There are four main ways in which Donald Trump’s supporters try to discredit the few conservatives—sorry, I mean “human scum”—who have, even three years in, refused to get on the bus.
– If you thought Trump would not win in 2016, then you are generally clueless. (No matter that neither Trump nor most of his top staff seemed to think he was going to win.)
– If you don’t support Trump now, it’s because you’re being paid off by the lucrative anti-Trump grift machine. (No matter that the real money has been made by people siding with Trump.)
– You have “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” so you cannot think straight. (No matter that Trump is the guy who literally can’t form coherent sentences and constantly contradicts himself.)
– You live in a bubble of “elites,” isolated from the real people who are making America great again by strongly supporting Trump. (No matter that Trump and his supporters are the elites.)
These arguments are about as absurd as former constitutional conservative Mark Levin, who strongly favored Bill Clinton’s impeachment—and wanted Obama impeached—shrieking about how Trump’s impeachment is somehow the result of “tyranny.” But that never stops the people in Trump’s thrall from making them.
I know, because I spent time with a good may of these folks over the holidays.
My life is particularly well-suited to being very much in touch with how Trump supporters react to news events, as well as what makes them tick in general. To understand them, it is important to recognize that Trump supporters come in four basic categories, which can be described as follows:
Level 1: These are Republicans who don’t like Trump but don’t see any other alternative because Democrats have become so overtly nutty. They sometimes enjoy his “owning of the Libs,” and they have at least a bit of the “Trump Virus,” but it is easily contained as long as someone close to them is constantly providing an antidote of truth. They may not vote at all in 2020, but Joe Biden is the only Democrat they would even considering supporting. My wife is in this group.
Level 2: These are the avid Fox News watchers who think Trump is doing a really good job, especially since the economy seems great and terrorists are being killed. They see his flaws, but think the media is overplaying them. Barring a catastrophic event that is clearly Trump’s fault, they will enthusiastically vote for him to be reelected no matter whom the Democrats nominate. My in-laws are generally in this set of voters.
Level 3: These Trump supporters don’t just watch Fox News (except for the traitorous Chris Wallace), they also consume “news” from the One America News Network and various pro-Trump Facebook groups. They believe that any theoretical imperfections Trump might—might!—possess are a small price to pay for him saving America from the socialists who are trying to destroy us. They occasionally think that Jesus Christ may have had something to do with making Trump president of the United States. Several of my in-laws’ friends are in this section of what I think of as Trump’s “Cult 45.”
Level 4: These are the full-on, no-holds-barred, “Cult 45” members; the Trump version Operating Thetan Clear. They think that Trump wasn’t just put in this position by God (obviously) but that he may actually be a god. Any criticism of him is inherently illegitimate and also a sure sign that the person making the claim is, at best, a “libitard,” or perhaps a treasonous activist for the “Deep State.” These are the people who wear red MAGA hats at Trump’s rallies, are very bad at analogies, and are prone to believing conspiracy theories. My Twitter feed (partly since many of them used to be listeners from my talk radio days) is often full of these people, despite my frequent use of the mute/block functions.
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- Discussion
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As this new year begins, I have written my first column for @BulwarkOnline It is a deep dive into my interactions with different variations of #Cult45 members from over the recent holidays. Among other things, I break down the 4 levels of the Trump cult… https://t.co/nPhdkFBfM6
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) January 4, 2020
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