Trump’s unwavering support could also be explained by considered one of his most misunderstood character traits – “charisma”

Of all of the questions facing voters within the 2024 US presidential election, few are as puzzling because the seemingly unwavering support for a politician who’s deeply rooted in embarrassing sex scandals And criminal business practices.

This is the case with Donald Trumpwhose behavior would have destroyed the campaigns of most US presidential candidates.

In the Eighties, for instance, Democrats Gary Hart's presidential ambitions went under due to allegations of extramarital affairs on a ship aptly named “Monkey Business”. In the last 20 years, two governors of New York, Andrew Cuomo And Eliot Spitzereach Democrats, resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct. Democrat Al Franken's profession within the Senate was dismissed due to allegations of indiscretions during a USO tour.

But Trump's convictions for financial fraud and his sexual misconduct convictions haven’t dampened the keenness of his supporters and his “Make America Great Again” movement.

Part of the explanation may be explained by Max Webera German sociologist and social theorist of the early twentieth century. The focus Weber's pondering For political authority the word was “charisma.”

In today’s street jargon, charisma is shortened to “Rizz” and defined by the Oxford English Dictionary resembling “style, charm or attractiveness and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.”

Nothing could possibly be further away Weber's understanding of charisma.

The religious roots of charisma

In his “Theory of social and economic organization“, Weber draws on the Christian roots of the word charisma to explain how social and political power gains legitimacy inside a society.

According to the Greek Bible, followers of Jesus received spiritual gifts from God. Much later, the word, derived from the Greek word “charis” – meaning “grace, goodness, favor” – was adopted into English to consult with the gifts of healing, prophecy, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit.

For Weber, it’s the gifts that make people charismatics and make them mediators between God and their community.

These gifts of the Spirit transform the believer right into a prophet.

Weber made a vital distinction between a priest and a prophet. The priest gains his power through official recognition and the routine performance of functions resembling liturgies and rituals prescribed by the faith.

Unlike the priest, the prophet derives his authority not from official mechanisms but directly from God. The prophet thus stands outside the framework of official religion – and even outside society and the political state.

What characterizes the fashionable prophet is his resistance to the regimented order of society and his call to follow the next purpose. The prophet is subversive by nature.

Although he will not be religious, as historian Lawrence Rees has identifiedthe political prophet is “quasi-religious,” and the followers of such an individual “seek more than just lower taxes or better health care; they seek broader, almost spiritual goals of redemption and salvation.”

“A call to arms”

Throughout modern history, charismatic leaders have repeatedly demonstrated their extraordinary ability to encourage people about themselves and their cause.

Some of them were great spiritual leaders – The Russian author Leo Tolstoy, The Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, The leader of the civil rights movement, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. And South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela below.

Others were a plague for humanity – including The Russian leader Joseph Stalin, German dictator Adolf Hitler, The Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong And Cult leader Jim Jones.

Of these charismatic “prophets,” none had more charisma than Hitler. According to Weber’s definition, he was the prototype of a charismatic leader.

Like the prophets of the past, Hitler was an outsider who had remarkable oratorical skills and uncanny luck. Of his charismatic qualities, none was more necessary than his ability to steer others. One of his early followers, Kurt Lüdecke, emphasized the facility of a Hitler speech in 1922:

“When he spoke of the shame of Germany, I was ready to throw myself upon an enemy. His appeal to German manhood was like a call to arms, the gospel he preached a sacred truth. He seemed to be a second (Martin) Luther. I forgot everything except the man. As I looked around, I saw that his magnetism held these thousands together as one.”

In his “Inside the Third Reich”, Albert Speer admitted that his decision Joining Hitler's movement was more of an emotional than an mental decision: “Looking back, I often have the feeling as if something had ripped me up from the ground, torn me from all my roots, and a vast amount of foreign forces had radiated down upon me.”

Speer was later convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Trump's charisma

Weber's concept of charisma helps us understand Trump's appeal to his Christian followers.

Trump presents himself as an outsider who will attack the decadent mainstream system – and his supporters are able to fight and die for him.

In fact, the rioters of January 6, 2021, risked their freedom, their careers, and in not less than one case, their lives for his or her leader. One of them, Ashley Babbittwas fatally shot as she climbed through a broken glass door within the U.S. Capitol.

The List of lives and careers who were imprisoned for his or her services to Trump, including former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafortformer Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen and former Trump advisor Steve Bannonamongst other things.

In the meantime, several former Trump lawyers have faced or are facing disbarment and, in some cases, criminal charges in reference to their work for the Trump administration.

I consider that Trump will not be just an abnormal politician – people think he’s a spiritual leader and offered to take them to the promised land.

Right-wing extremist evangelicals like Paula White, Tony Perkins And Hank Kunneman Praise him as a person who fulfills God's will through his actions.

There are many pictures on social media of Trump being supported by Jesus, and even Trump is crucified like Jesus.

And Trump himself has said that divine intervention saved him from the bullets of an assassin.

“And I want to believe that God believes that I will fix our country.” Trump said Fox News host Mark Levin in September 2024. “Our country is so sick and so broken. Our country is just broken.”

A critical error

But the Achilles heel of the charismatic leader is the dearth of success.

In the case of Hitler Failures on the battlefield in Dunkirk and Stalingrad during World War II, the charismatic balloon burst. But rebellions against his authority were fruitless, and Hitler could demand obedience until his suicide in April 1945.

The need for sustained success is a warning for Trump, whose charisma appears to be waning.

Trump's Reputation as a winner He suffered a setback when he lost to Joe Biden within the the 2020 electionWith Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris has turned the 2024 presidential election campaign right into a much closer race.

If this strategy of erosion continues, Trump will likely suffer the fate of all failed prophets: they shall be denied access to the levers of power they so long for.