"Father Trump"
What most of us don't get about why folks love Trump
The following article was posted in The Atlantic the other day: “One word describes Trump” by Jonathan Rauch. It’s a great article—take the time to read it. The word: Patrimonialism—is defined as a form of political organization in which authority is based primarily on the personal power exercised by a ruler, either directly or indirectly.
What hit me though when I read through the article is that ‘patri’ refers to ‘father’ and for many of his followers, Trump is their ‘father’. The White Christian Nationalist movement (read The Family by Jeff Sharlet or watch the Netflix documentary) that has been building for the last 40 years subscribes to the father as the dominant figure of the family. We see this in all the evangelical religions right now—in the family, father is not to be questioned, he is to be obeyed. Any challenge to the father will not be accepted—father knows best. This framework provides comfort to adherents of these religions, establishing order in their lives where everyone knows their place—the father/husband is supreme, and family members trust him to lead and protect them.
President Trump has been elected by many of these evangelicals, and they are comfortable ‘obeying’ him. They have convinced themselves he was ‘chosen’ by god and thus, knows all and is not to be questioned. They look up to him as a ‘father’…Father Trump and they will follow him to the ends of the earth.
While many of us are shocked by Trump's behavior—his name-calling, constant lying, and attacks on opponents—his followers remain steadfast. In their view, the "father" can do no wrong; when he acts harshly, it's because those "other people" deserve it, similar to how a father might firmly discipline his children to maintain order. His supporters appreciate his stern demeanor because it aligns with their comfort zone.
When I see traditional Christian writers express shock that evangelicals follow Father Trump, it is because they don’t understand the framework for evangelicals. While love, caring and mercy is what many traditional Christians thought Jesus taught, for evangelicals Jesus taught domination and power through a strong, harsh ‘father’ (god). Remember, the Old Testament which many evangelicals believe is ‘god’s word verbatim’, shows a very harsh, murderous god—cross him and face destruction! He is a strong father and can do no wrong. Father Trump is just as harsh, and they see that as beautiful.
Astonishing, isn't it? But the article offers encouraging insights—there are two ways to diminish "Father Trump's" influence, paralleling what happens in actual families. The first occurs when the father proves incompetent, and the family suffers as a result. Eventually, the father's authority diminishes, and obedience wanes because he fails to fulfill his side of the bargain—leading and protecting the family.
In Trump’s case—as services (care) are removed and his followers suffer, they will begin to see that he is incompetent. This will happen because he’s surrounded himself with incompetents like Hegseth and RFK Jr. Why did he surround himself with incompetents? They are like the children in a family—his staff are the older brother or sister who ‘father’ tells to keep the younger ones (his followers) in line. This works at first but as the incompetence becomes more visible, and the family is in chaos, the younger children no longer accept the older siblings telling them what to do because ‘father’ no longer has authority. The blame ultimately ends up with Father Trump who initially will attempt to blame the staff but after a while, everyone can see it’s not working.
As the article suggests, we should highlight the incompetence. Demonstrate clearly that "Father Trump" is neglecting his followers who are suffering as a result. Eventually, even loyalists will realize his incompetence is significantly impacting their lives. At that point, they'll cease following "Father Trump."
The other area that will bring down Father Trump is corruption. In the beginning they will be fine with him being rich and powerful. In fact, they glory in it because to them, the understanding is that if you’re rich and powerful you are god’s chosen and if you are god’s chosen, you can do no wrong. They believe that whole-heartedly and it is why they have followed him for years. They don’t expect to have his wealth, but they do expect him to have their backs. When it becomes apparent that he is making himself wealthy at their expense (consider Melania's meme coin that recently collapsed in value), there will come a breaking point. The more we can highlight corruption while demonstrating how followers are suffering, the better.
It is not easy to bring down the ‘father’. Challenging paternal authority when children are accustomed to obedience means they stay loyal even when the father is abusive. But when they finally say "enough," it's definitive.
Breaking "Father Trump's" hold won't be simple—his followers have already justified countless instances of troubling behavior. But our best chance to break the stranglehold is to help them see that "Father Trump" is both incompetent and corrupt and they no longer need to suffer his abuse. There are better days ahead and the family can be healed. But for now, Father Trump must be exposed for the incompetent and corrupt leader he is. What can you do today to make that happen?