Mental health counselor and mind-control expert Steven Hassan argues that Donald Trump's ability to cultivate a loyal group of supporters has defined his presidency.
“I follow the media of his base and his supporters and they’re already talking about a civil war and they’re already talking about using automatic rifles they’ve been stockpiling,” Hassan told Adam Reilly on Greater Boston on Thursday.
It’s a relationship Hassan likens to a cult. And he would know. He used to belong to one.
“I was recruited into a front group of the Moon cult in 1974, spent two and a half years in it before my deprogramming, and I realized that I had become a different person,” Hassan said.
In his book, “The Cult of Trump,” Hassan chronicles that experience as well as the parallels he sees between Moon’s leadership and Trump’s. He said the president uses manipulation techniques, linguistic patterns, and loaded language that Hassan said “creates an image in people's heads but shuts down any analytical, critical thinking.”
“I think if you want to be the president of the United States, you have to have some narcissism going on,” said Hassan. “With Trump, it’s malignant narcissism. So, pathological lying, thinks he’s above the law, will never take responsibility if he makes a mistake.”
According to Hassan, political tribalism has also been a major factor in Trump’s rise to power.
“What people need to understand is that we like to think, as Americans, we’re above having our minds manipulated or controlled. But we're human beings and ... therefore we're subject to influence,” he said.
As for the 2020 election ahead, Hassan said that those hoping to beat the president need to first acknowledge the realities of the "cult of Trump" if they want to win.
“We really need to roll up our sleeves, understand the problem, and start approaching it as if it was a cult and not expecting him and his followers to act normally,” Hassan said.
