Photo under Creative Commons CC-BY SA 4.0 (No changes are made)
Trump’s supporters are one of the most violent, hateful political parties, perhaps since the confederates. A survey done by the Public Religion Research Institute showed that 32% of Trump-favoring Republicans agree that “patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country”, in comparison to only 8% of Democrats agreeing. The same study showed that more than 1 in 4 Republicans support political violence. Many characteristics having to do with their beliefs and actions have been linked to those as a cult. Their ideals of what the citizens should look like are completely outdated and unfair and set back the country about 100 years in terms of women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial equality. Trump claims he is not racist, he’s not a homophobe, and he supports women, but he constantly contradicts himself and continues to fuel the hatred and rage of his supporters. Pre-dating his first campaign for president in 2016, he continues to spread false information about his opponents, his own beliefs and the state of the world’s affairs.
Trump and his ideals have turned the republican party into a complete mockery. The Republican party originated in the 1850s, with values of low taxes and more conservative laws. Trump has ruined this party as a whole, building its foundations on discrimination, violence and lies.
There is much to criticize about Trump, but one of the biggest failures of his image and campaign was January 6, 2021. Trump calls this a day of love when in reality, this was one of the worst inauguration days in American history and made the whole country look bad. January 6 was a huge attack on America’s capital in Washington D.C., consisting of Trump-supporting mobs, attempting to keep him in power after Joe Biden’s victorious 2020 presidential campaign. Six people died, and 174 police officers sustained injuries. Several white supremacist groups attended the attack, including the Proud Boys, who were captured wearing Neo-Nazi attire. Although the attack was originally encouraged by Trump, the plan of attack was planned out weeks before the 6. What started as a march in favor of Trump’s presidency, quickly turned into bomb threats after Trump delivered a speech to an enraged crowd. Hundreds of protesters eventually turned violent and pushed through crowds of officers protecting the capitol building. Officers were pushed, shoved, and even sprayed with chemicals. After trampling the police, the crowd proceeded to break into the building, solely by breaking the window panes. The attacks resulted in Trump being charged with incitement of insurrection, followed by his second impeachment.
Similar to other cult leaders like Jim Jones, David Koresh and Marshall Applewhite, Trump’s supporters are so dedicated to him, that they imitate his injuries and worship him as almost a god. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, many attendees were seen wearing a bandage on their ear, as homage to the Trump assassination attempt on July 13. Whether it be an act of solidarity or compliance, the fact that they go that far to show their dedication is very cult-like. Many supporters of Trump’s antics go as far as to see him as a god, plastering his face over religious figures or buying and advertising copies of the Trump Bible. Although his version of The Bible has been criticized for being blasphemy, as well as poorly made, they continue to be sold for blasphemous prices of $59.99.
Trump supporters have proven they would go far enough to be arrested to show their support for their leader, but they also have no problem humiliating the other candidates, in this case, Vice President Kamala Harris. Less than a week before the presidential election, videos and photos of a float at a Halloween parade in Pennsylvania proved how far right-wingers are willing to go to prove their point. The float depicts a man wearing a Trump mask on a float, surrounded by pro-Trump flags and signs, even complete with a fake sniper atop the vehicle. On the back of a float, is a woman dressed as Vice President Harris, shackled around her wrists, being led by the rest of the float. Lots of backlash has been addressed to the videos, and the Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department has apologized for “allowing the offensive participants to take part.”
Many incidents regarding the polls have already been posted online, and eventually, resulted in arrests. Many polls have increased their security, in case of more incidents. Voting polls have boosted security, such as panic buttons or bullet-proof windows in the event of mobs, death threats, and meltdowns. In 2020, lots of these happened at the polls, which resulted in many citizen arrests. Groups in Texas, who go by the “Trump Klan”, were reportedly sending threatening letters to potential blue voters in the community. Voter intimidation is a federal crime, as well as a third-degree felony under Texas law. In addition, a teen from Florida was arrested for threatening voters with a machete. There was a group of boys ages ranging from 16-18, at the local library, “to protest and antagonize the opposing political side.”
“The group was there for no other reason but for ill intentions to cause a disturbance, this is not an incident of solely a First Amendment protected right, but rather one where they were simply there to cause a ruckus.” Police Chief Micheal J. Key said, regarding the incident.
