When I think of being in a cult, I imagine a group of people crowded around a fire, chanting about Satan and repentance. As you can see from the picture up above and from the events of January 6th, that’s actually a pretty spot on description of recent events in Washington, D.C. 

A cult can be defined as a “misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing.” Though typically religiously affiliated, a handful of cults are not. 

Research finds that a cult will typically feature “unquestioning commitment to its leader,” as well as regarding “his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.”

While reading this, I could not help but notice that those characteristics directly mirrored the behavior of the rioters at the Capitol on January 6th. Rioters displayed an unwavering commitment to Trump. He repeatedly had told his supporters that he was the winner of the 2020 Presidential election, claiming, “We took them by surprise and this year they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before.”

Even though this is an obvious lie, his supporters ate it up. In fact, they ate it up so much that they literally stormed a government building after encouragement by the President. The mob chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!” outside the Capitol. Video evidence suggests the mob was 100 feet away from Pence’s hiding spot, and who knows what kind of damage the mob could have done if the Vice-President was found?

Research about cult tendencies has also shown to engagement in “mind-altering practices.” These practices can include excessive chanting.

If anything, the Trump Administration is known for its aggressive incantations. His supporters chant phrases like “Lock her up!” regarding Hillary Clinton, “Send her back!” regarding Congresswoman Ilhan Ohmar, and most famously: “Stop the steal!” at all of his rallies.

Of course, one can imagine how easy it could be to be swept up in all of the lies spun by the Trump team. With widespread media access, it’s easier now more than ever to be deceived by the internet. 

But which groups specifically make up the cult of Trump supporters?

As we’ve seen from the attempted siege of the Capitol on January 6th, a large group of Trump supporters will do whatever the president says and believe whatever lie he fabricates. However, his cult of followers does not include just anybody who supports him.

Looking closely at pictures from the riot, we could see flags representing different hate groups. The Proud Boys, QAnon, Neo-Nazis, and supporters of the Confederacy were among those at the Capitol. 

The mob is like America’s ugly stepsister. We acknowledge its presence, inherited from a part of our history we do not want to address, yet it’s there.

Countless times, Donald Trump has shown his support for the radical right-wing hate groups previously stated. On the national debate stage, he addressed the Proud Boys, a group of violent white supremacists. After moderator Chris Wallace demanded that Trump condemn white supremacy, Trump said, “Who do you want me to condemn? The Proud Boys… Stand back and stand by.”

The Proud Boys’ online chat rooms exploded with support for President Trump, and there’s evidence that the Proud Boys were involved in the siege of the Capitol. Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the group, wrote an online message, stating, “What if we invade it?” 

President Trump has said in cabinet meetings that QAnon conspiracy theorists “basically believe in good government.” 

Actually, Qanon believes that certain elected officials such as Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi, are involved in a satanic pedophilia cult. Their conspiracy also states that there’s a “deep state effort to annihilate Trump.” Donald Trump stars as the savior of the QAnon conspiracy in which he saves the world from the “radical left” that “plagues” our country.

QAnon is considered a domestic terror by the FBI, and even though they are considered as such, Trump still supports them. He says that he “doesn’t know much about them” but appreciates their overwhelming support.

Other groups, such as the Neo-Nazis, were present at the attempted coup on the 6th. In the background of the riot photos, Robert Kieth Packer can be found wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt.

Out of 1.3 million prisoners taken to the Auschwitz death camp, approximately 1.1 million of them were dead by the end of the second world war.

From any other President, packer would be roundly denounced, yet President Trump never addressed the man or any of his other followers in a critical light.

Instead, he’s released a video, saying “We love you, you’re very special.”

Rather than take the blame for any of the violence at the Capitol building, Trump’s cult-like followers, such as Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, have blamed peaceful organizations such as Antifa for the raid. 

However, when facial recognition software of the riot was put to use, it found zero Antifa members, two Neo-Nazis, and Qanon supporters.

According to Newsweek, 45 percent of Republican voters supported the insurrection of the Capitol building. President Trump is directly at fault for this violence. After spreading lies and conspiracy theories, he has proved himself to be a true cult leader.