The supporters of Former President are well-known to terrorize not just Democrats, but anyone who stands in the path of Donald Trump’s return to power. The length to which they will go has far exceeded any collective governmental defiance and extremism since the United States Civil war. Individual actions are not to be ignored either. While events have not yet reached the height of the Oklahoma City bombing the frequency and escalation of attacks lead one to wonder when and not if such an occurrence will be enacted. They have gone from planting campaign signs to yelling at strangers, aiming guns at protesters, to attacking FBI offices, to threatening or killing officials of any branch of government.
Donald Trump demands unconditional loyalty and obedience but is unwilling to reciprocate. He doesn’t seem to recognize the hypocrisy and would not alter his expectation if he did recognize it. He is capricious and spiteful. Dissent is not tolerated, and he doesn’t care if his supporters’ opposition is done for his best interest. He is also extremely transactional, always believes his contribution is the greater in the exchange. Regardless of the significance of his contribution once supplied he believes that from that moment he expects a life-long commitment to him and his goals. As stated, he is spiteful and punishes perceived betrayal quickly and harshly. A single infraction revokes all the dedication and devotion given to him.
The question becomes what makes these people feel that they are safe from his unpredictable ire. Medium such as social media utilize algorithm-driven news feeds, niche forums, and websites to create confirmation bias. Using the preferences and interactions of users, content is curated to create personalized feeds. By doing this echo chambers are formed. People primarily encounter beliefs which align with their existing beliefs, while receiving little exposure. Other opinions are usually only seen through responses to their posts or the posts in which they support. These interactions are mainly toxic and do little to alter the opinions of either side. Additionally, groupthink also plays an important part, where the group’s mission is to form unanimity leading to dysfunctional or irrational decisions. These factors can account for some of the failure to foresee the risks they may face in the future no matter how near. This also reveals why they are driven by social pressures or deeper psychological needs instead of a clear examination of the given situation.
In accompaniment to confirmation bias is cognitive dissonance. There is discomfort in holding conflicting beliefs. In this case, there is a rationalization of the favored belief. Alternatively, there is the option of simply dismissing the less favored belief. There is no better example of this than the creation of “fake news.” Any exposure to information which undermines existing beliefs or publicly reveals fallacies relied upon to maintain a delusion dismissed as “fake news” without consideration of empirical fact or evidence. The “deep state” is another conspiracy theory promoted to prominence during the Trump administration. The concept of a body within the government and military that operates independently of the elected leadership. The “deep state” is used as a mechanism to undermine the public’s confidence in institutions and justification to suppress opposition or dissent.
By products of this cognitive dissonance and dismissal of reality, have caused unprecedented levels of threats and harassment toward election workers, such as Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss and Ruby Freeman. The unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud by Rudy Giuliani resulted in an award of 148 million dollars for defamation. No amount of money can hide them from the public or undo the trauma caused by the false claims. Their case is extreme but is still only tangential of the overall damage done the entire electoral process. There are cases where groups of private citizens have taken it upon themselves to go door to door to validate Democrat voters were present and actually existed. Tactics like these indicate the extreme danger one puts themselves in just by voting. However, the danger of not voting may normalize this behavior and thereby putting individuals a greater risk in the future.
Current instruments of cognitive dissonance are the utilization of artificial intelligence as a scapegoat. The advancements in A.I. have reached a point where it is conceivable to believe that artificially generated content such as audio and video media can be disbelieved because computers are now able to convincingly produce voices and appearances.
He has influenced individuals from every level of government. Judges, Senators, and Representatives invoke his name in order to gain power, but once achieved they are bound to him. Politicians promote idiotic policies that work against the best interests of their constituents and sometimes themselves. Even the defiant Republicans who do not fear him face the danger of losing their personal supporters. The result of speaking out against him can cause Trump’s supporters to commit extreme actions. They do not limit their dissatisfaction to voting out the politicians who do not sufficiently capitulate to Trump’s whims. They are willing to kill. Their devotion to Trump is based on personality and not policies, though they claim otherwise. They are usually uninformed and rarely are college educated. They don’t have a good understanding of his danger and how they may affect them personally. Those combined factors make them unable to be reasoned with.
Over 950 individuals have been federally charged with crimes related to the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riot. Those involved in the disruption of the transfer of one Presidential administration to the next did not receive a mass pardon from then President Trump. People are still incarcerated due to their participation that day. There has been a near to actual an 100% conviction rate of those tried. While most of the previously or presently incarcerated recognize his lack of loyalty, an unbelievable number (which is any number in my opinion) are still willing to remain loyal and excuse his behavior. Supporters who have witnessed the apprehension, arrest, incarceration, trial, conviction, sentencing, and in some cases, imprisonment of their fellow believers will not fault the former President. Promotion of the insurrection then declining to protect those who faithfully obeyed his instruction is not sufficient cause to defect. This is another example of cognitive dissonance. After gaslighting hundreds into parole or imprisonment, loyal Republican politicians provide him cover with flimsy excuses and fabricate stories to shift blame. Proclaiming that undercover FBI agents encouraged the riot is one attempt to deflect blame from Trump. As stated, their arguments are flimsy. In this case, the lie falls apart when one points out that Donald Trump was still President at the time thereby making the FBI under his control. The disappointing part is that when presented with an indisputable despite a fact simple and easy to confirm, they dissemble and become silent, yet remain unconvinced. Even some of the rioters who have completed their sentences have yet to falter in their loyalty which I believe makes them completely unreachable. These people are the most dangerous.
Some politicians realize that we face an imminent threat. They understand so well that they know that they have more to fear than just their jobs. They fear for their lives in many cases. Mitt Romney, a staunch conservate Republican, but openly opposes Donald Trump has had to pay $5,000 per day on personal security for he and his family. His biography, “Romney: A Reckoning,” by McKay Coppins revealed there were more Senators who wanted to vote against Donald Trump during the Senate impeachment trial. They were talked out of it, not by the merit of the argument, but by the fear of retribution from Trump’s base. The fear they felt was not hyperbole, and they realized it. The intelligent Congressmen realize they are always one misstep away from not only Trump but that of his followers.
The less intelligent of them have not yet realized how tenuous their relationship with him really is. Some, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene are unfaltering in her devotion, but doesn’t realize how little that means. You are only as good as the last thing you have done for him and the next thing you can do. As stated, one misstep and it’s over. Those who are lucky will just get primaried out of their Congressional seat. The less fortunate may find his rabble outside their door.
I speculate that it is now safer to be a Democrat in open opposition than a Republican who has been perceived a betraying or defying him. Though the Democrats are for the most part sane and less volatile, we have enough unity to enforce accountable for criminal actions through legal navigation and manipulation. We look for each other and make sure that injustices are escalated until they are unable to be ignored as in the case of Derek Chauvin. Though peaceful protest is our first line of offense, my home city of Minneapolis is an example of how quickly we are ready to switch gears, again demonstrated in the case of Derek Chauvin. Trump cultists are at disadvantage is this regard. Defiance or defection is difficult to recover from and there is little compassion or forgiveness. Trump, himself, is more forgiving than his followers. Once on the outs of MAGA one really can’t count on prior relationships. Those friends already value Trump more than you regardless of the relation or longevity of friendship. Even people who love you more than him run the risk of earning the same fate. There is little room to maneuver and ultimately your best chance lies with the Democrats. We are in general more forgiving and value you as a cautionary tale if nothing else.
He is capable of going from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye, and his followers are ready to mobilize. His transactional nature doesn’t always work in his favor. He lacks the foresight and frankly the general wisdom to determine what is in his best interests in the future and sometimes in the moment. His MAGA shock troopers are even less capable of making decision in his best interests or their own. The willingness to act against self-interest to advance and protect Donald Trump give them a dangerous advantage. Fearing not only retaliation from those loyal to Trump, but any criminal liability they may incur during conflict with MAGA places his opposition in a double-bind. With only the ability to defend themselves they are reliant upon law enforcement for protection. Police may not deem their assistance or interference necessary or advisable. Another issue which makes law enforcement unreliable or even unsafe is the infiltration of MAGA into lawful enforcement and the military.
Demonstrations of his willingness to throw people under the bus or directly attack them as soon as a violation of what his perceives as loyalty to him. This can be as little as mistakenly presenting incorrect facts or giving unsolicited advice. He needlessly introduced his son, Eric, as a material source as validation in order to deny personal knowledge or responsibility for actions considered to be fraud during his deposition for the New York State civil trial. His supporters take unspoken instructions quickly and without concern of the consequences or personal danger of their actions. Since his loyalty doesn’t extend to his family or to anyone else, so there is no reason to be loyalty to support who are unrelated. This is where disconnect is revealed. His supporters refuse to recognize his general disinterest and contempt for them. Their sense of independent security is misplaced and are unwilling to accept that he has anything but their best interests at heart.
Those of us who recognize the imminent danger we face cannot afford to hide from this problem. Truth and democracy are at stake. By engaging in informed discussions, supporting credible sources of media, and actively participating in all levels of government elections we can counter disinformation and hold our leaders accountable. We must counter-message in a way that proves to Trump supports that they are in as much danger as we are. The only real way to convince them that there is a threat to them is by showing them that they are vulnerable too. The inconsistent and caprious nature of Trumpism will catch up with them in some capacity.
No one is safe. In the end, if they don’t fear the government, if they don’t fear Donald Trump, they should at the very least fear each other.
— Citizen Mooney