Although Donald Trump is under assault from an array of civil and criminal court cases, and it’s very possible he may wind up in prison, Trumpism is here to stay. When Trump first became President, I asked myself how he managed to con so many rural Americans, who perceive themselves as honest, decent people. Why do they worship a pathological liar who insults people every day of the week, while surrounding himself with an array of convicted felons?
Donald Trump is also admired by millions of uneducated blue-collar workers. It took me awhile, but I finally figured out the dynamics of Donald Trump and why he became the cult leader for millions of Americans. Before I get into this subject and explain my theory, let me make it clear that I am not talking about all Trump voters. Many people voted for Trump because they liked the direction of the stock market, they thought he was good for business, they don’t like the Democrats and their policies, they didn’t like Joe Biden, or for whatever reason. That doesn’t make them all cult members. However, I believe the majority of Trump voters are in fact members of the cult. Therefore, Trump can do nothing wrong in their world and they will never hold him accountable for his pathological lying, horrible behavior, assaults on our democracy, and/or his policies.
Let’s get back to my theory. Trump didn’t con rural and blue-collar America into following his leadership. No, Trump is worshipped because he represents them and how they think. Over the past 4 years, we learned how scary that is. They are people who are terrified by the demographic changes in America and will do anything they can to prevent that from happening. They perceive themselves as victims of the liberal elite. In their view of the world, the so-called liberal elite only cares about minorities, which makes liberals their mortal enemies. They are also people who never do research, do not read, and believe one bizarre, radical right wing conspiracy theory after another. Facts and logic mean nothing in a cult.
Even if Trump goes to prison, loses hundreds of millions of dollars in civil court cases, or if his obese, Covid-19 health deteriorates, their view of the world isn’t going to change any time soon. We saw how they think on January 6th, when Trump supporters assaulted the symbol of American democracy, the Capitol building in Washington, DC. The intent of many was to kill Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and VP Pence. And they didn’t allow the Capitol Police to stand in their way. So much for their love of law enforcement.
There’s no doubt in my mind those people are so stupid, they believe Trump won the election and it was stolen from him by massive fraud. Although there is zero evidence of significant fraud and Trump supporters lost over 62 cases in the court system (including Trump’s Supreme Court, plus cases decided by many judges he appointed), they still incredibly believe his massive lie reference the election. Back in November, surveys revealed about 2/3 of Republicans believed Trump won the election. Even though Sydney Powell, Trump’s attorney, told the judge in a court of law the systematic fraud allegations was a big LIE, it has no impact on what they believe happened. Remember, cult members never allow facts and/or logic to interfere with what they believe. I often wonder if they realize Trump is a pathological liar, because they believe everything he tells them.
Why would any rational, intelligent person believe this dynamic will change if Trump goes to prison or disappears because of failing health issues? They are people who easily fall prey to propaganda, conspiracy theories, and massive lies spread by Fox and social media. Even without Trump, none of that is going away. They will find another person to take over the leadership role, possibly even a white nationalist. Don’t believe that? Come on, the GOP just censored many of their own members in several different states because they followed their conscious and the evidence, by voting to impeach Trump.
What happened to thinking for yourself and doing what you believe is right? Recently, the Trump cult members in the GOP, who are dumb enough to believe there was massive election fraud, are trying to suppress voter’s rights in a large number of states.
Members of the party haven’t figured out that supporting Trump and Trumpism is a losing proposition because Trump’s base is only approximately 40% of America, possibly a little less, The majority of Americans are appalled by Trump, his behavior, and his policies. In 4 years under Trump, the Republicans lost the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. But in a cult, they will never hold the leader accountable and/or responsible for negative results. They always come up with a scapegoat. In this case, Trump didn’t lose the election, it was stolen by the incompetent Democrats.
We really need two strong political parties to create balance, but they are unfortunately turning the Republican Party into a third world banana republic, authoritarian party. This is scary. Most people want to see members of Congress working together to do what’s right for our country. They do not want to see cult behavior, where everyone in the party must adhere to and follow the party line or they will be punished. And right now, that party line is following whatever Trump says or does, instead of what’s best for America.
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