When you consider the 2016 campaign and Trump's 4 years in office, I think it's obvious that he enjoys playing the bad boy and it is equally obvious that for many of his followers, this is exactly what they want. This begins to explain why Trump still has a strong following, in spite of his thousands of documented lies, his sadistic verbal attacks on dozens of otherwise respected people, and the numerous allegations of criminal behavior.Īllow me to interject one thought of my own, before I bring in the other author of note. That's why it doesn't matter that in reality Trump is a cheap grifter and perpetual liar who is as likely to sell out his country as to defend it.Ĭampos suggests that the cult leader tells his followers exactly what they want to hear, and - since this fills a need of theirs - they project their own worshipful adoration on him both as a human being and as their political leader. It is something that comes from within their own minds. The argument is that the political charisma of the cult leader is something that is projected upon him by his followers. Campos begins with the assertion that there is a difference between personal charisma and the political charisma that you see in, for example, Donald Trump. His recent article, which you can find here is titled 'What is political charisma?' It deals with the question of how cults come to exist. Paul Campos is a legal scholar and author who writes for the website known as Lawyers Guns & Money. I offer two authors who, when their works are considered together, go a long ways towards answering these questions. If this is the case, we ought to be considering who and what Trump's supporters are. GELFAND’S WORLD - Many people have said that Donald Trump is merely the symptom of an underlying malady, that the problems were there when he decided to take advantage of them and will continue to exist if he retires or is otherwise rendered incapable of running for reelection.

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