If It’s a Cult, What Breaks the Spell?
Spoiler: It’s not facts.
If Donald Trump shot someone on Fifth Avenue, and blamed it on a pony-loving preschooler he claimed was a Venezuelan gang member in possession of Hunter Biden’s laptop, a third of this country would not only believe him—they’d Venmo him for legal fees and buy the commemorative T-shirt.
This is not politics. This is a cult.
And we need to stop calling it anything less.
I said it in a previous post—and I’ll say it again here: Millions of Americans have been primed their entire lives to mistake authoritarian cruelty for love. Especially those raised in certain strands of evangelicalism, where “honor thy father” often meant submitting to fear, punishment, and control masquerading as protection. For them, Trump doesn’t feel abusive. He feels familiar. He feels like Daddy.
So that’s the answer to the question, “Why don’t they see what he is?”
The next question is: Is there anything that would make them stop?
Let’s look at what cult deprogrammers, psychologists, and trauma experts say actually works—not hypothetically, but in real, wrenching, human terms. Because this isn’t just a political problem. It’s a spiritual one.
1. Betrayal of the In-Group
Trump can lie, cheat, steal, create a constitutional crisis, bury his ex-wife in the profane earth of his golf course. He can even fornicate with weak-bladdered hookers on gold furniture straight from the Kremlin. No problem-o.
But if he visibly turns on “his people”—veterans, white working-class men, gun owners, Christians—and there’s no spin to cover it? That can shake them.
Problem is, his propaganda machine has a panic room. Fox News, Truth Social, and the rest of the disinformation ecosystem exist entirely to smother this spark. So even when he insults dead soldiers or screws over farmers, they just… don’t hear it. Or they’re told it was “fake news.”
The betrayal has to hit hard, personal, and uncensorable.
Tip: Instead of saying “See? He doesn’t care about you,” try: “How do you feel about what he said about [group]?” Let them process the betrayal without framing it as stupidity. Your job isn’t to win. It’s to plant doubt.
2. Personal Consequences
It’s one thing to scream about globalists and groomers. It’s another to lose your home, your health insurance, or your kid’s future because of a man you once trusted.
If Trump’s policies directly harm his base—and that harm can’t be blamed on immigrants or Democrats—it could create doubt.
But doubt is dangerous in cults. So when it happens, followers often double down instead. Because admitting they were wrong means admitting they were duped. And shame is unbearable when you’ve built your entire identity around loyalty.
Tip: Don’t say “I told you so,” no matter how tempting the schadenfreude. Say: “That’s awful. You didn’t deserve that.” Then—if the moment’s right—ask: “Has that made you rethink anything about the people in charge?” Always lead with care, not correction.
3. Someone They Love Starts Asking Questions
Most people don’t change their beliefs because of a viral video or a fact-check. They change because someone they trust looks them in the eye and says: “I’m worried about you. This isn’t who you were.”
It has to come without ridicule. Without moral smugness. Just presence. Empathy. Patience.
I know that sucks. I want the mic drop moment too. But that’s not how cult exits work. It’s not theatrical. It’s quiet. Painful. Slow. And usually private.
Tip: Don’t make it about Trump. Make it about them. “You’ve seemed more angry lately. Are you okay?” opens a door. “You’ve gone off the deep end” slams it shut. Be the person they can feel safe unraveling in front of.
4. A Shinier Messianic Figure
Let’s be real: this isn’t about policies. It’s about charisma. If another populist shows up with Trump’s confidence but fewer indictments and slightly more human skin tone, people might migrate.
They wouldn’t leave Trump because he was wrong. They’d leave because the new guy is “better.” It’s not awakening. It’s upgrading. This is precisely why Trump surrounds himself with people who lack charisma and look like, well, like JD Vance and Laura Loomer.
Cults don’t end. They evolve.
Tip: If they start admiring someone else, don’t mock it. Say: “That guy seems more reasonable than Trump.” Let them climb down the MAGA mountain without shame. It’s not your job to shove them off. Just show them the trail.
5. Public Humiliation
This one’s risky. But it works sometimes.
If followers feel not just betrayed, but publicly humiliated—if they become the butt of the joke—they might break. That’s what cracked the QAnon cult for some people: not the logic, but the embarrassment.
If believing in Trump makes them feel stupid in front of their own community? If the guy at the gas station starts laughing instead of nodding along? That can be the thing.
But humiliation cuts both ways. It can also push people deeper into the bunker.
Tip: Laugh with them, never at them. Share a meme that pokes fun at Trump, not at them. “This cracked me up—reminds me of the way he always makes stuff up.” Humor disarms. Shame hardens.
So… Is There Hope?
Yes. But not in the way you want.
This isn’t about “owning the cult.” It’s about understanding what built it: a country that replaced care with cruelty, truth with theatrics, and accountability with personality worship.
If we want to break the spell, we can’t just tear down Trump.
We have to build something better in its place: a culture where love doesn’t look like control, where strength doesn’t mean domination, and where politics feels less like war and more like service. This means being kind to the soybean farmers who voted for Trump and are shocked he betrayed them. It feels counterintuitive, but it’s the only thing that works. That’s why Jesus preached turning the other cheek and loving your enemies, and it’s why Buddha said revenge is like squeezing a hot coal and hoping it burns someone else.
Be love. Be kindness. Be strong.
Until then, the cult holds.
If you missed my earlier post about authoritarian abuse in evangelical households, read it here—it lays the emotional groundwork for why so many people feel safer with tyrants than with tenderness. And why Trump is still Daddy to millions.
Enjoyed this post? Want to see more like it?
I created ALISA WRITES to tell the truth with teeth—to call bullshit on authoritarianism, uplift working-class voices across the political spectrum, and make sense of a world that often feels upside-down.
If you believe this work matters, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps me do this full-time, without corporate backing, institutional filters, or billionaire strings. Just you, me, and the First Amendment.
Let’s build something brave together.
Only two ways out of a cult, drink cool aid or light yourself on fire.
That process is individual and slow..I fear too slow to meet the current need. The real hope probably lies in people in R districts losing jobs, businesses, healthcare, homes, as they are likely to do.