4. Cult of Personality
The Chosen One
When people start calling a leader "the chosen one," that's a flashing, blaring alarm among all the signs of fascism.
During his first term, long before anyone shot at him, it was common to hear people on the Right say Trump "was chosen by God."
Remember the golden Trump statue that got wheeled around at CPAC? There are Trump meme coins, T-shirts, hats, pins, flags, Bibles. Name a product, and you can find one with his face on it.
Leader's Name and Face on Everything
This is called a cult of personality. It's when a leader gets treated like a god. The White House "faith leader" literally said that saying no to Trump would be saying no to God.
One classic image of a dictatorship is a giant banner of the leader's face hanging on a government building.
Well…
The Trump branding campaign has gone into overdrive. Here's a partial list of everything with his name or face on it:
- Banners of his face hang on federal buildings in D.C., including the Justice Department.
- The 2026 national park pass shows Trump's face next to George Washington's. A conservation group sued, saying federal law requires the pass to show the winning photo from a public contest. Apparently Trump's face won. Funny how that works.
- Coins. A gold commemorative coin with Trump on it got approved, and a $1 coin with his face is in the works. Living presidents don't normally go on our money.
- The U.S. Institute of Peace is now the "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace." That happened after the administration fired its board and every employee.
- Trump Accounts, TrumpRx, and the Trump Gold Card. He even pushed to rename Dulles Airport and Penn Station after himself.
- The White House itself. Trump demolished the historic East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
The Kennedy Center Saga
The Kennedy Center fight deserves its own section, because it's the perfect example of a strongman who can't take no for an answer.
- December 2025: Trump's hand-picked board renamed it the "Trump-Kennedy Center." His name went up on the building the next day.
- February 2026: Trump announced it would close for two years for "renovations." This came after a long list of artists canceled their shows.
- May 2026: Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the board broke the law by putting Trump's name on the building. It came down in June.
- August 2026: The board tried again, this time with "Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump." The Justice Department told the court the building might have to be demolished if the renovation plans were blocked. The judge rejected the new name in September.
- September 2026: The center closed its doors to the public. Trump was photographed on Air Force One looking at a sign that appeared to say "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED." The judge ordered the administration to give 30 days' notice before tearing anything down. Then Republican Sen. Mike Lee blocked a bill from Sens. Jeff Merkley and Lisa Murkowski that would have stopped any presidential memorial from being demolished without an act of Congress.
- October 1, 2026: In his Time interview, Trump wouldn't promise to keep the wrecking balls away without Congress's okay.
So if he can't put his name on JFK's memorial, he might just knock it down. That's not a renovation. That's a toddler kicking over a sandcastle because he didn't get to build it.
Over-the-Top Praise and Loyalty Demands
In a fascist regime, loyalty is the only currency that matters. During Trump's first term, people compared his cabinet meetings to North Korean state TV. Cabinet members took turns praising and thanking the President.
The same thing is happening again in his second term.
At each televised cabinet meeting, they go around the table and each person heaps praise on "Dear Leader." Even some MAGA folks are grossed out by it. Ann Coulter posted on X:
Trump's cabinet wasn't picked for experience or skill. Project 2025 created a database of loyal people, vetted by the Heritage Foundation, to replace federal workers who weren't loyal enough.
(Want to know what else is in that playbook? Read our chapter-by-chapter guide to Project 2025.)
DOGE's mass firings were the opening act. They fired people who oversaw nuclear weapons, then couldn't find their phone numbers to hire them back.
Lawsuits and blunders slowed that down. So Trump shifted to replacing people higher up the chain.
That's exactly what happened at the Justice Department this year. Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi in April. He'd been frustrated that the DOJ wasn't going after his political enemies fast enough.
Her replacement is Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal criminal defense lawyer. The Senate confirmed him 50-49 in August.
The country's top law enforcement officer used to be the president's personal lawyer.
In a regime like this, people are expected to show love for the leader at rallies and state events. These rituals build up the leader's image and shut down dissent. Blind loyalty is required. Anyone caught asking questions gets pushed out… or worse.
