WHEN A CULT GOES MAINSTREAM: Inside the Toxic Psychological Engine of Trump's MAGA Movement [View all]
https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/explainers/cult-goes-mainstream-inside-toxic-psychological-engine-trumps-maga-movement/
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https://web.archive.org/web/20251005044427/https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/explainers/cult-goes-mainstream-inside-toxic-psychological-engine-trumps-maga-movement/
Hardened through years of social upheaval, conspiracy rhetoric, and loyalty tests, the voting bloc, known as the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, has evolved into a subculture marked by deep emotional identification with Trump, rejection of institutional legitimacy, and a worldview shaped less by shared policy preferences than by a shared sense of grievance and defiance.
Journalists, scholars, and political observers have spent years attempting to parse what animates the MAGA base. While no monolithic profile fits all supporters, consistent behavioral and psychological patterns have emerged.
These traits are not drawn from clinical evaluations but rather from longitudinal reporting, public opinion data, and observable behavior in political and civic life.
At the heart of the movement lies a narrative of persecution and betrayal.
For many Trump supporters, their embrace of the convicted felon, despite his observable falsehoods and incendiary rhetoric, is not rooted in traditional conservatism but in a belief that he alone articulates their alienation.
This sentiment is frequently reflected in the language of victimhood: Trump is not merely a candidate, but a martyr under siege by corrupt elites.
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