A recent scientific study revealed the secret to Donald Trump’s popularity. His supporters are general authoritarians that want to be told how to think and what to do. In other words, they embrace Trump as a father figure running for President.
What to Trump supporters have in common? A belief in absolute obedience to authority https://t.co/MLxWweVwm9 pic.twitter.com/dZLLum7Qbe
— Pacific Standard (@PacificStand) January 21, 2016
The authoritarian mindset relies heavily on a belief of obedience to authority. That’s not to say that Trump’s supporters are generally weak people. It simply means that they like Trump for his claims of being able to do things even if he can’t. A perfect example of this is the ongoing play that he makes about making Mexico pay for building the wall. There is absolutely zero chance of that happening, especially considering the debt that they’ve accumulated against the United States, but that doesn’t stop Trump from saying it because he knows that his supporters love hearing it. In most cases, they recognize it’s playful hyperbole but there are still a large number of people who think that he actually means it.
Since the rise of Nazi Germany, authoritarianism has been one of the most widely studied ideas in social science.
https://t.co/RhTD7mgGkU— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) January 21, 2016
The scary part about all of this is that Trump’s supporters tendency towards being submissive makes them ideal subjects for a dictatorship. Though many would never admit or even recognize this aspect of their personality, they see perceived strength and ego as superior qualities in a President rather than policy proposals or actionable concepts. They would rather be told by Trump that he can do something big rather than reality. In fact, when he starts talking about policies that would lie within his power as President, his support weakens.
This explains why Trump can mock his own supporters and know that they’ll continue to support him. They will never leave him because they’re unwilling to believe that he’s capable of doing wrong.