Republicanism as Bad Religion: The "Cult" of Trump in Contemporary American Politics
Since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, it has become commonplace for his opponents to refer to him as a "cult leader." The apparent fanaticism of his supporters inspires both awe and fear in observers. His propensity to disseminate conspiracy theories and alleged encouragement o...
| Subtitles: | "Special Issue: The Return of the Cult: Bad Religion in the Age of Trump and COVID" |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Equinox
2023
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| In: |
Implicit religion
Year: 2021, Volume: 24, Issue: 2, Pages: 219-243 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Trump, Donald 1946-
/ USA
/ Personality cult
/ Rhetoric
/ Political style
/ Republican Party (USA)
/ Evangelical movement
/ History 2016-2021
|
| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBQ North America KDG Free church ZC Politics in general |
| Further subjects: | B
Christian Nationalism
B Anthropology B Rhetoric B cult discourse B Evangelicalism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, it has become commonplace for his opponents to refer to him as a "cult leader." The apparent fanaticism of his supporters inspires both awe and fear in observers. His propensity to disseminate conspiracy theories and alleged encouragement of the Jan 6 insurrection pushes Trump beyond the boundaries of political norms. In this article, I trace the elements of Trump's rhetorical and political style that led to accusations of his being some sort of charismatic "cult leader." The analysis broadens to discuss the complex interconnections between modern Republicanism in the US and Protestant Christianity, examining how a form of nationalist morality has come to uphold their claims to power. Both opponents and supporters of Donald Trump see him in a religious frame, either as a dangerous authoritarian leader or messianic saviour. What does this tell us about the definitions and boundaries of religion and politics? And why does Donald Trump seem to trouble those boundaries? |
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| ISSN: | 1743-1697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Implicit religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1558/imre.23200 |