Former Cult of Trump member and Congressman Joe Walsh on the Political Scene in the United States

When asked about their idea of a cult, most people will conjure up the image of a group of religious devotees following an alternative doctrine and worshiping an authoritarian leader. Many cults fit into this category, but destructive cults take many forms, and mind control and undue influence are also present in political groups. In my book The Cult of Trump, I make the case that Donald Trump is a malignant narcissist and uses the “cult leader playbook.” When measured against my BITE model of Authoritarian Control (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional Control), Trump fits the criteria of an individual exercising undue influence.