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Cattle ranchers are making less money in the US despite beef prices at an all-time high. In the meantime, Trump started importing beef from Argentina to lower beef prices, but only achieved to lower cattle prices.
The cult mentality is on full display whenever these folks talk about being hurt by Trump but still supporting him.
Yet add in the blue wave from the recent election, and I can’t help but wonder how much of it is bullshit said to save face, or in an attempt not to ostracize the impacted people’s stance in their local communities. In red bubbles, it’s dangerous to publically go against Dear Leader. To say so in a news article would probably cross a line. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of these farmers are secretly feeling disillusioned by Trump, but feel pressured to tell people that they still like him. Like how a lot of the people, especially in the Baby Boomer generation (I noticed it a lot in my parents’ cohort, which is why I mention it) keep the label of “Christian” even though they stopped believing and don’t actively attend church services. My parents themselves won’t use the word “atheist,” but they live completely secular lives that their own parents wouldn’t recognize (if they were still around.) If they were asked, they’d say they’re Christian all the way. But in reality, it’s little more than a label that links them to their community.
Trump worship is a cult, no doubt about it. Just as members in a traditional cult find themselves surrounded by believers and pressured to play along, I bet a fair number of questioning Trump cultists only hold back from leaving because their communities are entrenched in it. They need to say, “Yeah I still support him” not because they still feel it in their hearts, but because the backlash of just saying, “His choices hurt my livelihood” would come back to haunt them both socially and materially.