A cult can be any system of religious worship or veneration of a person, thing or ideal. Most commonly it’s understood to be a false or radical pseudo-religious system, usually headed by someone afforded god-like status by their followers.
During Donald Trump’s first term, and even now, numerous psychologists pronounced him mentally ill, despite having never met or diagnosed him. Such arms-length diagnoses are, to say the least, unethical. Trump has repeatedly taken, and passed, cognitive assessments.
But now, there is a movement in psychological circles not only to brand Trump as the leader of a cult, but to so brand everyone who votes for Trump or appreciates his policies.
Graphic: X Post
A new training out for therapists and mental health professionals paints President Donald Trump as a cult leader and the Make America Great Again movement as a "cult on a national scale." The course, designed for therapists, is entitled The Impact of Donald Trump on America - A Cultic Studies Perspective and it was held on August 7, 2025.
The course is a violation of ethical guidelines for therapists and encourages therapists and mental health professionals to position themselves both in opposition to Trump-supporting clients and to bring activism into their treatment.
The course was led online by Jamie Marich, Ph.D. who listed her pronouns as she/they/we and is a clinical trauma specialist. She was joined by Dr. Janja Lalich, a sociologist and cult expert. Chief executive officer of Healing Selves Therapeutics Heather LS Scarsboro, who also listed her pronouns (they, them, we), joined them as well.
Marich and Lalich teach MAGA is a cult “on a national scale” and a white supremacy movement.
The "cult" members, they say, see Trump "as someone who promised them he would make America great again, and for them that meant getting rid of the black and brown people…I think that's what most people bought into," stated Dr. Janja Lalich. [skip] She continued to say that the United States was built on racism and the "MAGA crowd" doesn't care about the price of eggs, but "…all they care about is that he [Trump] is getting rid of black and brown people in our country.
Lalich also claims MAGA is “grounded in racism, but apparently was unable to provide any specific examples of that racism. She did, however, expose her real ideology:
"We have to challenge ICE in every state." She believes illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States unchallenged and implied that those who support border laws are racist.
Dr. Marich described the Catholic Church as "cultish" and blames religious beliefs and churches for the negative traits she associates with Trump supporters.
Democrats are infamous for projection. Whatever they’re accusing others of doing or wanting to do, they’re doing themselves.
This is particularly true of cultish behavior, as fiercely secular Democrats tend to rally around a maximum leader like Barack Obama, who is depicted as a savior with pseudo-religious trappings. Oprah Winfrey called Obama “The One,” a probable reference to Neo in the Matrix films, an all-powerful, god-like savior. Others called him “The Lightbringer,” and innumerable depictions of Obama with a halo can be found by googling “Obama halo.” Upon winning the Democrat nomination for president, he proclaimed:
“this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal ...”
Obama was the “New Hope.” The New York Times produced a graphic montage superimposing him over a cross with the White House at its base for Easter, 2010.
Normal Americans, largely but not exclusively Republicans, don’t see politicians as saviors, and certainly not as religious figures. For most that’s blasphemy, a sin they avoid. To them, MAGA represents nothing more than an acronym for a worthy, patriotic goal. There is no connotation, racial or otherwise, beyond that.
They tend to see all politicians as liars, fools and scoundrels, but are willing to be pleasantly surprised, as they have been by Donald Trump. They’re clear-eyed about his faults. They know we all sin, but they’re also willing to give people second chances, which they see as a uniquely American, positive attribute.
They, like me, vote for whoever they think will do the least damage to the Constitution and to Americans. Trump has done very well by that measure, better than expected. Trump is no Lightbringer. He’s not “the One.” He’s a flawed man and a good president, putting America and Americans first.
If that’s crazy, racist and cultish, sign me up.
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.