Power, Fear, And Submission

How is it possible that the Republican Party, at the peak of American power and at the new dawn of the country’s 250th anniversary, became a cult of personality around a leader they know to be a felon, a liar, and a danger to the constitutional order? Psychologically, this is about a party deciding that its survival, status, and identity are inseparable from one man. Philosophically, it is about how freedom erodes from within when citizens and leaders willingly trade truth, institutions, and future generations for immediate power, protection, and psychic gratification.

How a Party Becomes a Cult
Political psychology research describes an identifiable “hard core” of Trump loyalists who behave more like members of a personality cult than normal partisans; their loyalty is to Trump himself rather than party or policy. The key finding is striking: these ardent loyalists are not simply ignorant or chaotic; they are often high in conscientiousness and self-discipline, which makes them particularly responsive to a leader who demands total loyalty.

Personality-cult members display “unquestioning loyalty to a strong leader… whom they perceive as infallible and truthful,” similar to followers of Perón or Mussolini. They accept lawlessness from him in exchange for the feeling that he will crush their enemies and restore order.

The MAGA base has entered a new social contract, not with the Constitution but with Trump himself as sovereign, trading liberty and truth for the security of belonging to his camp. Hannah Arendt, in The Origins of Totalitarianism, observed that “the ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction… no longer exists.” They know he lies, but over time, they cease to care that they know.

Many supporters see Trump as an almost mythical figure with extraordinary powers exercised for good and against evil. It also explains why his age and obvious unfitness do not break the spell: mythic figures do not retire; they reign until they fall or are martyred. In their eyes, Trump stands above the law: his very lawlessness is proof of his sovereignty and authenticity.

Indeed, when citizens give up the effort to differentiate truth from lies and right from wrong, they become unable to think or experience and are ready to follow any movement that gives them a sense of belonging. The horror is precisely that the destruction of American democracy is being carried out not only by a “madman” but by ordinary functionaries who know better and choose not to act.

Why Do Republicans Cling to Trump?
Although many members of the Republican Party have raised concerns about his age, cognitive sharpness, and capacity to lead until the end of his term, let alone beyond 2028, they continue to support him for reasons that extend beyond personal devotion. Some prioritize his positions on immigration, economic nationalism, judicial appointments, deregulation, or what they perceive as a challenge to entrenched political elites. Others view him as a vehicle for advancing conservative policy goals.

These motivations should not be dismissed or caricatured. However, the central concern is that for a significant segment of the party, loyalty to Trump has increasingly eclipsed loyalty to constitutional principles, democratic institutions, and objective truth. It is this transformation, from political support to personal allegiance, that raises profound concerns about the future of American democracy. Psychologically and strategically, several forces are at work.

Short termism and addiction to power: In a hyper-polarized environment, many Republicans calculate only the next primary, the next 24 hour news cycle. They fear a Trump-backed challenger more than they fear long-term democratic collapse.

Sunk-cost fallacy: Having defended him through scandals, impeachments, a coup attempt, and multiple criminal convictions, reversing now would be to admit shattering error. Human beings will often double down on a toxic investment rather than face the shame of acknowledging they were wrong.

Mythic time vs. chronological time: For the cult, Trump is not a mortal politician in his eighties; he is a mythic figure. He lacks understanding of himself. He has no depth, no past, and does not think of the future. MAGA mirrors this: it lives in an eternal present of grievance, never planning seriously for a post Trump world.

Fear of fragmentation: Many Republican actors suspect that without Trump’s gravitational pull, their coalition of religious conservatives, magnates, nativists, and libertarians might fly apart. Holding on to him postpones an internal reckoning they dread.

The Future of the Party and the American Project
Commentary already describes the GOP as “a personality cult with Donald Trump as the cult leader,” in which “the party’s platform has almost literally been rewritten to be ‘whatever Donald Trump wants he gets.’” To be sure, the Republican Party and the conservative movement today belong to Trump, and the party has become akin to ‘a political crime organization with a convicted felon as its boss.’

Geopolitically, America’s adversaries, especially Russia and China, benefit when the US appears internally fractured, unreliable, and dismissive; they are delighted to see America tearing itself apart. Allies grow disheartened and drift away. Under Trump, there is a stark philosophical contrast: a republic founded on the idea that no man is above the law now organizes itself around a leader who explicitly claims to be above the law and whose party rewrites its identity to match his moods.

What Can be Done to Reverse Course?
Several urgent measures must be taken by some Republicans in an official and non-official capacity who have realized that blind support of Trump is hurting the party and the country. They know that they must now summon the courage and go against his whims to save the party from implosion, and follow personalities including Tucker Carlson and high-profile Republicans in Congress – Marjorie Taylor Greene, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – who have become deeply disillusioned with MAGA and Trump himself.

Coordinate between anti-Trump Republicans: Cult experts note that cults maintain power by isolating dissenters and making it hard for them to find one another. Anti Trump Republicans should and can organize and coordinate public statements, letters, and endorsements, so that no one stands alone as a solitary scapegoat.

Tell the truth about the past: Republicans who know Trump is unfit should muster the courage to publicly admit their own role and the party’s role in enabling him. Only by breaking the taboo on honest self criticism can they begin to defuse the cult’s hold. Doing so before the midterm elections is timely and more effective. Ultimately, patriotism should outweigh political ambition, even at a personal cost.

Rebuild a non Trump conservative platform: The party needs a coherent vision, which means reconnecting with constitutionalism, rule of law, and prudence—values conservatives once claimed. Without a positive program, the vacuum will be filled again by demagoguery.

Defend rules even at a cost: Finally, Republican state officials, judges, and members of Congress must commit in advance to zealously protecting elections and upholding election outcomes, safeguarding independent institutions, and blocking attempts to use state power for personal vengeance. This may mean losing office; still, it is the test of whether they are statesmen or courtiers.

It should be remembered that freedom is not lost all at once, but in a series of small acts of cowardice or indifference, each of which seems rational at the time. The only way back is through small acts of courage that seem irrational in the short term but restore the conditions for a future beyond Trump anchored on America’s ideological, political and social values.

This future could arrest America’s drift—and perhaps even restore its vitality—if leaders of both parties renew their fidelity to the ideals that have defined this nation for 250 years, and mark the beginning of its repair.