Trump blinks on tariffs in face of GOP resistance -- but he hasn't given up on his cult leader dreams

[marmar]

Trump blinks on tariffs in face of GOP resistance — but he hasn't given up on his cult leader dreams
"BE COOL": Trump is still giving "last days of Waco" vibes despite a 90-day "pause" on tariffs

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published April 10, 2025 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) History's most famous cults are known primarily for their final suicidal acts: the mass poisoning at Jonestown, the self-immolation of the Branch Davidians, the self-asphyxiations of Heaven's Gate. We know these things happen, but it's still a mystery to most of us how cult members get to this point. Why didn't they hit the eject button sooner, as their leader descended further into his incoherent megalomania? Why did they stick by him, even as it became increasingly clear he was putting the whole community on a pathway to self-destruction? Why didn't more people voice doubts or even confront the cult leader before things got this bad?

We're getting a compelling illustration on the national stage of how a cult leader can induce his followers to stick by him, even as he loses his mind and his behavior becomes too erratic and dangerous to defend. Almost every Republican on Capitol Hill knows that Donald Trump's tariff plan is political suicide, but few are willing to admit that Dear Leader fully intends to see this idiocy to the very end. Instead, most resemble the residents of Jonestown, many who hoped Jim Jones was testing their faith with all this poison-Kool-Aid talk, which allowed them to play along until it was too late to save themselves.

But while the Republican party acts very much like Trump's cult, there are still some obstacles between Trump and his Jim Jones fantasies. He doesn't have congressional Republicans geographically isolated, which is key to maintaining control over the flock. Their connections to the outside world, especially to constituents frantic about rising prices and lost savings, are pulling them away. Many Republican politicians aren't true believers, either, but cynical operators whose "loyalty" to Trump only lasts as far as their perceived self-interest. As a result, a small but growing number of Republicans in both the House and the Senate started to back bills to roll back Trump's tariff powers. For now, the pressure is working. On Wednesday, Trump agreed to a 90-day "pause" on most tariffs, while escalating the trade war with China.

....(snip)....

“They are dying to make a deal. 'Please, please sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything sir,'” he claimed, in a moment quite reminiscent of how late-stage cult leaders experience a total collapse between reality and their grandiose fantasies. "BE COOL!" he barked on Truth Social Wednesday, promising, "Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!" Then there's this confusing and chaotic "pause." It all feels like the final stage of a cult, when the leader's frantic efforts to retain control result in escalating dictates and prophecies that become increasingly hard for followers to make sense of. .......................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/10/blinks-on-tariffs-in-face-of-resistance--but-he-hasnt-given-up-on-his-leader-dreams/