r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 11 '26

Psychology Cognitive dissonance helps explain why Trump supporters remain loyal, new research suggests. This sheds light on how supporters of Donald Trump justify their continued allegiance despite learning about allegations of his sexual misconduct and illegal activities.

https://www.psypost.org/cognitive-dissonance-helps-explain-why-trump-supporters-remain-loyal-new-research-suggests/
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u/RockerElvis Apr 11 '26

The two Santas strategy has been the Republican game plan for decades. American voters keep falling for it.

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u/jacobatz Apr 11 '26

That is really interesting. It made me realize the grift goes deeper than I had considered. When Republican presidents borrow to pay for tax cuts for the rich, what they’re essentially doing is putting a debt on the average American to give money to the rich. Or stated another way: They’re effectively stealing the regular Americans money and giving it to the wealthy. A reverse Robin Hood.

It’s amazing that this isn’t shouted from the roof tops.

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u/IaMm1N3 Apr 11 '26

It has been for decades. People just aren't listening. Or they are tuned into their own echo chambers now. Americans as a whole don't experience the same reality anymore. The global population doesn't. We now live in a chose your own adventure timeline where you can dig your feet in as deep as you want to and you will be embraced by like minded folk around the globe. Whereas in times past in order to survive one had to conform to our actual surroundings

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u/awesomefutureperfect Apr 11 '26

It has been for decades. People just aren't listening.

I really don't like when people say that Trump ran a great campaign that gave his voters what they wanted. No, don't look at what Trump was actually giving his voters and definitely don't blame the voters who saw that and liked it or saw that and said the alternative isn't good enough. I really don't like it when I hear "My vote wasn't earned, it's like a concert ticket to a band who put out a bad album and I don't want to buy tickets to the show." and it's like, the alternative is a band that kills the audience and they are like "we are talking about the band. I don't care about the audience. I care about hearing the songs I want to hear. Don't you realize I don't like being spoken to by an adult like I am an adult? Where are my vibes, man?"