Francis Wilkinson: Trump has paved the way for future demagogues

A large national survey released last week by PRRI, a nonpartisan, nonprofit polling organization, applied some sharp detail to the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S. The overall trend, of course, is unmistakable. Donald Trump lavishes praise on international thugs and promises to unleash vengeance on any American who excites his insecurities or inhibits his criminality.

The Republican Supreme Court issued an ahistorical, counter-constitutional ruling earlier this year with an express goal to shield Trump from accountability for crimes committed in office, thus supplying tacit approval of new crimes should he return to the White House. Republican state officials increasingly employ anti-democratic means to rule their states. Meanwhile, the threat of another violent MAGA coup attempt looms over the election landscape.

The PRRI survey, conducted online in June with a sample of 5,352 adults, is partly about Trump’s supply-side authoritarianism. But it’s also about the demand side. The poll shows the crosscurrents of Trumpism, Christian nationalism and right-wing propaganda — Fox News and its ilk play a supporting role — that fuel authoritarian views. Republicans who don’t adhere to far-right Christian doctrine, don’t view Trump favorably, or don’t rely on right-wing news are all far less likely to hold authoritarian views than those who do.

For example, more than one-fourth of Republicans (27%) say that true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country, more than three times the percentage of Democrats who say the same. But Trump fans (32%) are three times as likely as Republicans who hold unfavorable views of Trump (11%) to support political violence.

Similarly, more than half of Republicans who view Trump favorably agree that we need a leader willing to break rules, compared with one-quarter of Republicans who view Trump unfavorably.

Nearly one-third (29%) of Republicans who view Trump favorably agree with the statement, “If Donald Trump is not confirmed as the winner of the 2024 election, he should declare the results invalid and do whatever it takes to assume his rightful place as president.” It’s hard to imagine a more explicit endorsement of Trump’s lawless lust for power.

The poll illuminates the cultural reaction feeding authoritarianism. Asked whether society has become too “soft and feminine,” 68% of Republicans agree, compared with only 20% of Democrats. Among Republicans who favor Trump, agreement hits 73%.

Republicans are far more eager than Democrats to confine men and women to traditional roles. “In a truly Christian family, the husband is the head of the household and his wife submits to his leadership” is supported by twice as many Republicans (45%) as Democrats (22%).

Immigration has been a chief focus of Trump’s demagogy for nine years. Among Republicans, 60% agree with the “Great Replacement Theory,” a conspiracy theory that Brown and Black immigrants are being imported to displace Whites in the U.S. (The 1965 Immigration Act that altered immigration flows to the U.S. is apparently too mundane an explanation for GOP voters.) Republicans who hold a favorable view of Trump are more than twice as likely (68%) as those with an unfavorable view (32%) to agree that immigrants are invading the U.S. Among Trump fans, 73% agree with Trump’s Nazi-infused rhetoric that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”

The macabre dance between paranoia and propaganda is on display when media habits are added to the mix. Among those who most trust conservative news, 81% agree with the Great Replacement, about four times more (23%) than among those who most trust mainstream news.

Christian supremacy, like White supremacy, is a factor, with 43% of Trump fans agreeing that “God wants Christians to take control” of the “7 mountains” of society, a reference to Christian supremacists dominating key sectors of American life, including education, business and government.

If Christian supremacy fails, there is always Armageddon. Two-thirds of Republicans agree that “the final battle between good and evil is upon us, and Christians should stand firm with the full armor of God.” Agreement rises to 76% among Americans who most trust conservative news sources.

The poll portrays a conservative America saturated with extremism and dystopian fantasy. Trump supporters are akin to an audience at a horror film, cringing at ghastly scenes while begging for more “American carnage.” Trump’s demagogy feeds that appetite, but it does something more. It provides a roadmap for similarly unscrupulous politicians to travel in his wake.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Francis Wilkinson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering U.S. politics and policy. Previously, he was executive editor for the Week and a writer for Rolling Stone.

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