MAGA Disillusionment After Epstein Denial

The provided text analyzes the MAGA movement as a deeply ingrained identity system, highlighting its resilience against disconfirming information. It explores the movement's foundations in ideology, psychological predispositions like authoritarianism, and a unique leader-follower bond with Donald Trump. The text then examines the "Epstein List" disconfirmation as a critical stress test, predicting that rather than causing widespread disillusionment, it will likely lead to reinterpretation and fortification of beliefs through various cognitive biases and the influential MAGA media ecosystem. Ultimately, it concludes that a mass break in faith would require a "cascade of failures" encompassing severe economic harm, direct betrayal on cultural promises, a failure of Trump's charismatic persona, and a fracture in the media shield.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.