I have often wondered about this. There really is a stale sameness about Trump aesthetics and I wondered why more people just don’t get sick of seeing it. He’s been doing this since 2016, down to the same suit and tie and many of the same lines. It seems to me that it should be hitting the point that it’s a nostalgia act for a one hit wonder.
But that’s just looking at it from a normal person’s standpoint. The MAGA cult is built on relentless repetition (indoctrination) and any deviation from that familiar cant is going to cause dissonance. These repetitive mantras, slogans and chants, the sameness of the events, Trump dressed exactly the same, the weird hypnotic nature of his speeches (which are now set to music) are what gives MAGA its power.
I guess my bigger question is, to the extent there are any normal Republicans left, why aren’t they tired of it and loathe to sign on for four more years of it? Even more pertinent, why aren’t they creeped out by it? This whole thing is becoming more and more ritualized and devotional. Do they relate to this? I guess many of them don’t take this stuff seriously but they’re going to find out just how serious it is if Trump pulls this off.
I know it’s somewhat trite to evoke the rise of fascism in the 1930s but there have been many books written about the power of the Nazi aesthetic and how it worked on the citizenry. There were many people at the time who thought it was ridiculous but it was actually an intrinsic part of its appeal so I don’t think we should underrate that in this case just because the clothing is so silly or the leader isn’t wearing a military uniform. This is 21st century America and Trump’s aesthetic is powerful to a whole lot of people.
