Why MAGA Can't Hold Trump Accountable

The Psychological and Political Mechanisms Behind Unwavering Loyalty

The Unshakable Loyalty of Trump’s Supporters

It should be, at this point, one of the great riddles of our time. How does a man like Donald Trump, buried under the weight of criminal indictments, corruption, and power-grabbing schemes, still command the unwavering loyalty of millions?

One might think that after the second impeachment, the first criminal charge, or the first time he openly tried to overturn an election, at least some portion of his base would hesitate and reflect. But they did not budge.

Instead, his supporters doubled down. They made his legal troubles their own. Every new revelation of corruption became another hill to die on. Every abuse of power was rationalized. Every criticism was cast aside as a partisan attack from an ever-growing list of enemies, including Democrats, the deep state, the media, the globalists, and the so-called RINOs.

The question is not why Trump is corrupt—there is enough evidence for a lifetime—but why his supporters refuse to see it.

The answer is as psychological as it is political.

The Cult of Victimhood: A Nation Under Siege

At the core of Trumpism is not just loyalty but identity. His supporters believe they are the last true Americans standing against an oppressive liberal elite determined to erase them. In their minds, they are the ones under attack.

Psychologists call this collective narcissism, a phenomenon where a group believes it is uniquely special yet unfairly persecuted. The MAGA movement has weaponized this to perfection. Every criticism of Trump, no matter how valid, is perceived as a personal attack (Golec de Zavala, 2024). His followers do not just believe that liberals hate Trump. They believe liberals hate them. They do not see calls for accountability. They see demands for revenge.

This creates the perfect psychological trap. The more Trump is criticized, the more his followers cling to him. The more they see him as the lone warrior standing between them and destruction. What should be evidence against him only strengthens their loyalty.

And the irony is clear. This is exactly how cults work.

History Repeats Itself: When Strongmen Get a Free Pass

For anyone who thinks this is a new phenomenon, history offers plenty of reminders.

Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal saw his supporters defend him to the bitter end. They insisted it was a liberal conspiracy and that he was the real victim. Only when the tapes were released did even the most hardened loyalists begin to walk away (Hofstadter, 2008/2011).

During Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair, his administration illegally funded right-wing militias while bypassing Congress. It was a clear-cut case of corruption. Yet his supporters justified it as a necessary evil in the fight against communism (Hetherington & Weiler, 2009).

Even abroad, Viktor Orbán’s followers in Hungary dismiss accusations of authoritarianism as liberal fear-mongering, despite his systematic erosion of democracy (Golec de Zavala, 2024).

Loyalty to a strongman is never about truth. It is about power, belonging, and fear of losing status. The MAGA movement thrives on all three.

The GOP’s Favorite Tactic: Projection

If you want to know what MAGA is doing, just listen to what they accuse Democrats of doing.

When Trump tried to overturn an election, his supporters claimed Biden stole it.
When the GOP pushed book bans and speech restrictions, they accused liberals of censorship.
When Trump stacked the courts with loyalists who undermined democracy, they warned of Democratic authoritarianism.

This is a classic psychological trick known as projection. It allows them to keep their base angry, deflect blame, and ensure that no matter what Trump does, the Democrats must always be worse (Nyhan & Reifler, 2010).

And the terrifying part is that it works every single time.

Trump’s Government Overreach: The Hypocrisy They Ignore

MAGA supporters claim to hate big government. They rant endlessly about the deep state, federal agencies having too much power, and the need to “run government like a business.”

Yet when Trump gutted federal agencies, consolidated power, and hired loyalists who pledged allegiance to him over the Constitution, they cheered.

Why?

Because they do not actually want small government. They want a government that punishes the people they do not like (Hetherington & Weiler, 2009). As long as liberals, immigrants, journalists, and political enemies are suffering, government overreach is not just acceptable—it is desirable.

They do not see Trump’s power grabs as authoritarianism. They see them as revenge.

Why MAGA Will Never Accept the Facts

At some point, one would think reality would set in. Surely, some of them have to see the fraud, the lies, the abuse, and the clear authoritarian rhetoric.

But they won’t.

Because at this stage, accepting the truth is no longer an option.

Psychologists call this motivated reasoning. When people are deeply invested in a worldview, they will ignore facts, reject corrections, and even double down on their beliefs when confronted with evidence that contradicts them (Nyhan & Reifler, 2010).

For MAGA, the cost of admitting they were wrong is simply too high.

To admit Trump is corrupt is to admit they were deceived.
To admit Trump lost fairly is to admit they wasted years fighting a delusion.
To admit Trump was a fraud is to admit they were conned.

And that is the real reason they will not turn on him. The alternative—accepting that they were misled—is a level of psychological pain most people simply cannot bear.

Instead, they will lie to themselves.

And Trump, as he always has, will exploit that to the very end.

Conclusion: The Fortress of MAGA’s Loyalty

The inability of Trump supporters to hold him accountable is not political ignorance or mere stubbornness. It is a psychological necessity.

They see themselves as a persecuted group, so every attack on Trump only strengthens their devotion.
They are conditioned to reject information that contradicts their beliefs, no matter how compelling.
They are locked into a cycle of projection, blaming Democrats for their own party’s failures.
They do not oppose government overreach. They just want it aimed at their enemies.
And above all, they cannot afford to be wrong.

Trump is no longer just a man to them. He is a symbol, a shield, a last stand, and a promise that they will not fade into irrelevance.

No matter how many scandals come out, no matter how many crimes he commits, and no matter how many times reality tries to break through, that shield will always be more comforting than the truth.

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References

• Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka. 2024. Authoritarians and “Revolutionaries in Reverse”: Why Collective Narcissism Threatens Democracy.

• Hetherington, Marc J., and Jonathan D. Weiler. 2009. Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics.

• Hofstadter, Richard. 2008/2011. The Paranoid Style in American Politics, and Other Essays.

• Jost, John T., et al. 2003. Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition.

• Nyhan, Brendan, and Jason Reifler. 2010. When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions.