Not a non-sequitur at all. I specifically chose cults with well-documented origins in the blatantly lunatic fantasies of a single self-proclaimed prophet that not only survived the prophet’s many failures (prophetic, scriptural, and personal), but the prophet’s death, and continue, against all evidence and odds, to persist into the present day.
I think you might also underestimate the extent to which Trump is viewed as a religious figure by Christian Nationalists.
Not analogous or parallel to trump because those cults though based on the “blatantly lunatic fantasies of a single self-proclaimed prophet” were not at their foundation POLITICAL movements. Trumpism is a political cult, not a religious cult, even though some Christian nationalists see him as carrying out the will of God.
The leaders of the cults you cite did not seek to take over the United States government, undermine the Constitution, trash the reputation of the USA with the international community, etc., etc. Yes, their movements survived beyond the death of their founders, and though the beliefs of the MAGAts will survive trump, and far-right conservatism will live on, the corner of the world that is “trumpism” is at its core, a political cult based on the personality of one person. When that personality is gone (soon, I hope), trumpism will have lost its gravitational center.
I’m too lazy to look up each cult that you cite (although I’m tangentially familiar with all them), but do you know if after the death of the founder a replacement leader emerged and occupied the same pedestal with its grandeur, status, gravitas, celebrity as the founder had done? I think religions can survive the death of the founder (cf. Jesus) if enough followers carry the metaphorical holy books and objects and engage in evangelism, but a political cult doesn’t promise salvation or eternal life.
Now if trump DID start declaring that he has the power to make sure his followers get into heaven after they die, that would be a whole 'nother ball game. MAGA could turn into an actual religion. All that would have to happen is for trump to die (soon, please) and then a group of his devoted buddies start staging “miracles.” THAT is a science fiction novel waiting to happen!
Yeah, IDK about that. LDS seems like a pretty good match. Granted, they ended up settling for a territory (and later a state) but “non-political” they were not (and are not).
And absolutely, all of these cults had successor leaders. Some anointed as successors by the founder, but others (LDS again comes to mind) not. Likewise, even if Trump dies without naming a successor to his cult of personality, there is no reason to assume one will not arise and take the crown for himself, Alexander the Great (and his successors ) style. To the strongest…
I don’t mean to say we cannot extricate the nation from the grasp of this cult, but let us not be so naive as to imagine the cult dies with Trump. There will still be work to be done even after he has shuffled off this mortal coil.
The white nationalist, reactionary faction we call “MAGA” has existed as long as the US has; it existed long before Trump, and will long outlast him. It is built into the roots of our national culture, not even the Civil War was enough to kill it.
The only real difference is that it’s finally in a position to achieve complete power, and kill all of its rivals. Within a few decades I expect the US to have a much smaller population consisting entirely of them, and people pretending as hard as they can to be them; everyone else being dead or fled. They know the demographics are against them, so they’ll solve that issue like fascists normally do; with a Final Solution.
There’s been quite a few in Wisconsin. Just skimming through a handful of articles I found these people either retiring (or recently retired) or not planning to run for re-election:
Wisconsin Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos
Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler
Conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley
Republican Wisconsin State Senator Van H. Wanggaard Majority Caucus Chair
Republican Wisconsin State Senator Rob Hutton
Republican Wisconsin Senator Steve Nass
I’m really hoping we get back to the delicious schadenfreude that’s supposed to dominate this thread.
Well, Bondi got Under-Bussed. That’s pretty satisfying.
Yeah, that’s a pretty great example for this thread.
I think she was not evil and cruel enough for Trump. She still paid a bit of lip service to the actual courts. After all, what she was supposed to do when a Grand Jury returned a “no bill” was to have them all arrested and deported, then try again.
'Zactly. The orange felon wants show trials and speedy executions. When Bondi didn’t deliver, she was out.
A good start, but I won’t even begin to feel satisfaction until she is disbarred. But of course the Nuremberg Trials for her and her accomplices/co-conspirators will have to wait a couple more years. That will be full satisfaction.
I can’t recall – has anyone set up a who’s next under the bus guessing game, like the celebrity death pool?
My guesses - Hegseth has been set up pretty well to take the fall for the failure of Iran War when all is said and done.
Leavitt if Trump gets a bug up his ass about his falling polling numbers.
It’s like the whole federal government is just there to take the blame for his own failures.
Cabinet members as ablative armor.
Scapegoats R Us
They may not be uranium, but they’re sure as hell depleted.
I’ve been reading a lot of analysis that says Tulsi Gabbard is next to go, although I’m not sure why she’s displeased her lord and master.
I guess when the king is displeased, he takes it out on the womenfolk.
Nice, but they got Trump doing the White Power sign backwards.
From The Atlantic online today.
Supposed to be a gift link
After Pam Bondi’s ouster today, which followed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s firing last month, Cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials were anxiously eyeing their phones, wondering whether they’d be next. One top official didn’t have to wait long: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed the chief of staff of the Army, General Randy George. Several people familiar with the White House’s plans told us that there are active discussions about others leaving the administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said that the timing is uncertain and that President Trump has not yet made up his mind. But what was once an unofficial motto of the second Trump term—“no scalps”—no longer applies.
…
The rest of the article describes the rise, slippage, and ultimate fall of Pam. And in contradiction to what appears in the foregoing paragraph…
In response to our [The Atlantic’s] questions, the White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told us in an email that “Trump has the most talented cabinet and team in American history. Patriots like Kash Patel, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Dan Driscoll are tirelessly implementing the President’s agenda and achieving tremendous results for the American people.”
…
No matter. When the leopards are out on the hunt, no face is safe.