If you look at some of the famous cult leaders of modern times you may not be able to fathom why their followers found them charismatic. Charlie Manson with his gleaming eyes may be an exception, David Koresh, maybe, but Shoko Asaharo, who knows? Maybe that is a cultural thing (see website abut seven notorious cult leaders).
At any time in his life by appearance and behaviors who would have thought Trump could be said to have any of characteristics described by the the words the thesaurus lists as similar to charisma: presence, aura, personality, force of personality, strength of character, individuality; magnetism, animal magnetism, drawing power, attractiveness, appeal, allure, pull; magic, spell, mystique, glamour?
Apparently he did have star power of a kind when he was doing The Apprentice, a show I never watched. It was highly rated and lasted for 15 seasons in one or another form. Some women I know say they thought he was physically attractive in his younger days, though I thought he had a fish mouth I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kiss. He certainly had lots of women fawning over him, but then again he was a rich playboy.
I doubt you were a fan of The Apprentice. If you never watched it, Indulge me and watch less than two minutes now and consider the question: do you see indications he had what it took to become a cult leader/president?
Different strokes for different folks. It is far more than appearance and how they convey and present they message that makes for a successful cult leader. A New York Times OpEd with the headline “Why Fox News Slimed a Purple Heart Recipient” by Tobin Smith doesn’t suggest the author will address cult behavior. However he does offer excellent insights into how and why people are manipulated by leaders to hold irrational beliefs.
Emphasis added: Every successful Fox News segment producer has the conspiracy script down cold. These segments work best when the “proof” of a conspiracy against a tribal leader — in this case the Republican president — makes the viewer feel under attack as well. It elevates the fight-or-flight juices. And it helps when a proposed conservative thought leader mixes in the meta-narrative to the effect that “we are victimized again by the condescending Beltway elites.”
Weaponized and tribalized political video narratives in the hands of Fox News producers can become something like drug-abuse epidemics — keeping addicts of that conspiracy theory high and coming back for more. \Believing in conspiracy theories is a psychological construct for people to take back some semblance of control in their lives. It inflates their sense of importance. It makes them feel they have access to “special knowledge” that the rest of the world is “too blind,” “too dumb” or “too corrupt” to understand.
It is not my intention to go into depth about how and why cult membership and conspiracy theories go together. Here’s a good primer. It is written in a way that even Devon Nunes and Jim Jordan should be able to understand.
Much has been written about the psychology of the MAGA crowd who have succumbed to the allure of Trump. There’s no sense repeating it here when expects have explained it all. For example:
Hitler with his high pitched voice and total lack of anything remotely close to what most of us would see as charisma did the same thing Trump did with millions of Germans using mass communication, i.e. the loud speakers used in his speeches at rallies, over the radio, and in movie newsreels (watch 30 second videos):
Kaiser Wilhelm wasn't a cult leader in the way Hitler was, but it is interesting that he had a similar delivery as Hitler in his speeches:
Republican members of Congress have their own political reasons for supporting Trump. I just wish we could paint them with the same brush as experts paint members of cults. We have no way of knowing how many Republicans are like cult members, and how many are acting out a role because they are craven, cowardly, lily-livered, chicken-hearted politicians putting party over patriotism.
In the poll when I say a Trump cult member I mean not merely a sycophant, but rather someone who believes Trump’s lies even when obviously false and based on debunked conspiracy theories. In other words a true believer, someone who would drink the Kook Aid if Trump told them to do so.