President Donald Trump's political supporters have long been described as cult-like, from their willingness to change their ideology based on Trump's whims to their reflexive distrust of established experts. In light of the Republican leader's politically devastating losses in the 2026 midterm elect...

President Donald Trump’s political supporters have long been described as cult-like, from their willingness to change their ideology based on Trump’s whims to their reflexive distrust of established experts. In light of the Republican leader’s politically devastating losses in the 2026 midterm elections, these same true believers are now angry at every voter who did not stand by their man, at least according to a recent in-depth study.

“Last week we assembled a focus group of Republicans who voted for President Trump in both 2020 and 2024, and who, except for some local elections, voted straight-ticket Republican in this year’s midterms,” wrote polling expert Sarah Longwell in The Bulwark on Sunday.

“In my conversation with these voters, one thing became abundantly clear in their cacophony of cope: They were not blaming Trump,” Longwell added. “Instead, they were blaming the GOP candidates on the ticket for being terrible. They were blaming social media for pushing Trump Derangement Syndrome. And they were blaming their fellow Americans, who they insisted were just too brainwashed and emotional to just hold their noses and vote for the terrible candidates that Republicans offered them.”

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    59·
    2 days ago

    Speaking with AlterNet in August, University of Bristol cognitive scientist Dr. Stephan Lewandowksy argued that one can understand supporters of President Donald Trump by understanding their psychology as analogous to that of internet trolls.

    “We know that trolls take pleasure in trolling, which means getting other people upset,” Lewandowsky told AlterNet. “And I think that’s what we’re observing here — this is basically trolling behavior. So would these people score high on the dark triad? I would think yes, but I don’t know of any data that’s done a personality profile specifically of MAGA voters. We do have it for trolls, though — I have data on that. People have published research on it, and the similarities are just overwhelming. So I’d be very surprised if these were well-adjusted, nice people.”

    Absolutely bang on, and anyone that’s spent any amount of time with hardcore Trump supporters knows this.

    • imadethis@fedinsfw.appEnglish
      3·
      1 day ago

      I think the world has heard enough of the idiotic “own the libs” phrase to understand what motivates a great deal of the MAGA members. Bloody cunts that are making it their defining political desire, is what they are.

    • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
      92·
      2 days ago

      What I feel this analysis omits, probably to land sympathetically to a reader, is that all people are capable of trolling in some degree and occasionally indulge.

      Similarly, all voters engage in tribalism. Was i glad to see KLB win GA? Yes, because of tribalism, honestly. Dispassionately, I’m personally frustrated by her lack of willingness to legalize Marijuana, but it doesn’t feel like the time to raise that - again, due to tribalism.

      • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        4·
        20 hours ago

        Are you sure you aren’t mixing up you pragmatism about supporting candidates that meet more of your goals and standards over another with tribalism?