Authoritarianism Expert Explains Why Donald Trump Fans Love ‘Daddy’ So Much
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Ruth Ben-Ghiat broke down the former president's effective "manipulation of emotion."
Authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat has talked about Donald Trump’s ability to emotionally manipulate his supporters and why they think “he’s daddy.”
On the latest episode of Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway’s “Pivot” podcast, Ben-Ghiat began by explaining how resentment of social progress propelled Trump to the White House and warned how it could see the presumptive GOP nominee return to power once again.
Trump responded to the backlash to that progress by taking a page out of the authoritarian leader playbook and modeling himself on what people wanted, said the history professor at New York University and author of the 2021 book “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.”
The four-times-indicted ex-POTUS was “the male brute” and “perfect person as the anti-Obama” who “addressed the people who felt that women had too much power, same-sex marriages were taking over, all of the racial stuff,” she added.
Trump told his supporters that “he loved them, that they were the forgotten and so there’s a sense that he’s not just going to represent them, he’s going to protect them and take care of them,” said Ben-Ghiat.
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Despite his best efforts, the former GOP representative has failed to outrun the congressional investigation into his alleged crimes.
Republicans who oppose Trump's Cabinet nominees could find themselves with a lump of coal — or a primary challenger — in the next Congress.
“Anybody who wants to give me heat for doing my job, bring it on,” said John Curtis, who was elected to replace the Trump critic in the upper chamber.
The president’s season’s greetings were greeted with contempt by conservatives for the silliest reason.
The former congressman knocked the "sad" NBC show following the comedian's name-drop.
Bill Hagerty claimed the billionaire's social media takes led to his office being "inundated with calls."
The Bulwark's Tim Miller wrote that the election-denying conspiracy theorist made a "SCENE" at a Turning Point USA conference afterparty.
A sheriff in rural, coastal Oregon says he's concerned about letters asking residents to collect information on immigrants.
Trump also talked about the TikTok ban and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leading the health department.
Following a 5-month absence from the House, Granger's family confirmed she was dealing with dementia.