

They were nothing more than useful idiots, the Party no longer has use for them, they will be among the first Americans sent to the camps.
They were nothing more than useful idiots, the Party no longer has use for them, they will be among the first Americans sent to the camps.
Incredible as some of these aberrations may appear, we must yet be on our guard not to dismiss them as mere accidental by-products which have nothing to do with the essential character of a planned or totalitarian system. They are not. They are a direct result of that same desire to see everything directed by a “unitary conception of the whole,” of the need to uphold at all costs the views in the service of which people are asked to make constant sacrifices, and of the general idea that the knowledge and beliefs of the people are an instrument to be used for a single purpose. Once science has to serve, not truth, but the interests of a class, a community, or a state, the sole task of argument and discussion is to vindicate and to spread still further the beliefs by which the whole life of the community is directed. As the Nazi minister of justice has explained, the question which every new scientific theory must ask itself is: “Do I serve National Socialism for the greatest benefit of all?”
The Road to Serfdom, Ch. 11 The End of Truth, F. A. Hayek
These “influencers”, or propagandists to be concise, are encouraging the masses to ignorantly embrace the arbitrary rule of a vulgar conventionalist. They need the eradication of the Rule of Law, the dismantlement of Democracy and the Balkanisation of America to fulfill their twisted utopian vision of technofeudal fiefdoms.
Vulgar conventionalism is … that the life according to nature is the preserve of a small minority, of the natural elite, of those who are truly men and not [born] to be slaves. To be more precise, the summit of happiness is the life of the tyrant, of the man who has successfully committed the greatest crime by subordinating the city as a whole to his private good and who can afford to drop the appearance of justice or legality.
Natural Right and History, Leo Strauss.
Under the Dark Enlightenment philosophy adopted by Trump’s financial backers, they do indeed plan the destruction of the US.
“The masses have never thirsted after truth… . Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.”
The Crowd, Le Bon
Propaganda must be continuous and lasting—continuous in that it must not leave any gaps, but must fill the citizen’s whole day and all his days; lasting in that it must function over a very long period of time.’ Propaganda tends to make the individual live in a separate world; he must not have outside points of reference. He must not be allowed a moment of meditation or reflection in which to see himself vis-a-vis the propagandist, as happens when the propaganda is not continuous.
Propaganda, Ellul
Words and symbols have no real meaning to these people. They are more like mantras, or incantations, to elicit conditioned feelings and demonstrate whether one belongs to the group or not. Fascist has no emotional meaning tied to the term, it’s just a meaningless noise “the others” make.
Fascism is a tool his Dark Enlightenment financial backers adopted, Trump is just a vehicle for dismantling democracy and Balkanizing America so their mythical utopia can rise like a phoenix from the ashes of destruction. Trump will be scapegoated and discarded once he has served his purpose.
It is a mechanism that can be used as a propaganda technique. Although this is closer to milieu control, Vance is using the terminology to signal his affinity to a particular segment of ice.
They do in so far as understanding motives and anticipating actions, it’s like any science, you want to be as accurate and precise as possible to avoid errors in making decisions.
His narcissistic personality disorder and deteriorating mental condition leaves him increasingly vulnerable to manipulation by advisors. The fascist elements within the party are prone to factionalization without competent leadership, these elements are a legitimate threat to his rule. It’s beneficial to know that while these parties all share a version of a palingenetic myth, the utopian visions differ considerably after America’s destruction, which can be used as a wedge to promote infighting and schisms between them.
For instance, the Dark Enlightenment oligarchs and JD Vance are working to scapegoat and get rid of Trump, (see mimetic theory of desire). Normal conservatives would be put off by the idea and their public support would wane, and the MAGA diehards possibly turn rabid to defend Dear Leader against Trump’s financial backers.
Edit:
Or push stories equating Trump/MAGA with Marxism/communism to sow division among the pure capitalist conservative types against his agenda.
https://fortune.com/2025/08/12/maga-marxist-maoist-trump-assault-free-market-capitalism-socialism/
Yes, but for the sake of accuracy the president is a vulgar conventionalist and parafascist. Factions within the Republican party, such as the Christian nationalists, meet academic definitions of fascism but Trump has no ideology. He uses fascism as a tool to gain more wealth and power, he’s not a “true believer” like many of his followers.
Vulgar conventionalism is … that the life according to nature is the preserve of a small minority, of the natural elite, of those who are truly men and not [born] to be slaves. To be more precise, the summit of happiness is the life of the tyrant, of the man who has successfully committed the greatest crime by subordinating the city as a whole to his private good and who can afford to drop the appearance of justice or legality.
Natural Right and History, Leo Strauss.
para-fascism – a form of authoritarian and ultra-nationalist conservatism which adopts the external trappings of fascism while rejecting its call for genuine social and ethical revolution (see pp. 120–4)
Nature of Fascism, R Griffin
Democrats have been discussing strategy since their loss in November. They’ve come up with use populist rhetoric for elections but stick to neoliberal policy.
After repetitive exposure to this propaganda (repetition priming), the people were beginning to believe and stand up for what each respective government had been flashing before their eyes, without them even knowing it.
https://sites.psu.edu/psych256sp18003/2018/03/04/h/
The fact of being exposed to propaganda and misinformation, repeatedly and continuously, has a psychological affect over time.
The individual must not be allowed to recover, to collect himself, to remain untouched by propaganda during any relatively long period, for propaganda is not the touch of the magic wand. It is based on slow, constant impregnation. It creates convictions and compliance through imperceptible influences that are effective only by continuous repetition. It must create a complete environment for the individual, one from which he never emerges.
Propaganda, Jacques Ellul
Gotta capture and warp the minds of the youth to transform them into obedient fascist dogs.
Only through concentration in a few hands of a large number of media can one attain a true orchestration, a continuity, and an application of scientific methods of influencing individuals. A state monopoly, or a private monopoly, is equally effective.
Propaganda, Jacques Ellul
It makes sense if you look at it from Trump’s financial backers Dark Enlightenment philosophy. It involves the mimetic theory of creating a scapegoat. So Trump dismantles democracy and triggers the collapse of the United States, is then scapegoated and removed by way of 25th amendment, then the Dark Enlightenment “Chosen One” JD Vance establishes the new patchwork of technomonarchy city-states from the ashes of civilization. Seems a bit rushed, I think they underestimated the amount of effort it would take to destroy the country.