EDITORIAL: MAGA doesn’t want freedom, they want a DADDY

How the right traded the Constitution for a cult of personality

It is time we stop pretending. A substantial portion of the MAGA movement is not animated by a sincere commitment to liberty or conservative ideals. Despite the rhetoric about freedom, the Constitution, and personal responsibility, their political posture in 2025 is grounded not in a love of democracy, but in a desire for obedience—obedience to a singular authority figure who can validate their grievances, provide simple answers, and punish the people they believe are responsible for their misfortunes.

That figure, once again, is Donald J. Trump. With his return to the presidency, Trump is no longer merely a political disruptor—he is now a president acting openly and deliberately outside the traditional boundaries of American democracy. And for much of his base, this is not only acceptable, but precisely what they have longed for.

Let us be clear: this is not about policy disagreements or competing visions for the country. Many in the MAGA base are not confused voters, nor are they misguided libertarians. They are, in many cases, people who have abandoned the very principles they once claimed to hold dear. They say they value freedom and constitutional government, but they cheer when Trump bypasses Congress, threatens the judiciary, and weaponizes executive power against his critics. Their loyalty lies not with ideas, but with a man.

This dynamic has been extensively documented. In The Echo Machine, I write about how the political right’s turn toward authoritarianism has been less about economic anxiety or foreign competition, and more about a craving for control and certainty. For many MAGA adherents, democracy is only tolerable if it produces their desired outcomes. When it doesn’t, they are perfectly willing to discard it.

Studies have shown that Trump’s most ardent supporters score highly on authoritarian personality traits—submission to strong leaders, hostility toward outsiders, and a rigid attachment to traditional hierarchies. These psychological traits, far more than any policy position, have proven to be the strongest predictors of unwavering loyalty to Trump—even when he contradicts the values he once claimed to champion.

Despite the movement's stated opposition to “identity politics,” what we are witnessing is, in fact, a form of identity politics—one rooted in preserving the perceived status and cultural dominance of white, Christian, conservative Americans, particularly men. The desire to return to a mythical past—a time when their social position went unquestioned—is a powerful undercurrent. Support for Trump is highest among white voters, while resistance is strongest among women of color. This is not a coincidence.

And now, in his second term, Trump has begun acting not as a president, but as a ruler. He has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite deportations, threatened to suspend habeas corpus, demanded personal loyalty pledges from federal employees, and purged civil servants who are insufficiently loyal. He openly disregards court rulings and constitutional checks, justifying his actions under the broad banner of “emergency powers.”

These are not theoretical concerns. These are the actions of the sitting president of the United States. And yet, his base is not alarmed—they are elated. This is the strongman they always wanted, one who tells them who to hate, who to fear, and who to blame. Whether it’s immigrants, China, Joe Biden, or “globalists,” Trump gives them enemies, and they respond with cheers.

According to polling from just last year, nearly half of Republicans agreed that the U.S. needs a leader willing to break the rules to “fix” the country. This is not a call for reform. It is a call for authoritarianism. They are not asking for a government that works better—they are demanding a government that does what they want, by any means necessary.

What we are witnessing is not a grassroots populist uprising. It is an organized retreat from democratic norms, carried out under the banner of grievance and enforced by a cult of personality. The institutions that once served as guardrails—Congress, the courts, the media—are bending under pressure. Trump is consolidating power, dismantling oversight, and his base is rewarding him for it.

This was never about freedom. It was about hierarchy. The MAGA movement never truly wanted a president. It wanted a patriarch—a figure who would punish outsiders, silence dissent, and restore a rigid social order with them on top. They speak of liberty, but what they truly love is domination—as long as they are the ones doing the dominating.

If the rest of the country does not wake up to this reality, if we continue to treat this moment as if it is merely partisan politics as usual, we risk losing far more than just elections. We risk the very foundations of our democratic system.