What Trump's language has in common with cult language

What Trump's language has in common with cult language

From Code Switch by NPR

March 21, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the similarities between President Trump's language and cult language with Amanda Montell.

When President Trump says things like “fake news,” “witch hunt” or even “Make America Great Again,” he’s not just using catchy phrases -- he’s persuading people into a way of thinking and believing. This week on Code Switch, we talk to Amanda Montell, author of Cultish and co-host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult, about what the language of MAGA shares with cult language, and why it matters. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Guest: Amanda Montell

Topics covered

  • politics
  • language
  • cult behavior
  • persuasion
  • media

Keywords

  • fake news
  • witch hunt
  • Make America Great Again
  • persuasion
  • cult language

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Sounds Like A Cult

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