MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough discussed former President Donald Trump's supporters on Monday, asking if the "Make America Great Again" movement is a "cult."
Scarborough's statements on the MAGA movement come only a day after the release of a poll that noted 71% of respondents believe what Trump says ahead of their friends and family at 63%, conservative media figures at 56%, and religious leaders at 42%. When his co-host and wife Mika Brzezinski said she felt sorry "for people who are part of a cult," Scarborough stated they could not define what a cult is but noted that Trump supporters are fiercely loyal to the former president.
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"If you want to start digging into and studying whether this is a cult or not, and we don't know whether it's a cult or not," Scarborough said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "My gosh, we're just not qualified to make that assessment. I know there are probably going to be a lot of smart people who study cults looking at these numbers and going, 'Wow, they trust this failed reality TV host more than they trust family members, friends, and religious leaders.' It sounds, like, awfully ominous, especially when you look at all of the things that Donald Trump has done to break their trust."
Later in the show, Scarborough returned to the topic of people trusting the former president, stating that he and his wife were wondering how people could still support Trump in 2023. Scarborough added that he looked up the definition of "cult" online and found that cult leaders are "dynamic, charismatic and convincing since their goal is to control their members" to acquire power.
"These characteristics are crucial because the cult leader needs his members to strictly adhere to his teachings and doctrines," Scarborough said. "Well, the funny thing there is that it doesn't really fit there because Donald Trump doesn't have any teaching or doctrine other than, 'Follow me blindly.' But think about it. How twisted it is, just generally, that in America, people follow a political leader. Like, we always ask the question: Why do people have flags of a politician? Trump people might be proud about that. No, that's nothing to be proud about."
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Other details from the poll, released by CBS and YouGov, placed Trump at 62% among likely Republican primary voters who were asked whom they would vote for. It marks Trump's biggest lead in the network's polling, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in a distant second at 16%.
Trump has cited the poll as his reason not to participate in the first Republican debate, scheduled for Wednesday. The former president is rumored to be planning some form of counterprogramming on the night of the debate, with reports last week suggesting he was going to sit down for a one-on-one with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.