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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 June 2025
Trumpism (Trump-izm) n. 1. Beliefs held by supporters of Donald Trump, also known as the MAGA movement, rendering many incapable of “reasonable argumentation,” one way in which Trumpism is “adjacent to fascism” (Kristol). 2. A politics supported by evangelical Christians, many of whom advocate for a Christian nationalism. 3. A cult of personality predisposed to misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic and racist rhetoric; to the abuse of such terms as “patriot,” “political prisoner” and “traitor”; and to the dissemination of conspiracy theories. 4. A nationalist zealotry that promotes American exceptionalism and devalues historical alliances. 5. A politics committed to the acquisition and maintenance of power through such means as voter suppression, gerrymandering, and vilification. 6. An authoritarian populism similar to Thatcherism in 1980s Britain in which a deregulated capitalism akin to that championed by neoliberalism and lower taxes for the wealthy are promoted as beneficial to all social classes. 7. A grift or con. 8. A worldview that disparages expertise as elitism and attacks educational and governmental institutions. 9. A “progressive disease” (Taylor).
On June 17, 2022, Donald Trump addressed the “Road to Majority” conference in Nashville, Tennessee, organized by the Faith and Freedom Coalition. In addition to the former president, other featured speakers included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, then GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel, televangelist and senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Dallas Dr. Robert Jeffress, and radio show host Michael Medved. With the exception of Medved, whom a 2016 Politico article dubbed the only “vehemently anti-Donald Trump” host at Salem Media (Gold, “Michael Medved”), the roster of keynote speakers confirmed the pro- Trump tone of the meeting as reported on the Coalition's website: “Evangelical activists reinforce[d] Trump's dominance of the GOP” and gave the former president a “warm reception” ( June 21, 2022). In his remarks, Trump attacked the Select Committee on January 6, particularly its finding that he pressured Vice President Mike Pence either to return electors’ votes to the states or declare the 2020 presidential election invalid. As the Committee's hearings continued into the fall of 2022 and a flurry of indictments followed in 2023, other revelations caused defendant Trump—and much of the nation—even greater consternation.
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