Republicanism as Bad Religion: The "Cult" of Trump in Contemporary American Politics

Since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, it has become commonplace for his opponents to refer to him as a "cult leader." The apparent fanaticism of his supporters inspires both awe and fear in observers. His propensity to disseminate conspiracy theories and alleged encouragement o...

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Détails bibliographiques
Autres titres:"Special Issue: The Return of the Cult: Bad Religion in the Age of Trump and COVID"
Auteur principal: Crockford, Susannah (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publié: 2023
Dans: Implicit religion
Année: 2021, Volume: 24, Numéro: 2, Pages: 219-243
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Trump, Donald 1946- / USA / Culte de la personnalité / Rhétorique / Style politique / Republican Party (USA) / Mouvement évangélique / Histoire 2016-2021
Classifications IxTheo:CG Christianisme et politique
KAJ Époque contemporaine
KBQ Amérique du Nord
KDG Église libre
ZC Politique en général
Sujets non-standardisés:B Christian Nationalism
B Anthropology
B Rhetoric
B cult discourse
B Evangelicalism
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Résumé:Since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, it has become commonplace for his opponents to refer to him as a "cult leader." The apparent fanaticism of his supporters inspires both awe and fear in observers. His propensity to disseminate conspiracy theories and alleged encouragement of the Jan 6 insurrection pushes Trump beyond the boundaries of political norms. In this article, I trace the elements of Trump's rhetorical and political style that led to accusations of his being some sort of charismatic "cult leader." The analysis broadens to discuss the complex interconnections between modern Republicanism in the US and Protestant Christianity, examining how a form of nationalist morality has come to uphold their claims to power. Both opponents and supporters of Donald Trump see him in a religious frame, either as a dangerous authoritarian leader or messianic saviour. What does this tell us about the definitions and boundaries of religion and politics? And why does Donald Trump seem to trouble those boundaries?
ISSN:1743-1697
Contient:Enthalten in: Implicit religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/imre.23200