Overview

• Saha traces the term “cult” in Trump’s movement back to his 2016 campaign and notes it became widespread by the Stop the Steal fervor of January 2021.
• She identifies four driving forces behind the movement’s mass delusion: magnetic leadership, collective grievance, aspirational storytelling and rejection of inherited truths.
• Supporters display visible loyalty through replicated fashion cues like red ties and extreme beauty regimens labeled “Mar-a-Lago face,” and some have issued threats against critics.
• Saha cautions that deep-rooted devotion, comparable to the legacies of Manson’s followers and Stalin’s blueprint, is unlikely to dissipate easily.
• She points to the availability of over sixty cult documentaries on major streaming platforms as evidence of society’s fixation on such collective behaviors.