“Trump’s supporters accept his moral authority over everything else, so the focus on his flaws did not matter as much as his braying promises to rule the country as a strongman.”

“Strict Father morality is growing stronger

All politics are moral politics. Trump won because he has tapped into something deep in the American psyche: Strict Father morality. This is a hierarchical view of the world, rooted in the metaphor of a family with a dictator-like patriarch whose word is law. Millions of American brains are wired to accept this moral system, and this is why none of the facts about Trump (his impeachments, his convictions, his lies) mattered.

In the aftermath of his victory, there are – once again – many explanations for why he won. Most of them are piecemeal and incomplete. Strict Father morality is the key to understanding why Trump retains a strong support base. Trump’s supporters accept his moral authority over everything else, so the focus on his flaws did not matter as much as his braying promises to rule the country as a strongman.”