MAGA suffers from a type of Stockholm syndrome that stems from various kinds of abuse. They feel power in kneeling to an abuser like Trump and it doesn't matter what he did. Embracing Trump is reinterpreting their own trauma so that they too can become abusers and continue the cycle.
When someone has repeatedly experienced humiliation, domination or powerlessness, one possible defense is not to reject the abuser’s worldview, but to internalize it. Strength becomes the ability to hurt others. Compassion becomes weakness. Safety comes from standing beside power rather than beneath it.
If you know MAGA people, how many of them were abused as children, physically, mentally, sexually?
Maybe they don't fall in love with their abuser, but they believe “What happened to me was how the world works. I survived it. Others should endure it too," instead of believing “What happened to me was unjust, and nobody should experience it,” like a normal functioning adult would.
Their suffering was the initiation to the cult, that's why it's so hard for them to turn their backs on the lies and deceit that Trump represents.
IN HONOR OF CALIFORNIA’S 175TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A VERY SPECIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR EVERY CALIFORNIAN THIS SUMMER! IT WILL FEATURE A HANDSOME, HIGH-QUALITY PHOTO OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT’S THE BEST LICENSE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. THIS IS ABOUT CELEBRATING OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE (IT IS NOT ABOUT ME, DESPITE THE VERY HANDSOME PHOTO!). ENJOY! — GOVERNOR GCN