When Politics Stops Being Political: A Trauma-Informed Look at MAGA and Belonging

Disclaimer: This piece is not about politics. It’s about psychology, trauma, and the way fear-based systems shape human behavior and belonging. My intention is not to shame or alienate anyone—especially clients or readers who hold different beliefs—but to explore the relational and nervous system dynamics that show up in high-control movements of all kinds. This is a trauma-informed reflection, not a political argument.

Why MAGA Never Functioned Like a Traditional Political Movement

Over the past few years, I’ve watched something unfold in our culture that feels less like politics and more like the relational dynamics I work with every day in therapy. People weren’t just voting—they were attaching. They were finding identity, belonging, and a sense of safety inside a movement that demanded loyalty, even when that loyalty contradicted reality.

I didn’t understand it at first. What I felt was a rising, almost physical frustration every time someone defended something that felt indefensible. It didn’t make sense to me why people were so fiercely loyal to a man who seemed to contradict himself at every turn. I kept trying to approach it logically, but logic never touched it.

How Trauma and Attachment Shape Political Identity

The shift happened when I stopped trying to make sense of it politically and finally looked at it through the psychology I work with every day. Once I recognized the dynamics as trauma-based—patterns that mirrored the same attachment wounds I see in trauma-bonded systems—everything clicked. 

People weren’t necessarily aligning with him because of intelligence, morality, or detailed policy positions. They were aligning because something in them felt safer with him than without him. Many supporters said he seemed like someone who could “fix” what felt broken. Others were (and still are) drawn to his defiance and certainty—traits that feel stabilizing for people who live with chronic fear, chaos, or instability. When your nervous system has never known true safety, a forceful voice can feel like protection.

For some, the movement became a surrogate family—somewhere to anchor fear, shame, grief, and disillusionment. Having compassion didn’t erase accountability, but it made it possible to see a fuller picture of what was happening.

The Role of Religion & “Ordained Leadership” in MAGA Loyalty

A 2024 PRRI survey found that nearly 59% of respondents identified as Christian nationalism Adherents or Sympathizers agreed that “God ordained Donald Trump to be the winner of the 2024 presidential election." When a leader is framed as divinely appointed, questioning him doesn’t feel political—it feels spiritual. For people raised in fear-based religion, doubting him can feel like doubting God, and that can register as a threat to their eternal safety.

Trump spoke directly to those fears. He positioned himself as the only one who could protect “faith,” “freedom,” “children,” and “the country.” When people are terrified, their survival brain takes over. From a trauma lens, this isn’t ignorance. It’s limbic hijacking.

Fear, Misinformation, and the Nervous System

Fear narrows awareness. It blocks curiosity. It makes obedience feel like moral courage. Add misinformation—like the persistent false claim that abortions happen at nine months—and emotional certainty forms long before logic has a chance to intervene. This isn’t just propaganda. It’s trauma-based persuasion.

When Facts Stop Working: The Psychology of Epistemic Closure

At a certain point, facts stop functioning as facts. Psychologists call this epistemic closure—the group becomes the arbiter of truth. In MAGA circles, Trump became the gatekeeper. If he said something was fake, it was fake. If he said it was real, it was real. When loyalty replaces discernment, facts feel like personal attacks. Logic can’t reach someone whose nervous system is in survival mode. They don’t need more information. They need safety.

Codependency, Cult Dynamics, and the Wound of Abandonment

Codependency and high-control movements share the same core wound: abandonment. Both rely on an internal bargain that sounds like, “If I stay loyal, maybe I’ll stay safe.” A 2021 study showed that many Trump supporters actually changed their beliefs to match his, even when his stance contradicted their original views.

Researchers like Steven Hassan and Robert Jay Lifton have described this dynamic as a “cult of personality”—not because it’s dramatic, but because emotional influence, repetition, and fear begin overriding personal autonomy.

Why Some People Are Quietly Leaving MAGA

A lot of people are quietly stepping back now. They may not say it publicly—because the social and relational fallout is real—but internally they’re questioning what once felt unquestionable. Leaving any high-control system feels like exile. It’s the same emotional work trauma survivors do when leaving unhealthy relationships.

These people don’t need ridicule. They need safety along with accountability. They need room to think again. Listening without gloating helps. Offering truth gently helps. Boundaries absolutely help.

Why Some Supporters Still Trigger Me

And honestly, I still judge the ones who double down no matter what evidence is presented—the ones who dismiss everything they don’t want to believe as deepfakes, AI, conspiracy, or “fake news.” That level of refusal isn’t just stubbornness; it’s a fear so strong it becomes immovable. You can feel it. You can sense the desperation underneath the denial.

And to witness someone caught in that kind of pain, unable to reach them, is its own kind of helplessness. It’s like watching someone drown in their own righteousness—arms flailing, refusing the life raft, convinced they don’t need help while sinking deeper. There’s grief in that. Not because you want to be right, but because you can see they’re suffering and you can’t do anything to interrupt the trance.

Healing Begins When We Stop Confusing Loyalty With Love

For anyone feeling stuck, scared, conflicted, or exhausted inside the movement: questioning what you were taught isn’t betrayal. It’s growth. The same brain systems that attach to harmful relationships can attach to harmful ideologies. Healing begins when you notice which voices activate fear and which ones regulate you.

Safety doesn’t come from certainty. It comes from connection—to truth, to people, and to yourself. Real belonging never forces you to abandon your integrity. Healing from codependency or an ideological prison is the same work: reclaiming your right to be real.

The question isn’t “Who’s right?”
The question is “Who’s free?”

And freedom begins when we stop mistaking fear for faith—and loyalty for love.

This essay has been adapted and expanded from my original piece published on Elephant Journal.