The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control

4.6 | 1,698 ratings

Price: 17.71

Last update: 12-23-2024

About this item

*As featured in the streaming documentary #UNTRUTH—now with a new foreword by George Conway and an afterword by the author*

A masterful and eye-opening examination of Trump and the coercive control tactics he uses to build a fanatical devotion in his supporters written by “an authority on breaking away from cults…an argument that…bears consideration as the next election cycle heats up” (Kirkus Reviews).

Since the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s behavior has become both more disturbing and yet increasingly familiar. He relies on phrases like “fake news” and “build the wall” and continues to spread the divisive mentality of us vs. them. He lies constantly, has no conscience, never admits when he is wrong, and projects all of his shortcomings onto others. He has become more authoritarian, more outrageous, and yet many of his followers remain blindly devoted. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert and a major Trump supporter, calls him one of the most persuasive people living. His need to squash alternate information and his insistence of constant ego stroking are all characteristics of other famous leaders—cult leaders.

In The Cult of Trump, mind-control and licensed mental-health expert Steven Hassan draws parallels between our current president and people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Ron Hubbard, and Sun Myung Moon, arguing that this presidency is in many ways like a destructive cult. He specifically details the ways in which people are influenced through an array of social psychology methods and how they become fiercely loyal and obedient. Hassan was a former “Moonie” himself, and he presents a “thoughtful and well-researched analysis of some of the most puzzling aspects of the current presidency, including the remarkable passivity of fellow Republicans [and] the gross pandering of many members of the press” (Thomas G. Gutheil, MD and professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School). The Cult of Trump is an accessible and in-depth analysis of the president, showing that under the right circumstances, even sane, rational, well-adjusted people can be persuaded to believe the most outrageous ideas.

“This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the current political climate.” (Judith Stevens-Long, PhD and author of Living Well, Dying Well)

Thomas Edmund

Just as relevant now as 2019, probably much moreso

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024

First of all, I can't believe this is written in 2019 - it seems like a lifetime ago and there would be ANY amount more information contains within if it were written today!

I was actually a little hesitant to pick up this book, as anyone familiar with my reading interests I do love cults (uh I mean learning about cults) and I don't shy aware from reading about politics - but on first brush "cult" felt a little too overblown.

However given some of the events of the past weeks (uh people wearing ear bandages for e.g.) and actually giving the book a chance I'm convinced. For anyone who is unaware Steven Hassan is one of the seminal cult experts of the world. He originally was indoctrinated into the 'Moonies' and after escaping them became an expert in how cults operate and how to support people out of them.

So basically Hassan knows his stuff and lays down a lot of information about how as a celebrity and political leader Trump has operated much liked a cult leader and created a following like a cult. If like me you wonder how the most unchristian example of a man has been so celebrated by apparent Christian groups, this book actually explains some of the background (effectively there are many major groups in the US who really could care less about the character of a politician as long as said politician can be a vehicle for their agenda).

For some this book might be confirmation bias, but if you are similar to me in that you weren't too sure if this was an appropriate use of the word 'cult' I strongly recommended this book, its well researched, argued and not unfair. Also has some vital sections on how to help loved ones impacted by cult influence, which is extremely valuable.

Randolph Eck

Interesting discussion on cults - what they are and how they operate

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2021

This is an interesting account of how people get lured into cults. The author has firsthand experience being a former cult member himself – the Moon cult. People like to think that they are in control, but history and social psychology demonstrate that this isn’t so. It’s not the beliefs of the groups that define them as cults, but the way members are deceptively recruited, indoctrinated, and ultimately controlled. The author discusses how control is exerted via four overlapping areas called BITE – Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotion.

We first learn what a cult is. Cult leaders are generally motivated by three things: power, money, sex -in that order. It is estimated by the author that there are five thousand destructive cults operating in the United States. Wow! I find the author’s definition of a cult somewhat broad. For example, some minor religions I feel are more religious in nature that cult-like. There are many types of cults, such as religious, political, psychotherapy/education, commercial, and personality cults. There is an interesting discussion on what produces a cult leader and the profile of such a person. For example, cult leaders can employ lying to deceive their followers. The Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels said, “A lie once told remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.” When lies are repeated, they have the effect of shutting down critical thinking. Another important characteristic of a cult leader is a narcissistic personality, or worse yet, something called malignant narcissism.

Today, with the sheer amount of information coming our way coupled with our fast-paced schedule, a perfect storm of vulnerability has been created. The author discusses three steps to mind control: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing, and then proceeds to provide a more detailed bulleted list of the different facets of the BITE model. There are other techniques as well, such as mirroring, matching, pacing, leading, confusion techniques, pattern interruption, illusion of choice, projection, fear, repetition, and hypnosis. We can see some of this employed in the efforts of Coughlin in the past. After the fairness doctrine was abolished during Reagan’s time in office, we see the spawn of a new generation of right-wing radio personalities. We learn some of the tactics that various conservative media use to indoctrinate viewers. Then there are the Christian right groups that push a theocratic doctrine called Dominionism involving the taking control of political and cultural institutions. There is an interesting discussion on the New Apostolic Reformation, which is led by modern-day “prophets” or “apostles.” The author discusses other religions groups as well, and discusses the alt right.

A chapter is devoted to Trump’s followers and how the Christian right, the working class, Republican Party, Jewish right, alt right, QAnon and the NRA all fit into the picture. Following this is a chapter on suggestions on how to undo mind control. The author calls his approach the Strategic Interactive Approach and “is based on a fundamental presupposition – that respect, trust-building, and love are stronger than fear, hate, and mind control.” The author made an interesting point using a funnel as an analogy for those who might be caught in a cult mentality stating, “If you believe that you have the truth with a capital T, you are going from the wide end of the funnel toward the narrow end. Your view of the world grows limited because you’re only looking for confirmation of your existing beliefs. When you are growing and expanding, you realize how little you know and how much knowledge and understanding you have yet to discover.”

Dennis Gerard Embo, author of The God That Prevailed

A very insightful book on the MAGA phenomenon

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020

Having spent the better part of 25 years as a loyal member of an authoritarian Bible cult founded by a man named Herbert Armstrong. I tell about my cult experiences in my book (available from Amazon.com) entitled The God That Prevailed.
Because of my firsthand experiences in a "thought control" cult, I figured I had a good framework in which to evaluate whether Steven Hassan's claims held any water. The book confirmed my worst suspicians, and then some.
I voted for DJT in 2016 because my dread of an HRC presidency overcame any repugnance I had to the way DJT comported himself during the GOP primaries and presidential campaign. Once he took office I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
From the start I thought there was something odd about Trump's presidential "style." It was like nothing I'd seen before in any previous admin, D or R (and this is going back to Lyndon Johnson). In any case, over time I started feeling more ill at ease when watching clips of DJT's MAGA rallies or him making public statements, or how he managed (or mis-managed, as it were) the Oval Office, and other peculiarities that seemed somehow out of place.
Some weeks ago something Trump said or did somehow revived memories of the cult leader I used to follow, Herbert W Armstrong. That started a mental process and soon I was seeing all sorts of parallels and similiarities to HWA's cult (Worldwide Church of God). I now found the reason I was increasingly being creeped out by DJT. It seemed so cultic in many respects. I'd have to say, Trump more closely resembles Armstrong than any previous US president I have ever read about or watched on TV.
Eventually curiosity got the best of me and I Googled the words "MAGA" and "cult" and viola! A link appeared to Amazon.com and Steven Hassan's book Cult of Trump. I breathed a sigh of relief in that I figured if somebody else noticed cultic behavior in the Trump presidency then I probably wasn't crazy after all.
I ordered his book and when it arrived, dove right in. Digging into Hassan's book revealed additional cultic manipulation techniques that DJT utilizes (that HWA did not) to maintain power and "popularity" from his white base. I won't go into details as there are soooo many examples of the cultic aspect of Trump's presidency.
In short, this book is a valuable addition to the growing catalog of books that reveal the "real" Donald Trump.

Dr. Smith

Dark Title

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2024

This is a gift, and I hope them enjoy reading about Cults.

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