frequently has Democratic leaders.

In the column, Goldberg contended that the growing resentment and pushback toward Trump cannot be summarily dismissed as "derangement," despite how often the president and his supporters invoke that framing. Because the case comes from a writer who accepts the conservative label and has faulted leaders of both parties, it serves his central claim that unease with Trump's conduct is not the same thing as opposition to his agenda.

"Not that it matters to President Trump, but a lot of Americans are not fans," Goldberg wrote. "They don't like his public vulgarity, his narcissism, his appetite for vengeance and a lot more. But that doesn't necessarily mean they have Trump Derangement Syndrome, the catch-all diagnosis his supporters like to apply to anyone who finds him objectionable."

He continued: "They may have another condition brought on by the president. There's a good chance they're suffering from Trump Fatigue. I know the symptoms because I have it. Every day with this president, something new hits the fan. Trump may need a daily dose of chaos, but the rest of us don't. Chaos and controversy may be his oxygen. They may be what energize him. But after all these years, they're what wear a lot of us out. And there's rarely time to digest one controversy before the next one comes barreling down the road and smacks us in the mouth."

Goldberg went on to catalog a series of scandals and controversies that have engulfed Trump's second term from its very first day, all of which, he argued, have cumulatively made the president an exhausting presence. His list included the pardoning of January 6 rioters, antagonism toward Canada, persistent threats to annex Greenland, the renaming of places such as the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, and his ongoing refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 election.

"Enough already," Goldberg continued. "And that's the point about Trump Fatigue. It isn't the same thing as hating Trump. It isn't even necessarily about disagreeing with his policies. You can support what he's doing on the border, or taxes, or regulation, or foreign policy and still wonder why every day has to come with another insult, another provocation, another grandiose idea, another enemy, another controversy."

He added: "Trump Derangement Syndrome is supposed to describe people who can't stop thinking about Trump. Trump Fatigue describes people who would occasionally like the opportunity to stop thinking about him."