It's Not a Cult of Trump
It's worse
Social scientists don’t like to use the word “cult” because it often means a belief system that is out of the mainstream and is used in a derogatory way. Cults are small groups with a shared set of acts and practices that require unwavering devotion and are outside society's norms. Cults almost always have a charismatic leader.
Here is the Britannica dictionary definition. “Small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous.”
Is Trumpism a cult? Many authors say it is, James Stephens in the New York Times, “Will the Jan. 6 Committee Finally Bring Down the Cult of Trump?, James Risen in The Intercept, “The Cult of Donald Trump,” and Joe Hagen in Vanity Fair “SO MANY GREAT, EDUCATED, FUNCTIONAL PEOPLE WERE BRAINWASHED”: CAN TRUMP’S CULT OF FOLLOWERS BE DEPROGRAMMED?” are just three examples.
I understand and appreciate these authors' recognition of the cult-like behavior of Trump's followers. Shared sets of acts and practices include attending Trump rallies, MAGA hats and other merchandise, the appropriation and desecration of the American flag and other patriotic symbols and concepts, glorification of the military, fetishizing guns, especially AR-15s, the appropriation of the Christian cross and select aspects of the faith, the elevation of Trump in many Christian congregations, his rallies which are emotionally and spiritually powerful for those who attend, the “Build the Wall,” “F*** Joe Biden and “Let’s Go Brandon” chants, among others. And, like it or not, Trump is a charismatic leader.
But it’s worse than a cult. Unlike a cult, Trump’s believers aren’t small in number. In 2020, over 71 million people voted for him. Most of Trump’s followers also claim to be part of an accepted religion, Christianity, which doesn’t fit the definition of a cult.
Trumpism is instead a new Christian sect. A sect is a religious group that is a smaller part of a larger group whose members all share similar beliefs. Trump’s followers have merged their faith in Christianity and many congregations into the fold of Trumpism.
Voting for Trump doesn’t mean one belongs to the “Sect of Trump.” There are the Republican cynics in Congress and Republican state governors and legislators who use Trump and his congregation to hold power and further their initiatives who aren’t true believers. Other Republicans in Congress and leadership positions across the country are simply cowards, and many ordinary citizens who voted for Trump don’t care or aren’t paying much attention. They are just sticking with the Republican brand, regardless of Trump, not knowing any better. Others just don’t like liberals.
Regardless, all are part of a broader congregation, with Trump still at the pulpit, although now fighting to maintain his leadership. In most faiths, many don’t publicly identify as members of the faith. However, they are still influenced by that faith in their daily lives. This level of membership, connected by deeply shared beliefs, goes beyond the marginal nature of a cult.
So, to modify Stephen’s question, will the January 6 commission bring down the sect of Trump? The answer is no. Sure, some people will move away from Trump. So will some previously cheerleader and enabling media, as Fox and other Rupert Murdock properties recently have, only to return after the FBI seizure of records at Mar-a-Lago. Whatever happens, his true believers will follow him through the gates of hell. Whatever the January 6 committee concludes or what charges the Department of Justice brings, Trump will become a martyr, and to them, his visage will replace that of Christ hanging from the cross. Expect t-shirts if they don’t already exist.
But Trump is an old man under a lot of stress, with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, and Trumpism has grown well beyond him. Elements of Trumpism were in place in the Republican party since the Barry Goldwater and John Birch Society days were normalized by Ronald Reagan, put on steroids by Newt Gingrich, and will continue long into the future. Yet Trump was the catalyst that unleashed the worst among us, broke all the rules, and effectively “rebooted” America and launched us into a very dark place.
While it might not seem like it yet, especially after the seizure of materials from Mar-a-Lago, but Trumpism as a sect is passe, having morphed fully into a White “Christian” Nationalist sect, and we need to call it that. With “Christian” in quotes.
Now here is the scary part. This White “Christian” Nationalist sect is using the power of the state to impose its religious values on all of us. Overturning Roe vs Wade, pouring tax dollars into Christian schools at the expense of public schools, banning the teaching of our civil rights history, targeting our LGBTQ+ population, voting against women’s rights to contraception, same-sex marriage, and I could go on. If Trump is relected, and he imposes “Schedule F,” tens of thousands of career federal employees could be fired and replaced by his appointees, permanently cementing the bureaucratic power of the White “Christian” Nationalist sect.
But for the White “Christian” Nationalist movement to succeed, Trump isn’t necessary. It’s bigger than Trump. “Presidents” Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Gregg Abbot, or other Republican “Presidents” would likely continue the White “Christian” Nationalist agenda. Trump empowered radical Republicans to speak publicly about what they had only said behind closed doors. The same with regular Americans. In this way, Trump is more a prophet than a cult leader. Cults tend to die when their leader is diminished. When the leader of a truly religious movement dies or is diminished, the movement often continues to grow, as does the White “Christian” Nationalist sect. DeSantis’ power is growing nationally, as evidenced by his recent attendance at a rally in Arizona.
And there is no reason for them to stop until we become ruled by a minority Trumpy White “Christian” Nationalist theocracy. It’s happening right before our eyes. Those on the right have been softening us up for years. I can’t say how often I’ve heard Republicans and Libertarians tell a crowd that “America is a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy.” Actually, it is both, but the slogan sets the stage for the eventual end of democracy and White “Christian” Nationalist theocratic rule. To be sure, the theocratic state is not the end goal; it is just the means to power.
Now, if I am correct, and we have a sect of Trump that now has morphed into a White “Christian” National sect attempting to impose minority theocratic rule, where are all the theologians, anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and indeed, social scientists, in general, studying the phenomenon?
While I am uncomfortable comparing the rise of this radical sect to the rise of the world's major religions, the structures are parallel. To these social scientists, wouldn’t you have liked to have been there in person to observe the rise of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddism, or any great faith? Or even other, lesser-known faiths? To understand how and why they rose to power and explain it to the world?
More importantly, if you believe in Democracy, a pluralistic society, and America, how do you stop it?
A good starting point is to recognize what it is, a white “Christian” Nationalist sect that threatens Democracy.
And I’ll say to the Christian left, you need to up your game. And to the Christian right who aren’t part of this terrible White “Christian” Nationalist movement, if you sit idly by and say nothing and watch it happen, you are complicit.
Before you go, Julie Gammack has pulled together some Iowa scribblers trying to make a difference. If you value our work, please share, subscribe, and comment. And if you can afford to, be a paid subscriber. And, thanks to Julie and to Kathie Obradovich with the Iowa Capital Dispatch, our work will be featured on occasion in that important publication. You should support their work too if you can afford it.
Here we are, in alphabetical order.
Laura Belin: https://laurabelin.substack.com/about
Doug Burns: https://theiowamercury.substack.com/about
Art Cullen: https://artcullen.substack.com/about
Julie Gammack: https://okobojiwriters.substack.com/about
Beth Hoffman: https://inthedirt.substack.com/about
Dana James: https://substack.com/profile/101672219-new-black-iowa?utm_source=author-byline-face
Bob Leonard: https://rleonard.substack.com/about
Chuck Offenburger: chuckoffenburger.substack.com
Mary Swander: https://maryswander.substack.com/about
Iowa Writers: https://iowawriters.substack.com/about
This has me wondering about an analogy that surely isn’t original to me: the bloody Catholic/Protestant wars in Europe. Two sides who share a fundamental tenet (Christianity, America) but who disagree so intransigently about its concrete application that they resort to violence. But as George Packer suggests, there are at least four sides in America.
A "new Christian sect" is exactly what this movement is and that is not only f--king scary but also what about Christian theology would allow a good Christian to endorse what Mr. Trump is saying, let alone what he will do if he wins in 2024 through the dangers of the electoral college. He could, indeed, lose the popular vote and win the election. And if he loses, we'll have another insurrection, to boot. We cannot only love this country when we win. You gotta read his Substack if you care about freedom, the Constitution and the values of a democratic state. Even if you disagree and think Trump will answer your "prayers" --G-d help us-- you need to read this columnist from Iowa.