He is outnumbered by people who hate him for many varied reasons, but those people tend to divide easily amongst themselves. And he has people behind him from whom he demands unquestioned loyalty, and they are more than willing to give him that.
Thank you Noah. I don’t understand how people can look at fascist policies and support them. What is the mental gymnastics required to be ok with the atrocities taking place? Is it partisanship? I think if Joe Biden had sent ICE into Minneapolis, MAGA would have rioted in the streets.
I know about the news bubble- we all are fed according to our algorithmic diet, leading to rampant confirmation bias, but that doesn’t explain how the actions themselves are perceived. For MAGA, is it as simple as, “if Trump does it, I agree”?
I know I’m guilty too. I’m more likely to hear out a Democrat and consider their reasoning than I am a Republican. But I don’t abdicate all critical thought. Biden was wrong about Gaza, horrifically and tragically wrong. The fact that I appreciate his leadership in other areas doesn’t erase that.
Also, how are Americans more upset at the price of gas than bombing people?
I think I’m still, at this late date, coming to terms with what America really is, beyond all the propaganda I’ve absorbed. Or maybe it’s humanity as a whole that’s the problem.
My mom voted for Trump, twice. The third time she abstained from voting. Her story is a slightly different one. She is a Chinese immigrant (American citizen) who married a white American. She had never voted for anyone until Trump one. She said she thought politicians were "all the same" until Trump caught her eye. He was bright, shiny and anti establishment. She loved his bluster, so much so that she severed several family relationships over her choice. There is something strangely attractive about Trump that goes way beyond normal politics. Incidentally she really like AOC so I think for her it is more a cult of personality thing for her.
I posted this after the murder of Renee Good in Minnesota several months ago. It's a bit of a rant and it's tangential here but I still think it applies. I attempt to explain why so many Americans support authoritarianism in America in 2026. I think it adds a little more perspective to Noah's analysis from another angle that we don't really talk about. How authoritarianism has become so ubiquitous that it's practiced not just by the government but reinforced by society every day in a million insidious ways. Anyway, it's something else to think about in terms of who we are. I guarantee a lot of people reading this have experienced trauma in their home lives yet have managed to hold on to their empathy and maybe even their humanity even in the face of the horrible treatment they've received at the hands of those who seemingly possess little of either.
"Here's the thing though. America's fascism problem *starts at home.* What many people who are trying the justify her murder see in this video is an uppity liberal lesbian *confronting authority* in a way that they are deeply uncomfortable with because they have been socially conditioned from birth that authority (especially the authority of white men) *must not be challenged.*
I can't tell you how many times I have seen badly dysregulated parents harshly disciplining their children in public for being children. For being "disrespectful." For "talking back" or "being lippy." For asking innocent questions that inadvertently challenge the parents' unquestionable authority. Or, worst of all, for being openly defiant.
These are parents who go on social media to claim that kids today are out of control because they don't get their asses whooped. Who say, "I was spanked and I turned out fine,* despite actual science proving how terribly damaging it is for developing nervous systems. Who learned through fear and social conditioning from an early age that obedience is to be given without question to authority - especially to patriarchy. Until the moment they themselves become that authority. As a spouse. As a parent. As a boss. As an LEO, etc. At which point, they begin conditioning others to obey their authority through fear and the worst kind of 'domestic terrorism' (in the most literal sense of the term). They begin abusing their families and anyone else who finds themselves subordinate to the authoritarian's will.
Good's real crime, to most apologists, was her defiance. Her challenge to authority and worse, patriarchy. That is why they are saying she got what she deserved. It's because to many, many minds, she absolutely committed an unthinkable crime.
*America's fascism problem starts at home.*
And yes, this article IS relevant because it describes the actual scourge of American society: poor home lives, which are almost always rooted in exactly the systems I just described to you:"
Have you seen these batshit crazy "news" items? CNN has been carrying water for him in two of these ridiculously suspect polls recently but NBC is a new one. If there's any doubt that every corner of mainstream media is now controlled media, these should erase that definitively.
"After his speech, 62 percent of responents told CNN that Trump’s proposed policies for handling the economy will move the country in the right direction. This is compared to 38 percent who said his proposals will lead the country down the wrong direction."
This is a question that's been plaguing me. I keep hearing about how his poll numbers are tanking, but then I look and think, "that can't be right," that so many people still support him. Thanks for shedding some light on the issue.
Isn't something like 31% of the world's population authoritarian by nature?
This is a great explainer on how the support for trump remains constant. I finally watched "Nuremburg" over the weekend and it hit a little hard.
He is outnumbered by people who hate him for many varied reasons, but those people tend to divide easily amongst themselves. And he has people behind him from whom he demands unquestioned loyalty, and they are more than willing to give him that.
Thanks for this great analysis. It makes perfect sense. Also, I just learned about the Wilmington Massacre from you.
Thank you Noah. I don’t understand how people can look at fascist policies and support them. What is the mental gymnastics required to be ok with the atrocities taking place? Is it partisanship? I think if Joe Biden had sent ICE into Minneapolis, MAGA would have rioted in the streets.
I know about the news bubble- we all are fed according to our algorithmic diet, leading to rampant confirmation bias, but that doesn’t explain how the actions themselves are perceived. For MAGA, is it as simple as, “if Trump does it, I agree”?
I know I’m guilty too. I’m more likely to hear out a Democrat and consider their reasoning than I am a Republican. But I don’t abdicate all critical thought. Biden was wrong about Gaza, horrifically and tragically wrong. The fact that I appreciate his leadership in other areas doesn’t erase that.
Also, how are Americans more upset at the price of gas than bombing people?
I think I’m still, at this late date, coming to terms with what America really is, beyond all the propaganda I’ve absorbed. Or maybe it’s humanity as a whole that’s the problem.
Thank you for helping me think about all of this.
So to summarize, 39 percent of the country are fascist POS?
My mom voted for Trump, twice. The third time she abstained from voting. Her story is a slightly different one. She is a Chinese immigrant (American citizen) who married a white American. She had never voted for anyone until Trump one. She said she thought politicians were "all the same" until Trump caught her eye. He was bright, shiny and anti establishment. She loved his bluster, so much so that she severed several family relationships over her choice. There is something strangely attractive about Trump that goes way beyond normal politics. Incidentally she really like AOC so I think for her it is more a cult of personality thing for her.
I posted this after the murder of Renee Good in Minnesota several months ago. It's a bit of a rant and it's tangential here but I still think it applies. I attempt to explain why so many Americans support authoritarianism in America in 2026. I think it adds a little more perspective to Noah's analysis from another angle that we don't really talk about. How authoritarianism has become so ubiquitous that it's practiced not just by the government but reinforced by society every day in a million insidious ways. Anyway, it's something else to think about in terms of who we are. I guarantee a lot of people reading this have experienced trauma in their home lives yet have managed to hold on to their empathy and maybe even their humanity even in the face of the horrible treatment they've received at the hands of those who seemingly possess little of either.
"Here's the thing though. America's fascism problem *starts at home.* What many people who are trying the justify her murder see in this video is an uppity liberal lesbian *confronting authority* in a way that they are deeply uncomfortable with because they have been socially conditioned from birth that authority (especially the authority of white men) *must not be challenged.*
I can't tell you how many times I have seen badly dysregulated parents harshly disciplining their children in public for being children. For being "disrespectful." For "talking back" or "being lippy." For asking innocent questions that inadvertently challenge the parents' unquestionable authority. Or, worst of all, for being openly defiant.
These are parents who go on social media to claim that kids today are out of control because they don't get their asses whooped. Who say, "I was spanked and I turned out fine,* despite actual science proving how terribly damaging it is for developing nervous systems. Who learned through fear and social conditioning from an early age that obedience is to be given without question to authority - especially to patriarchy. Until the moment they themselves become that authority. As a spouse. As a parent. As a boss. As an LEO, etc. At which point, they begin conditioning others to obey their authority through fear and the worst kind of 'domestic terrorism' (in the most literal sense of the term). They begin abusing their families and anyone else who finds themselves subordinate to the authoritarian's will.
Good's real crime, to most apologists, was her defiance. Her challenge to authority and worse, patriarchy. That is why they are saying she got what she deserved. It's because to many, many minds, she absolutely committed an unthinkable crime.
*America's fascism problem starts at home.*
And yes, this article IS relevant because it describes the actual scourge of American society: poor home lives, which are almost always rooted in exactly the systems I just described to you:"
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/teen-social-media-use-depression-19542027.php
Have you seen these batshit crazy "news" items? CNN has been carrying water for him in two of these ridiculously suspect polls recently but NBC is a new one. If there's any doubt that every corner of mainstream media is now controlled media, these should erase that definitively.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5775642-trump-2028-presidential-race-poll/
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5754296-just-1-in-3-state-of-the-union-watchers-confident-trump-will-lower-costs-flash-poll/
says:
"After his speech, 62 percent of responents told CNN that Trump’s proposed policies for handling the economy will move the country in the right direction. This is compared to 38 percent who said his proposals will lead the country down the wrong direction."
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/democrats-too-liberal-poll-cnn-b2919693.html
Another CNN poll
This is a question that's been plaguing me. I keep hearing about how his poll numbers are tanking, but then I look and think, "that can't be right," that so many people still support him. Thanks for shedding some light on the issue.