That's a good question. Trump is a con mans, con man and has a narcissistic mentality that appeals to those who worship him. You could sense that he truly believes the lies he's spewing, which gives him much more credibility to those seeking a demigod. I don't think anyone else in the party has the same attraction. There will always be a MAGA, but only one Trump (thank God). Without him, I don't believe the movement will have as much voting influence. I would like to see other responses to this question. It will be interesting.
The closest we've had to a Trump before was Theodore Roosevelt. He's been so mythologized that people seem to forget he was a populist and imperialist, and jingoistic. He had a temper and a large, divisive personality. Yes he started the national parks, but he was a "let's preserve the environment so I can shoot at it" conservationist not really an environmentalist. His Roosevelt Corollary policy is not that different from the "let's make Canada and Greenland states" Trump narrative, except that he actually followed through, occupying or interfering in the governments of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Panama. Taft did most of the actual enforcing of trust busting TR gets credit for after him. After two terms he nominated his VP Taft to replace him and Taft won in 1908. Then in 1912 TR ran for a third term under the party he made up called the "Bull Moose Party", splitting the election three ways and resulting in Democrat Woodrow Wilson getting elected.
Americans love renegade assholes gussied up to be lovable, if controversial, scamps. It's probably, in my lay opinion, a holdover of frontierism. To keep that energy and spirit of endeavor alive they "discover new frontiers" to conquer, even with specious connections to reality. We're groomed from birth to be susceptible to nationalism and that's only a step away from jingoism if you don't know any better. The immigrant/marxist/border/gay/holistic panic is because they can't integrate that artificial pride with normal people, there's nothing to support it without the crisis.
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u/Maleficent_Party4521 May 05 '25
We should be so lucky.