The DSR Network The Daily Blast: Trump Press Sec Goes Full Cult in Odd Rants as Polls Take Brutal Turn
Mar 9, 2026
Amanda Marcotte, journalist and Salon columnist who decodes MAGA politics. She unpacks Karoline Leavitt’s cultlike proclamations and what they signal about loyalty in the movement. They discuss collapsing poll support for the Iran war, falling approval on immigration and the economy. Conversation also touches on worries about Trump’s health and what power struggles could mean going forward.
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Victory Defined By The Leader
- Caroline Levitt framed victory as whatever Donald Trump declares, making war goals subjective and leader-defined.
- Levitt said Iran will be in 'unconditional surrender' when Trump 'determines' the threat is gone, echoing cultlike deference to a leader's declaration.
MAGA Identity Subsumed By Trump
- Levitt declared Trump the uncontested leader and shaper of MAGA, overriding internal MAGA dissent on foreign policy.
- She framed Trump's actions as 'America first' and 'peace through strength' to neutralize anti-interventionist criticism.
Obsequiousness As Mortality Management
- Amanda Marcotte links Levitt's obsequiousness to desperation about Trump's mortality and political durability.
- She argues MAGA actors are trying to maintain the illusion Trump will last despite visible physical and cognitive decline.