Yes, “Trumpism” is a Cult
I didn’t want to believe it at first.
MAGA, Trumpism, or whatever you want to call it, is a “cult.” A cult is defined simply as a group devoted to a person, idea, or philosophy. It’s also defined as a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. Trump is the thing. To his followers, he’s God. They follow him like he’s their Lord and Savior — here to redeem and save Amerikkka. For the past eight years, I have been hesitant to refer to Trumpism as a cult. That’s because I felt it would be letting Trump’s racist followers off the hook. They’re not in a cult and they’re not mentally unstable, I would say. Racism is not a mental health disorder, I would think. I really believed they knew Trump was unwell, but they didn’t care because they felt he would make America openly racist again. I was always taught that white people would sacrifice their wellbeing if they believed Black people would fare worse. It’s why Covid claimed so many lives in the U.S. — it became racialized. To believe that Covid was bad, to get a vaccine, or to protect yourself with a mask, was to side with Democrats, and ultimately the Black people and other minorities. “Owning the libs” meant dying from Covid, but never admitting it on your death bed. Clearly this was all a reaction, albeit a “deranged” one, to having a Black man in the White House for eight years. So, I would never call…
