Understanding the Trump Cult Part 2

Most atrocities don’t start with monsters.They start with one irreversible choice. One moment where someone crosses a line they can’t uncross. And from that moment on, everything changes—because turning back would destroy their lives.This is the point of no return.I’ve spent years watching people I know defend the indefensible. Good people. Smart people. People who used to care about truth, decency, and basic human dignity. And I kept asking myself: How did they get here?So I did some research on how normal people commit atrocities. Not to mock them. Not to write them off. But to actually understand the psychology that traps them.Because we’re not dealing with a political movement anymore. It’s a cult. And we have to treat it like one.Here are the 5 psychological tactics cults use to make regular people feel like they can’t turn back once they’ve crossed the line.1. Cognitive DissonanceSomeone does something they know is wrong.They support a policy that hurts people. They defend violence. They participate in something they know violates their values.It doesn’t feel like a big deal at the time. Everyone around them is doing it too.“It’s just politics.”“They deserved it.”“I’m just supporting my side.”But in that moment, they crossed a line.Now they have two choices:* Admit they were wrong and deal with the guilt and consequences.* Keep going and pretend it was justified.In the 1950s, psychologist Leon Festinger discovered something called cognitive dissonance. When your actions contradict your values, your brain experiences psychological pain.Most people resolve this by changing their actions.But some people resolve it by going all in.They know they’ve gone too far. They know if their side loses, it’s over. So they escalate instead of turning back.This is why so many Nazis refused to surrender when Germany fell. They knew what they did was indefensible.That’s how far gone some MAGA supporters are.But here’s the truth: Most of them still have a way back.Yes, there will be some shame. But we will forgive you for being duped. The door is still open.Reference: Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.2. Escalation of CommitmentThis is how ordinary people commit extraordinary harm without feeling like monsters.You do something that violates your morals. Your brain rewrites the story to make it justified. The new story requires you to keep going.Because if you stop now, the original act stands alone. Unforgivable. Unjustifiable. Criminal.But if you escalate, it becomes necessary. Just the next step to the next horrible thing.Psychologist Barry Staw studied this in the 1970s. He called it escalation of commitment.The more you invest in a bad decision, the harder it is to walk away.It’s the sunk cost of shame.They know they’ve gone too far. They feel like there’s no way back. So they keep going because their pride won’t let them stop.Reference: Staw, B. M. (1976). “Knee-deep in the Big Muddy: A study of escalating commitment to a chosen course of action.” Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(1), 27-44.3. Mutual DestructionThis is how cults work.They don’t just make you believe. They make you participate.Once you’ve committed crimes together, you’re bonded by mutual destruction. They go down, you go down.MAGA did this on January 6th. Thousands of people committing federal crimes together. Harassment campaigns. Coordinated attacks on election workers.They implicated themselves in crimes. Leaving means turning on yourself.Where were your leaders that day? They were watching it on TV.This is exactly what’s happening with MAGA:* They started by supporting Trump.* Then they defended his lies.* Then they excused the cruelty.* Then they stormed the Capitol.* Then they defended federal agents killing protesters.* Now they’re defending PDF files in the Epstein files.The MAGA cult will make you do horrible things to keep proving loyalty to the cult.They go down, you go down.Reference: Cialdini, R. B. (1984). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Business.4. The Escalation AcceleratesIn 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo ran the Stanford Prison Experiment.From 70 student applicants, he chose 24 to take part. He assigned 12 students to be prison guards and 12 to be prisoners.He gave ordinary people authority and power over the prisoner students.The experiment was supposed to last 14 days but was cut short at just 6 days because of what they were witnessing.The guards’ behavior turned very quickly—from being strict with the prisoners to sadistic and cruel in just days.Because each act of cruelty made the next one easier.These were normal students. Not lunatics.This proved that under the right conditions, some people will act horribly when they get power over others.Reference: Zimbardo, P. G. (1971). “The power and pathology of imprisonment.” Congressional Record. (Serial No. 15, October 25, 1971). Hearings before Subcommittee No. 3, of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session on Corrections, Part II, Prisons, Prison Reform and Prisoner’s Rights: California. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.5. DehumanizationTo keep escalating, empathy has to shut down.Dehumanization is when you stop seeing people as people.You turn them into threats. Monsters. Enemies.Because it’s easier to hurt something that isn’t human.* Immigrants become “invaders.”* Protesters become “Antifa terrorists.”* Trans kids become “groomers.”Psychologist Stanley Milgram proved how powerful this is in 1961. He found that 65% of ordinary people would deliver fatal electric shocks to strangers if an authority figure told them it was necessary.Not because they were sadistic. Because they believed they had no choice.The cult has convinced them:* That they are special.* That their team is full of winners.* That they are defending America, fighting for freedom, standing as the resistance.If they’re the heroes, their actions are necessary.If they’re not the heroes, their actions are evil.So they have to be the heroes no matter what that requires.Reference: Milgram, S. (1963). “Behavioral Study of Obedience.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378.The Point of No ReturnIf you’re watching someone you love go down this road, they’re trapped.Some by crimes. Some by identity.The escalation doesn’t stop.Eventually, the cult will ask them to do something they can’t come back from. Once they do, they’re locked in.Or at least they think they are.This is the point of no return in their minds.There Is Still a Way OutIf you are a MAGA supporter—or have one in your family or friends—don’t cross that line with the cult.You have a way out right now, right here.This is your chance to leave.The door is open. You just need to walk through it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lucasbean.substack.com/subscribe