Alcoholism and other addictions remain the most stigmatized mental health conditions in the U.S. Despite years of anti-stigma efforts by some of our nation’s premier institutions, Americans see bad character as the principal cause of alcoholism, with stigma increasing over the last three decades.

This stigma prevents people from seeking desperately needed treatment for alcohol and other substance use disorders. There are untoward consequences for quality of life, longevity, and the well-being of family members and society at large.

For over a decade, the progressive press has championed anti-stigma causes of all kinds. Many outlets have levied intense criticism at the Trump Administration for fueling various stigmatizing narratives. Several prominent anchors and print journalists have roundly criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for mischaracterizing violence potential among the mentally ill, and others have justifiably railed against Trump’s belittling of disabled military veterans and his use of pejorative “retardation” language to refer to people with developmental disabilities. These are but a few examples of the progressive media’s commitment to confronting stigmatizing portrayals of those with mental disorders, physical disabilities, and marginalized identities.

Given its longstanding anti-stigma posture, coverage of Chris Whipple’s interviews with Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff, which appeared in Vanity Fair late last month, was disappointing. Many journalists led with Wiles’ salacious claim that Trump’s morally vacuous and retributive behaviors stem from his “alcoholic personality”—a term that headlined dozens of network news shows and social media postings.

There are two critical points to make here. First, there is no “alcoholic personality”. Nearly every generation of social scientists examines this question, only to find very weak associations between personality and alcohol use disorder. Alcoholism was declared a disease in 1957 by the American Medical Association, and nearly 70 years of research shows us that personality plays an incidental role.

More important, journalism that leads with and sensationalizes Trump’s “alcoholic personality” reinforces and lends credence to an inaccurate, stigmatizing caricature of people with alcohol use disorder and addiction—especially when no thoughtful critique of the assertion is provided. Here, it may be tempting to blame Wiles herself, yet Wiles is neither a journalist nor a mental health professional, something she acknowledges in her interview. In all the commentary that followed, I sensed a flavor of collective reveling in Wiles’ salacious claims about Trump.

If we’re truly committed to reducing stigma, we should all be uncomfortable with using or repeating damaging stereotypes of alcoholism to debase a man who doesn’t even drink. There are plenty of more thoughtful ways to dissect Donald Trump’s character.