Donald Trump (Gage Skidmore)

Like many media watchers, I wasn’t surprised when a fired up MAGA lord charged the media pit at President Donald Trump’s El Paso rally and attempted to attack members of the press. Last year, former White House advisor Steve Bannon told American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan she would be in danger if she covered a Trump rally in a red state. Turns out he was right.

During a speech at the University of Virginia CNN’s Jim Acosta, who seems be public enemy no. 1 among the red hats, said,”My concern is that if we continue to have that kind of rhetoric, somebody is going to get hurt, a reporter is going to get hurt, or even worse than that, maybe even killed.”

Trump has spent the last three years directing bile at the media and attacking them with propaganda that’s easily lapped up by members of Cult 45, who abhor critical thinking.

It’s not surprising that Cult 45 hates the media. Cult leaders hate truth tellers because they hold them accountable. Scientology, a cult I have compared to Cult 45, despises psychologists. Psychologists recognize cult-like behavior and brainwashing techniques, so they’re the natural enemy of Scientology. And the cult has gone after them with lawsuits, their favorite weapon. (Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn also taught him how to use the law as a weapon.)

Cult 45 hates journalists because they critically analyze their leader and point out his lies. The most disturbing thing about Trump’s cult is how readily his followers lap up his constant stream of BS. He can say the most ridiculous thing and a few days later his followers will start repeating it as if it’s the gospel truth. For example, that “enemy of the people” phrase, was a line also used by dictators such as Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong.

At his recent El Paso rally, the president said Democrats allow children to be born, talk to their mothers and then killed. Most children don’t start talking until they’re between 18 months and two!

It would be funny, but at this stage, we’ve gone beyond the laughing stage. Trump has weaponized a group of truth-averse cultists who see the media as the “enemy of the people.” And they’re ready to back up their words with violence.

Like many other people, I’ve lost friends to Cult 45. One of my friends was an intelligent, older black man, who had a law degree and a MBA. I used to enjoy his company until he joined Cult 45. Even though he was a Democrat, he started spouting their rhetoric and referring to Hillary Clinton as “Crooked Hillary.” I tried to point out Trump’s racism, and he responded by saying the media “was making things up.” And this was back in 2016, God knows how bad he is now!

A friend of mine recently told me his dad has gotten sucked into Cult 45. His father argued that Trump had a right to keep his tax returns private. Sorry, but when you become president, you give up your rights to privacy. The public has a right to know about your taxes, your marital life and even your health records. And Trump has lied about the state of his health too. This is a point backed up by Dr. Jonathan Reiner, former Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist, who accused the White House of “hiding” something about the president’s health.

Fortunately, this American nightmare seems to be coming to an end. Every week, Special Counsel Robert Mueller issues a new indictment that gets closer to Trump’s inner circle. As Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, Trump might not even be a free man by 2020. (If he’s still president, I don’t have confidence the American people will do the right thing and vote him out.)

But his supporters will still be there. And to get them back, we’ll need the help of several hundred cult deprogrammers.