The MAGA Delusion

Why They Think They’re Arguing with Facts but Never Are

Mar 20, 2025

Why MAGA Supporters Can’t See the Lies They Believe

Something strange happens every time you engage in a debate with a MAGA supporter. They enter the conversation armed with what they believe to be unshakable facts, including statistics, historical anecdotes, and, of course, a meme or two. They are convinced they are about to expose the "lies" of liberals, the media, and academia. However, the moment you scratch the surface, their arguments begin to fall apart. Distorted facts, misrepresented studies, cherry-picked data, and a dizzying array of logical fallacies hold their entire worldview together.

What is even more fascinating than the sheer inaccuracy of their claims is their inability to recognize it. Why do they remain so certain that they are fighting for the truth, even when the evidence is stacked against them? How do they see themselves as heroic whistleblowers when, in reality, they are the ones spreading misinformation?

The answer lies in a mix of psychological, ideological, and social dynamics that create an impenetrable wall of certainty. This raises an even bigger question. Why can’t they see it? Why do they cling so fiercely to their "facts" when those facts are often pulled out of thin air? Why does it never occur to them that maybe, just maybe, the problem is not everyone else?

The Illusion of Facts in a Reality-Free Zone

MAGA supporters like to think of themselves as the last remaining guardians of truth, yet their entire worldview is built on media designed not to inform but to reinforce their existing beliefs. The echo chamber effect is not just an abstract academic concept. It is a lived reality. People who consume a steady diet of Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax are not just seeing a different perspective. They are living in a completely separate reality (Wahlström et al., 2020).

Take crime, for example. Trump supporters often insist that violent crime has exploded under Biden, pointing to cherry-picked statistics from select urban areas while ignoring the bigger picture. In reality, FBI data shows that violent crime spiked in 2020 under Trump and has been dropping since 2022 (FBI Crime Report, 2023). However, inside MAGA circles, this does not matter. Crime remains a "Democrat-created crisis." The reason is that they have been conditioned to distrust institutions like the FBI, which they now see as part of the "Deep State."

MAGA adherents tell themselves they are independent thinkers, but the truth is that they exist inside an ideological bubble where "facts" are carefully curated to align with their worldview. This is not just media bias. It is an entire ecosystem built to sustain false confidence in misinformation.

Bad Faith and the True Believer

It would be one thing if MAGA supporters were simply misinformed, but it is deeper than that. Many argue in bad faith, shifting goalposts, throwing out whataboutisms, and misrepresenting opposing views. While some of this is just a learned debate tactic, for many, it is a psychological defense mechanism.

Studies on Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) suggest that people with authoritarian tendencies struggle with ambiguity and prefer black-and-white thinking (Altemeyer, 2020). Within the MAGA mindset, there is no room for nuance. Trump is always right, and the enemy—Democrats, the media, scientists, and even their own family members who disagree—is always wrong. Their political identity is so deeply woven into their sense of self that admitting they are wrong is not just an intellectual shift. It is an existential crisis.

Instead of engaging with counterarguments, they shut down. If Trump is accused of a crime, it is a witch hunt. If Biden’s economy is strong, the numbers must be fake. Every challenge to their worldview is dismissed rather than debated.

The "We’re the Real Victims" Delusion

MAGA supporters do not just believe they are right. They believe they are persecuted for being right. This is where collective narcissism comes into play, a psychological phenomenon where a group sees itself as uniquely virtuous but constantly under attack (Golec de Zavala, 2024).

Trumpism thrives on this contradiction. His supporters love to brand themselves as the "real Americans," the hardworking patriots who keep the country running. Yet at the same time, they believe they are being relentlessly oppressed by liberals, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, Hollywood, universities, the FBI, and any institution that exists outside their echo chamber.

This is why every election loss is automatically labeled "fraud." Accepting that Trump lost fair and square would require admitting that most Americans rejected him, and that does not fit within their worldview. Instead, they tell themselves they were cheated.

Why Don’t They See It?

At the heart of it all is a simple truth. MAGA supporters do not arrive at their beliefs through critical thinking. They start with conclusions and then work backward. When presented with contradictory evidence, they do not engage with it. They reject the source outright.

If a journalist uncovers Trump’s corruption, the journalist is a leftist hack. If a scientific study disproves their claims, the researchers must be biased.

This is not reasoning. It is motivated reasoning, where people evaluate information based on how well it aligns with their preexisting beliefs rather than its actual truth value (Kahan, 2013).

MAGA is not just a political movement. It is an identity. Once a belief becomes part of someone’s identity, it is nearly impossible to shake.

The Endless Loop

A political movement that refuses to acknowledge its mistakes is doomed to repeat them. That is exactly what is happening with MAGA.

Every failed prophecy—whether it is the repeal of Obamacare, mass arrests of Democrats, or Trump being reinstated by August—only strengthens their conviction instead of weakening it. In their minds, being proven wrong is not a reason to reassess. It is just more proof that they are under attack.

And so, the cycle continues.

The Bitter Irony

Here is the cruel twist. MAGA supporters see themselves as fearless truth-seekers exposing corruption in a world full of sheep. In reality, they are the ones being herded.

They rail against brainwashing, yet they are the most brainwashed of all. They mock "snowflakes," yet no group melts down faster when confronted with facts they do not like. They claim to value free speech, yet their default response to criticism is to silence, ban, or discredit the source.

If they ever break free, it will require something MAGA simply does not provide—the ability to genuinely question oneself.

And that, I fear, is the one thing they will never do.

References

Altemeyer, B. (2020). Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers. Melville House Publishing.
FBI Crime Report (2023). Uniform Crime Report: National Crime Trends. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Golec de Zavala, A. (2024). Authoritarians and "Revolutionaries in Reverse": Why Collective Narcissism Threatens Democracy. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations.
Kahan, D. (2013). Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government. Behavioral Public Policy Journal.
Wahlström, M., Törnberg, A., & Ekbrand, H. (2020). Dynamics of Violent and Dehumanizing Rhetoric in Far-Right Social Media. New Media & Society.