In 1988, American rock band, Living Colour, had a song about this very thing: "Cult of Personality." "I sell the things you need to be. I'm the smiling face on your TV. Oh, I'm the cult of personality. I exploit you, still you love me. I tell you, 'one and one makes three.' Oh, I'm the cult of personality." They sung of things seen before, in countries across the globe. But in America? Surely it can't happen here. Right?
Since 2016, that fated day when Donald Trump won the presidential election, beating career politician Hillary Clinton, there have been hints and accusations of cultish behavior by those who voted for him, often referred to, collectively by the intialism of Trump's campaign motto: MAGA, or Make America Great Again.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly when the calls of being a cult began. Some believe it was when, in campaign speech, Hillary Clinton said half of Trump's supporters were "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic," and assigned a pejorative, calling them a "basket of deplorables." The following day, she walked it back, saying that Trump had "amplified hateful views and voices," but it was too late. MAGA voters had reclaimed the insult, and wore it with pride. "Deplorables," much like many women used Trump's jab at Clinton, saying she was a "nasty woman," became a rallying cry, of sorts.
So, are they a cult? Have MAGA become a cult of personality in the years following his first campaign? Let's look at what, exactly, defines a cult of personality, first.
Britannica's definition: "A deliberately created system of art, symbolism, and ritual centred [sic] on the institutionalized quasi-religious glorification of a specific individual." They continue, saying, "this term has been most often used to refer to charismatic leader cults, a type of personality cult which is based on a political leader, and designed to enforce their power, magnify their ideology, and legitimize the rule of the government associated with them."
A study tracking the usage of "personality cult" or "cult of personality" in articles by the New York Times from 2010 to 2022; very noticeable spikes began from Trump's candidacy announcement in 2015, and grew from there.
A very basic understanding, just from these two sources, seem to be all we need to definitively conclude that, in fact, MAGA have become a cult of personality, following the man who gleefully bragged about his complete control over them, publicly boasting at a campaign stop in 2016 that he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" without losing a single voter. "It's, like, incredible."
Even Donald Trump himself knows exactly what he's created: a multi-headed monster of worshippers willing to say anything, do anything to uplift him. Willing to abandon the Constitution they claim to so strongly support; willing to commit violent insurrection on his behalf, and truly believe that they are fighting a form of tyranny, sans evidence, simply because he said so; willing to commit violent, often racially-motivated, crimes to further his cause; willing to interfere in the process of elections, something many Americans have, up to now, considered sacrosanct.
I haven't even touched on the fringe Christian religious cults based on the concept of Donald Trump as some sort of messianic figure, or those, such as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) who believe in the Seven Mountains Mandate - Christian control of society via infiltration, influencing, and controlling seven areas of society: business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, family and religion.
We must also view this through a more scientific/psychological lens by examining the "Big Five" personality traits, and their relevance to understanding a cult of personality. The five-factor model of personality, or OCEAN, are:
O - Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs consistent/cautious)
C - Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs extravagant/careless)
E - Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs solitary/reserved)
A - Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs critical/judgemental)
N - Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs resilient/confident)
These traits can potentially indicate characteristics that could make people more susceptible to idolizing and unquestioningly following a charismatic leader. Studies have found, using The Big Five, that Trump’s supporters have high levels of conscientousness, unrelated to their political conservatism. They are often disillusioned, with low self-esteem based on their life experiences. Decades old studies, from rationalist perspectives, focus on perceived deprivation, with the belief that the central figure in the cult can compensate, via affirmation and status, for their understanding of social inequities.
MAGA don't see themselves as being part of something bad or negative. They've found community. They feed off of one another in echo chambers created primarily in online, social media spaces. On The West Wing, their season three opener, "Isaac and Ishmael" sees the White House west wing staff stuck in a lockdown, with a group of high school students who earned a trip to Washington D.C. A discussion, between the staff and students, about terrorism ensues. Charlie Young (played by Dulé Hill) compares terrorist groups to gangs, explaining that they aren't ashamed of their participation; rather, they're quite proud. They feel a sense of belonging. I'd imagine this is exactly how MAGA feel: they belong to a community.
Honestly, as I began researching, it became clear that it would be harder to find reliable sources to disprove the MAGA faction were a cult. They have sects that are religious cults as well as a political cult of personality.
This is a group of people who have seemingly abandoned previous ideologies for one that focuses on Donald J. Trump at the center of everything: he's the only one capable of fixing everything from the proverbial D.C. swamp to child sex predators to the economics in the United States, and everything in between. Though his every action appears to disprove his ability or willingness to do any of those things, MAGA are somehow unable to see the reality of their situation, or their leader.
So, here we are. Is MAGA a cult of personality? What do you think?
