If truth be told, Trump’s followers see him as a political Messiah, here to save America from invasion and poverty, even if these threats are fabricated. Ironically, despite fervent deference to the Bible, they seem to worship him as a false god, even as a near martyr. Especially after this summer’s assassination attempt. This is because Trump is a master manipulator and uses careful rhetoric, fear, and cognitive dissonance to galvanize support from the masses, who I think truly believe he will deliver them from suffering.

          Economically, people in America are struggling. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow wider and inflation is always on the rise. People are exhausted, sick, and mentally unwell. They need an easy answer. According to Miriam Webster, a cult is defined as a group of people who show great devotion to a person or movement based on dogma set forth by its promulgator. Often, these leaders offer peace, ease, and rescue, positioning themselves as deux ex machina.

           Donald Trump plays the faux king of the underdog, appealing to those who feel like they can’t get ahead, while simultaneously embodying every possible claim to power and privilege. He comes from money. He’s white. He’s a man. He feigns Christian values. And he has yet to be held accountable. 

          I honestly believe that for conservatives, this is what’s so likable about him. He escapes persecution, the way we all wish we could, but can’t in a capitalist society that relies on subjugating the working class. As a result, Trump’s followers live vicariously through him. His clever escape from justice is their escape from “the man.” His coming into power is their coming into power. And people are always obsessed with proximity to power, even when it harms them in the end.

          Thus, even if Trump doesn’t actually give a single fuck about people facing economic barriers, he still has 71 million of them fooled, celebrating, and ready to do his bidding. In four years, with a manuscript at his fingertips for dismantling democracy, what will become of the United States? Will we have our own Nuremberg Trials in the headlines? 

         You see, white supremacy relies on political unrest to maintain dominance. As is evidenced by Hitler’s rise to power in Germany, when people are frustrated, unfed, and fearful, they become easy to manipulate. In fact, according to the Holocaust Museum, after being imprisoned for an attempted coup, Hitler revised his tactics and started following “the path of ‘legality.’” Simply put, he catered to the exasperations of rural and middle class voters over many years until the Nazi Party eventually dominated Parliament. Sounds eerily like congress right now, doesn’t it? 

          One hundred years later, Trump is following the Fuhrer’s playbook. He uses inflammatory language, minimizes racism, and appeals to white grievance. In a country founded on the genocide of Native people and Black slaves, the colonist mindset is still thoroughly pervasive, and the Right knows just how to amplify that kind of entitlement. Trump intentionally keeps proximity to extremist groups, notably telling the Proud Boys to “stand by” in a 2020 Presidential Debate when he was asked to denounce white supremacy. He aims to maintain cultural dominance by discriminating against marginalized groups, infiltrating the Legislative branch, and catering to white billionaires. He even instigated the January 6th riot at the Capitol, a modern Beer Hall Putsch.