It should be, at this point, one of the great riddles of our time—how a man like Donald Trump, buried under the weight of criminal indictments, corruption, and power-grabbing schemes, still commands the unshakable loyalty of millions. One might think that after the second impeachment, or the first criminal charge, or the first time he openly tried to overturn an election, at least some portion of his base would blink, hesitate, reflect. But no. They did not budge.
Instead, his supporters doubled down, dug in, and made his legal troubles their own. Every new revelation of corruption became a new hill to die on, every abuse of power was rationalized, every criticism cast aside as a partisan hit job from an ever-growing list of enemies—Democrats, the deep state, the media, the globalists, the "RINOs." The question, then, is not why Trump is corrupt (we have enough evidence for a lifetime), but why they refuse to see it.
And the answer, if you really look at it, is as psychological as it is political.
The Cult of Victimhood: A Nation Under Siege
At the core of Trumpism is not just loyalty—it is identity. It is the belief that they are the last true Americans, standing against an oppressive liberal elite determined to erase them. In their minds, they are the ones under attack.
Psychologists call this collective narcissism—when a group believes it is uniquely special yet unfairly persecuted. MAGA has weaponized this to perfection. Every single criticism of Trump, no matter how valid, is heard as an attack on them personally (Golec de Zavala 2024). The liberals don’t just hate Trump, they hate you. They don’t just want accountability, they want revenge.
It’s a perfect psychological trap. The more Trump is criticized, the more his followers cling to him, the more they see him as the lone warrior standing between them and obliteration. What should be evidence against him only fuels their loyalty.
And the irony? This is exactly how cults work.
History Repeats Itself: When Strongmen Get a Free Pass
For anyone who thinks this is a new phenomenon—don’t flatter yourself. This has played out before.
Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal? His supporters defended him to the bitter end, insisting it was a liberal conspiracy, that he was the real victim, until the tapes came out and even the most hardened loyalists had to look away (Hofstadter 2008/2011).
Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair? His administration illegally funded right-wing militias, bypassing Congress. Clear-cut corruption. But his supporters? They justified it as a necessary evil to fight communism (Hetherington and Weiler 2009).
Even abroad, Viktor Orbán’s followers in Hungary dismiss accusations of authoritarianism as liberal fear-mongering, even as he erodes democracy before their eyes (Golec de Zavala 2024).
Loyalty to a strongman is never about truth. It is about power, belonging, and fear of losing status. And MAGA has all three.
The GOP’s Favorite Tactic: Projection
It would be almost funny if it weren’t so predictable. If you want to know what MAGA is doing, just listen to what they accuse Democrats of doing.
Trump tries to overturn an election → MAGA screams "Biden stole the election!"
The GOP pushes book bans and speech restrictions → MAGA rants about liberal "censorship"
Trump stacks the courts with loyalists who undermine democracy → MAGA warns about Democratic authoritarianism
It’s a well-worn psychological trick called projection—accusing others of the very things you are guilty of (Nyhan and Reifler 2010). It keeps the base angry, deflects blame, and ensures that no matter what Trump does, the Democrats must always be worse.
And the terrifying thing? It works. Every single time.
Trump’s Government Overreach: The Hypocrisy They Can’t See
MAGA claims to hate big government. They rant endlessly about the deep state, about federal agencies being too powerful, about government needing to be “run like a business.”
And yet—when Trump guts federal agencies, when he consolidates power, when he hires loyalists who pledge allegiance to him over the Constitution—they cheer.
Why?
Because they don’t actually want small government. They want government that punishes the people they don’t like (Hetherington and Weiler 2009). As long as liberals, immigrants, journalists, and political enemies are suffering, government overreach isn’t just excusable—it’s desirable.
They don’t see Trump’s power grab as authoritarianism—they see it as revenge.
Why MAGA Will Never Accept the Facts
At some point, you’d think reality would set in. Surely, some of them have to see the fraud, the lies, the abuse, the clear authoritarian rhetoric.
But they won’t.
Because at this stage, accepting the truth is no longer an option.
Psychologists call it motivated reasoning—the brain’s way of warping reality to fit what we already believe. When people are deeply invested in a worldview, they will ignore facts, reject corrections, and even double down on their beliefs when confronted with evidence that contradicts them (Nyhan and Reifler 2010).
And for MAGA, the cost of admitting they were wrong is simply too high.
To admit Trump is corrupt is to admit they were lied to.
To admit Trump lost fairly is to admit they wasted years fighting a delusion.
To admit Trump was a fraud is to admit they were conned.
And that’s the real reason they won’t turn on him. Because the alternative—to accept the reality that they were deceived—is a level of psychological pain most people simply cannot bear.
So they will lie to themselves instead.
And Trump, as he always has, will exploit that to the very end.
Conclusion: The Fortress of MAGA’s Loyalty
In the end, the inability of Trump supporters to hold him accountable isn’t political ignorance or mere stubbornness—it is a psychological necessity.
They see themselves as a persecuted group, so every attack on Trump only strengthens their devotion.
They are conditioned to reject information that contradicts their beliefs, no matter how compelling.
They are locked into a cycle of projection, blaming Democrats for their own party’s failures.
They do not actually oppose government overreach, they just want it aimed at their enemies.
And above all—they cannot afford to be wrong.
Trump is not a man to them anymore. He is a symbol—a shield, a last stand, a promise that they will not fade into irrelevance.
And no matter how many scandals come out, no matter how many crimes he commits, no matter how many times reality tries to break through—
That shield will always be more comforting than the truth.
References
Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka. 2024. Authoritarians and “Revolutionaries in Reverse”: Why Collective Narcissism Threatens Democracy.
Hetherington, Marc J., and Jonathan D. Weiler. 2009. Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics.
Hofstadter, Richard. 2008/2011. The Paranoid Style in American Politics, and Other Essays.
Jost, John T., et al. 2003. Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition.
Nyhan, Brendan, and Jason Reifler. 2010. When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions.
