I ruminate on this from time to time. I’m not particularly well read on these things, but this is the closest I’ve managed to make sense of it: For whatever reason (and thar be many), the trumpite has embraced denigrating others as an acceptable way to soothe the ego. Unhealthy as it is, this kind of projection/displacement is by no means an uncommon trait in any demographic. Though it seems to be more common in groups that highly value hierarchy (as the Right typically does). On its own, utilizing this as a motivating force yields diminishing returns as shame or just boredom creep in. And so the aspiring demagogue hitches denigration to anger, goads projection with scapegoating, and ultimately harnesses hate to do evil.

But this takes time. Trump didn’t skip all the way to invading cities and tearing down a third of the White House on day one. Trumpites have been lead gradually by these mechanisms and a host of complimentary social tactics to do more and more shameful things. And in doing, their egos are resiliently bridled to Trump’s. To turn against him now would mean facing feelings of abject humiliation and shame/guilt, and in some cases a complete reset of personal identity. Most people aren’t willing to do that until they encounter tragic and very personal consequences. So they persist in delusion, which comes naturally to parts of the religious demographics… but that’s a whole other can of worms.