President Donald Trump reversed his talking points 180 degrees on the Coronavirus from weeks of saying it is handled, not a big deal and a hoax, to days later declaring a national emergency, invoking the War Powers act, and declaring himself a “wartime president.”
That is a powerful ploy for a controversial politician facing a divided nation and tough re-election campaign. Even so, you might think in the 21st century the political whiplash from that kind of radical change in his public position–exposing the danger of a president who purposefully or accidentally delayed critical, serious action–would have put off even his vaunted “base” of conservatives, disaffected and libertarian supporters. You would be wrong.
As I described in my book, The Cult of Trump: A leading cult expert explains how the President uses mind control, Trump has gotten where he is by using a set of calculated influence techniques that can be likened to a cult leader’s playbook. That begins by making the believers feel they are special, part of an inside group in opposition to unenlightened, unbelieving dangerous “outsiders,” and only he can lead them to a better, more prosperous, peaceful, safe future.
The shock was how quickly this time even his “base” turned on his dime, including the extreme religious right who had claimed they could pray the virus away, and Trump supporters who sought to profit off fake cures, like Jim Bakker and Alex Jones, and sympathetic media like much of Fox News. They accepted his new position even as he refused to take any responsibility for his past inaction and mistakes.
When Trump did his about-face and declared himself a wartime leader, he demanded special attention and loyalty from voters, the military, government, and private industry. It signaled an instant about-face from his administration, Republicans in Congress, his 2020 campaign, and right-wing media.
Trump instinctively knows how to fan fear and implant phobias about a killer virus just as he did with “criminal” immigrants. As Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of Trump’s book, The Art of The Deal, explained, Trump learned early on that you either created and exploited fear - or you succumbed to it.”
In the case of the Coronavirus, it is also personal. It has tapped into Trump’s own fears, beginning with being a lifelong germaphobe. He washed his hands multiple times a day even before it became a sensible response to the Coronavirus threat.
Once again Trump has shown he can use fear to not only maintain but, in this case, to possibly increase his control and demand even more absolute loyalty.
I have spent my more than 40-year career studying cults and mind control methods – dating back to the days Chinese brainwashing programs, and the North Koreans ‘brainwashing’ dissidents and captured soldiers and its own population. I became alarmed when I saw Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and recognized a master manipulator up there with the authoritarian leaders, dictators and cult leaders of history.
Few candidates or presidents have stoked fear quite as Trump does. Fear is the way he holds power. It is what he is doing when he frequently cites the same cast of enemies – Hillary, Soros, the media, Democrats, etc. - to keep his followers stoked and ready to defend him. Now that the enemy is COVID-19. Trump is able to use the same press freedom he scorns to give misinformation during his televised briefings. Thankfully, Dr. Fauci at least is there to correct the falsehoods.
Like the leader of other destructive cults, Trump believes his ends justify any means, no matter how harmful. He really believes he is above the law. He believes that what he is doing is right and just, so he is justified to lie, steal, cheat, or to use any and all form of undue influence to accomplish his ends.
In any era, that would be dangerous. In today’s pandemic, it is deadly.