Subject: Re: Trump's Truth
From the OP post: "The proper way to understand his appeal isn't by studying normal voter behavior. It's by studying cults."

Something is different in American politics. Used to be, being caught in an extramarital affair would doom a US Presidential candidate (John Edwards in 2008, Newt Gingrich in 1998, Gary Hart in 1987). In 2023, a jury's conclusion that a leading US Presidential candidate is a sexual offender had no effect on his campaign's popularity.

But labeling it a cult is a dead end. The word is loaded and has different meanings. Studying abnormal voter behavior might be a start, and Populism has a long history. Some voters are supporting a punitively aggressive candidate they admit is deeply morally flawed. Why do some voters want to pick fights at any cost and for no reason? Odds are they've been fed some bad information. At times, they are endangering peoples lives just for a bit of fun. Irrational behavior. "Reasoned voices are hard to find" is one conclusion. "That way madness lies" is another.

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Different Cults on the Right and Left, February 3, 2022
Meanwhile, over in the GOP, French writes that 'the right's cult is different.' Sure, it's beholden to Trump, 'it's deeper. ' It's a cult of a certain type of personality, one that is relentlessly, personally, and often punitively aggressive. The aggression is mandatory. The ideology is malleable.'
https://www.cookpolitical.com/...

Is America Governed by a Cult?, February 8, 2020
Several books suggest that President Trump is a cult leader. Is he really?
"My conclusion is that Trump supporters are not in a cult'though there may be some who have given themselves over to celebrity worship."
https://www.psychologytoday.co...

cult noun
1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious.
2: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book).
https://www.merriam-webster.co...

Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing
"Despite the jury's view that Trump is a sexual offender, millions of women would likely still vote for him given the chance in 2024, to maintain the country's social, economic or racial order, Williams said. More than half of white women voted for Trump in 2020. 'There are people that like Trump's brand of masculinity. They like the bravado, they like the confidence, they like a certain type of patriotism, they like the performance of a certain kind of virility,' Williams said. 'So when these episodes of sexual misconduct come out, I think people are willing to give it a pass.'"
https://apnews.com/article/tru...

Trump is now a legally defined sexual predator ' will it affect his 2024 bid?
Verdict was dire for the Republican frontrunner, but more shocking than that was how unshockable the US has become.
https://www.theguardian.com/us...

Lock them up! Punitive aggression and populism as political vigilantism
"Populist leaders and movements are incredibly diverse, but one factor that most share is the tendency to pick fights. Populists often stir up conflict and use aggressive rhetoric that would destroy the reputation of mainstream politicos. Furthermore, many of these fights have little material benefit for base-level supporters, and often actively harm them. "
https://www.sciencedirect.com/...