The Imperial Cult — Part 1
An imperial cult accompanies the arrival of Caesarism in every civilization.
Right on schedule, the first emperor of America's emergent global empire is accompanied by a cult deifying him. This happens in every empire, upon the appearance of the first emperor. Read this news article for context.
Bringing along individuals as disparate as House Speaker Mike Johnson; Kid Rock; and former DNC Vice Chair and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to a UFC fight, Trump’s first post-election public appearance outside of Mar-a-Lago is indicative of what lies ahead. Political dignitaries attended not to watch fights, but to be seen with Trump. Trump attended as a public act of alliance with his base.
In the text below, Caesarism refers to the de facto governing system which is the successor to democracy. After democracy proves a corrupt failure, the longing is for an empowered leader to rectify the chaos. Caesar started down the path of reform, which was interrupted by his senatorial assassination. After a prolonged civil war, his heir Augustus came to power and instituted a constitutional reformation. The outward governing forms and traditions were retained, but power was concentrated in one man. The Senate was transformed into a rubber stamp for imperial edicts. Among Spengler’s most profound observations was his comment regarding regarding the situation in Rome at the time of Caesar’s murder:
But this "freedom" meant nothing but the oligarchy of a few families, for the masses had long ago become tired of their rights. Nor is it in the least surprising that Money was behind Intellect in the murder, for the great fortunes of Rome saw in Caesarism the beginning of the end of their power.
The supposed freedom gained by murdering Caesar was confined to the benefits briefly enjoyed by a handful of oligarchic senators. It would prove their undoing in the end. Is it not true today that the masses long ago became tired of their rights? That we are tired of the political strife and seek only to set aside political differences and put the country back on a stable foundation. The Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of warrantless searches long ago flew out the window, with passage of the Patriot Act, secret FISA courts, and assorted other excuses concocted by the Surveillance State to monitor us, persecuting those who it deems threats. When even Melania Trump was debanked in the wake of the 2020 election, and a gulag was established to punish J6 tourists, the Bill of Rights has been trampled. If you don’t know that you are in a facial recognition database, alongside your credit rating and financial transaction history, you have not been paying attention. Under Trump 47 much of this will be reversed, but Americns indeed have taken their hard-won rights for granted.
The Democratic party no longer stands for anything. Its sole function is maintaining power. Not much better can be said regarding the RINO-controlled GOP. Party distinctions are rapidly melting as 2.5 centuries of accumulated corruption begins to dissolve. The hollow shell of the Republican party is experiencing a hostile takeover by MAGA forces. Both parties were gatekeepers, intent upon sustaining the status quo. A status quo that had become subservient to the demands of Big Money.
IMPERIAL BRANDING
Call it branding, or image making, Trump spent his life cultivating a persona. Sometimes going to absurd lengths. His books, hosting The Apprentice, Trump Tower, etc. have all focused on crafting a larger than life image. Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump University, casinos, boxing promotions, and beauty pageants have been commercial ventures with a common denominator: maximizing publicity, constantly remaining in the public spotlight, to generate an image of exclusivity. The Trump name has been licensed and plastered on buildings across the country and abroad as a symbol of luxury.
It was a strategic decision for Trump to make his first post-election public outing from his winter palace to a UFC venue. He was assured of maximum rock star treatment, with music blaring as he entered the arena. Trump faces political headwinds as his cabinet picks face Senate confirmation. Representing the Old Order, which Trump’s historical mandate is destined to destroy, the Senate makes or breaks his final term. To soften up the battlefield, he must bring overwhelming public pressure on individual senators standing in his way. The first to cave was Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. Next was Iowa Senator Jodi Ernst. Who may have committed political suicide by hesitating to support Trump’s cabinet nominees. Pennsylvania’s Fettermen has indicated a willingness to confirm Trump’s nominees. He is in the vanguard of Democrats transitioning toward the Center. Those who have not read the writing on the wall will risk voter antipathy. Swamp inhabitants are short circuiting as the new reality begins to dawn on them. This is a beautiful thing to watch.
Trump no longer needs to direct an intense spotlight on any senators blocking his path — his base does that without prompting. Elon Musk stands behind him, ready to fund primary opponents for any RINO congressmen fighting the MAGA tide. Absent de jure congressional term limits before a constitutional amendment is enacted, Trump has alternative ways to term limit RINOs. The Liz Cheney/Adam Kinzinger treatment only needs to be used sparingly for all senators to be intimidated. Too many are too complacent, believing they can block Trump’s nominations with impunity. They will quickly learn otherwise. The UFC appearance was part of Trump’s plan to accumulate political capital in advance of when Congress reconvenes on January 3. It would not be a surprise if rallies are held — perhaps in states of senators requiring special attention — in the coming weeks.
Senators’ opposition to reform is substantial. The GOP majority is thinner than it appears, thanks to Senators Collins and Murkowski being essentially Democrats. New Utah “Republican” Senator Curtis is a Democrat. Each opposed Gaetz’s Attorney General nomination. The pressure (money) descending on these three to side with Democrats will be intense. We have yet to learn who RINO Ohio governor DeWine will appoint to Vance’s vacant seat. Trump must mobilize populist forces to assist in coercing legislators standing in the way of reform. Too many on the Right are currently sanguine regarding the thin GOP majorities in both houses of Congress. The financial stakes are too high to not anticipate trouble potentially arising once Trump is inaugurated. The battle has shifted from the ballot box to the halls of Congress.
Gone now are Senators Sinema and Manchin, Democrats who read the writing on the wall and jumped ship in vain efforts to retain their seats. Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey went a step further and switched to the GOP in 2019. Five years later he remains in office. In 2020, his first race running as a Republican, he prevailed with 51.9% of the vote. In 2022 his margin was 58.9%. In 2024 it was 58.3%. The question is how many Democrats (and RINOs) will follow Van Drew’s path and choose the path of least political resistance.
The civil war is over. Trump is now in the mopping up stage, mending fences thrown down years ago. This is no better related and illustrated than by Peggy Noonan, one of Trump’s most strident critics in past years. During her tenure as one of Reagan’s principal speechwriters (alongside a stable of talent that included Pat Buchanan, Tony Donlan: “an evil empire,” and Paul Robinson: “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”), she authored some of the most eloquent and memorable lines of a dynamic era. But Noonan was no Trump fan girl. Her anecdote of how Trump recently charmed her is essential to understanding the ongoing dynamic: an intentional, deliberate campaign by Trump to display magnanimity in victory. Unlike Obama and Biden who immediately began to sow division upon assuming office, Trump takes the opposite approach. Noonan senses, but does not comprehend, that something big is afoot, an historical realignment that will long endure. Trump’s rapprochement with Mark Zuckerberg is part of a pattern of offering amnesty to those surrendering. Zuckerberg had (past tense) potential criminal liability related to the hundreds of millions he spent in 2020 against Trump.
TRUMP 2.0
With the cult of Trump we know how we got here and now see hints of where this is going. Gone is the huckster Trump, intent upon merchandising. That version represented an era when he needed to proactively foster his branding. His reconstituted branding, as a populist politician, now begins to automatically, organically, take on a life of its own, with others largely carrying the burden of expansion. It can not be repeated enough: under Augustus — the Roman historical analog to Trump — senators were reduced to vying to sit next to the emperor at dinners. A similar development is underway in America. Pouring over Soviet photos to determine kremlinology has transitioned into viewing photos and videos of events at Mar-a-Lago, or observing who sits ringside with Trump at UFC events. It is no different than a Roman emperor attending gladiatorial contests in the Colosseum. Mike Johnson, RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Elon Musk are not UFC fight fans. They attended for political purposes.
Trump is following his UFC appearance with attendance at the Army-Navy football game, accompanied by J.D. Vance, NYC subway hero Daniel Penny, and his Secretary of Defense nominee Peter Hegseth. Also in tow are Elon Musk, Governor DeSantis, and Pennsylvania Senator-elect David McCormick. This is a component of a process to bank political capital during the lead up to the inauguration, while highlighting his DOD secretary before the battle for Senate confirmation. A battle Trump intends to win before the Senate hearing begins. Being seen in the arena alongside the emperor is now a coveted political honor, carrying with it an obligation to respond in kind to him. Banishment from the presidential entourage will be the punishment for any foolish enough to trigger his ire.
The cubiculum, the emperor's box in the Colosseum, was a raised seating area where the emperor and his entourage sat. Situated on the south side of the Colosseum, which held an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators, the Cubiculum had four marble steps and offered the best view of the arena.
The emperor sat in his own chair, the bisellium. The emperor’s family and leading political figures joined him in the Cubiculum. His presence in the box allowed him to be seen by everyone.
In 2022, during Trump’s exile to the political wilderness, it cost donors $250,000 for a private dinner and photo with him. His second-term price will likely be considerably higher, and not because of intervening inflation. The process of naming streets in Trump’s honor has already begun. Renaming government facilities is sure to follow. He is being cast in bronze for a two-story tall statue in time for his second inaugural. These are not normal occurrences in other presidencies.
Certain things can be anticipated. Parents will be more likely to name their children Donald, Melania, or Barron. Merchandising of the Trump brand will increase, including licensing agreements for things such as perfume or sneakers. Different flavors of MAGA hats are appearing, including Elon Musk’s favorite, Dark MAGA. Government buildings and roads will be renamed, statues erected, and Trump’s birthday may become celebrated. Trump tattoos will grow in popularity. Unlike in 2020, it is now acceptable for celebrities and professional athletes to show support for Trump. Trump will pull out all stops in the pageantry department to make America’s 250th celebration memorable. Eventually, his tomb will become a pilgrimage location. A mythology will develop around him, similar to a young Washington’s cherry tree or Honest Abe’s inability to lie.
In one or many such manifestations of a rapidly emerging imperial cult that are now spontaneously appearing, when Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell on December 12, cheers of USA!, USA! broke out on the exchange floor. Much to the befuddlement of liberal TV network hosts. Time Magazine named him Person of the Year. It was only August 2023 when the mugshot of Fulton County jail inmate #P01135809 was taken. This is not the treatment he received in 2020 or 2016 when the media heaped scorn upon him and his supporters. It is difficult for us to recognize — let alone comprehend — the transition rapidly being experienced. A large part of the explanation for this spontaneous development is a sense of national relief that the intentional chaos unleashed by Obama/Biden is ending. The 2024 election result allowed many to finally emerge the shadows and safely declare their allegiance to sanity.
The American Emperor enters Europe’s greatest cathedral and global (mostly European) leaders of the empire’s vassal states rise to pay homage. Those deserving of special attention received a shoulder grab from the emperor. Trump was accompanied by his consiglieri, the world’s richest man, and seated front and center at the place of honor, next to the French president.
Artificial cults
The 20th Century witnessed efforts at artificially manufacturing an imperial cult in communist nations such as Russia (Stalin), China (Mao), Cuba, or North Korea (the Kim dynasty). Chairman Xi’s efforts to force feed China’s masses a neo Maoist philosophy — with himself as the divinely inspired leader — only confirms Marx’s dictum — history repeats, first as tragedy, then farce. These communist efforts can be considered illegitimate, as opposed to the normal, organic progression for how this process plays out across the various civilizations. A top-down, artificial approach rather than the organic, grassroots nature of how this process unfolds naturally. Similarly, formation of the European Union in 1993 can be considered an artificial attempt to form an empire — doomed to eventually fail while an actual one was forming across the Atlantic.
If we go back further, the Roman imperial cult provides an idea of what lies in store in terms of an historically organic process leading to a cult of the emperor. The Roman republic, like the American, began as a response to the negative consequences of a monarchy. The notion of king was abhorrent. As the republic aged, various generals received triumphs after significant victories abroad, a temporary sort of worship. Julius Caesar was the first Roman leader to be officially deified. By the time Augustus ascended to power, various Roman leaders over previous decades had acquired a near cult-like, divine status, which became significantly more formalized with the start of the empire. We can anticipate that after Trump leaves office, there will be calls to place his image on coinage and currency, and his name on government facilities.
Every civilization experiences this phenomenon, whether the Egyptian, Chinese, Aztec, or Inca. The ruler is either a terrestrial-based deity, or a semi-deity, reigning through divine right. We see a bit of this with Trump, post his attempted assassination. Divine intervention has been credited with the bullet missing. Churchill, who, from considerable experience, knew what he was talking about, observed that “nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” Trump certainly emerged reinvigorated from his attempted assassination.
Washington and Lincoln enjoyed analogous standing in the American pantheon. To the Left, FDR was a god. But it was not until Reagan that this sort of grassroots-originated worshipping began appearing. Washington, Lincoln, and FDR shared the experience of having led the nation through a great crisis. History constantly throws up great leaders to meet the existential demands of an era. With Trump, the deification is now unmistakable. He has nurtured this his entire life, but this is something which would have occurred regardless, originating with the people who look upon him (and similar historical figures) as a savior. To many he is ineffable, and receives the benefit of the doubt in all political altercations. These sentiments are indicative of a move away from politics, a desire for the nation to be unified after decades of internal turmoil. To delegate to the strong leader the tasks of governing, while the rest of us get back to the business of America, creating wealth.
The public is tired of arguments, the desire is for a government that actually serves the needs of the people, not the other way around. The USPS is a microcosm for what ails the entire government. Its FY 2023 deficit has now ballooned from $6.5 billion to $9.5 billion in 2024. The solutions are obvious, but a corrupt Congress stands in the way of reform. Only an empowered executive, beholden to the nation as a whole, can bring reform. Big reforms are soon coming, the magnitude of which few can now comprehend.
Trump’s supporters have uniforms (red hats) and in many (especially rural) areas have yet to take down their roadside signs from the November election. Those who fly the American flag proudly have a high overlap with those who display their Trump affiliation. Professional athletes, on both sides of the Atlantic, are reportedly performing the Trump dance to celebrate scoring events. A sharp contrast to those who took a knee during the 2020 Summer of Love. The rate of historical inversions is now proceeding at warp speed. What once might have required a generation or two occurred in four years. Or less. The Green New Deal, DEI, Soros prosecutors, Antifa, and woke universities are among the phenomena rapidly receding into the past, in just the past two years.
Among perhaps the more surprising developments is the number of young people flocking toward Trumpism. They get it, thanks to alternative media: the system is rigged in favor of those in power. A generation which might normally be expected to be revolting against authority now finds common cause with Trump. This is in some ways the antithesis of the late 1960s, but with a right wing complexion. Youth are revolting against authority, but the nature of that authority has flipped. Both eras featured an anti-war movement. The difference this time is that, after an additional half century of gratuitous wars, the opposition to them transcends age groups. America has been red-pilled and is now immunized against gaslighting from the media and political class. The current revolt against authority includes frat boys disgusted by woke indoctrination on college campuses. Shoving misanthropy in the form of DEI, anti-White, anti-Christian, misandry, anti-straight, and antisemitic wokeism down a generation’s throats is not a way to win friends. America’s (and the West’s) nihilistic episode is now over. It went way too far for too long. Considering Nietzsche’s insights, this lasted at least a century and a half.
Journalist Christopher Rufo recently analyzed the United Healthcare CEO’s murder as marking a turn toward nihilism. It instead represented one of the final gasps of a nihilistic episode in the West which began at least by the final decades of the 19th Century and manifested in two world wars and finally had a momentary resurgence during the 2020 Summer of Love riots and the Biden chaos. These incidents represented top/down imposition of nihilism, rather than a grassroots phenomenon. As such they were destined to be short-lived and lacked any broad appeal. Trump’s 2024 victory was in large part an organic, grassroots response. Our tolerance for nihilism is now in short supply.
Rufo correctly gets that the BLM movement is essentially spent. Nihilism, manifesting as such childish things as Antifa, is rapidly fading away. The outliers who applauded the CEO murder have been exposed and condemned. As the reality of the debt crisis and economic contraction begin to appear, there will be diminishing tolerance for the nihilistic indulgences typical of an inflationary blow off.
If you want to see the future of American politics as it develops in real time, pay attention to NYC Mayor Adams. Just as when the nation’s largest city was in the midst of a crime epidemic in the 1990s, and Mayor Guiliani showed the way forward, Adams has pivoted from supporting Biden’s chaos to providing a template for how to climb aboard the Trump Train. He looks likely to receive a pardon from Trump regarding the Biden DOJ’s persecution for having the temerity to travel to Mexico City in an effort to privately negotiate a solution to the migrant crisis.