Apparently, Trump supporters are victims of “mind control.” But fear not, CNN is on the case!
During a segment on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” controversial (one-sided) media critic Brian Stelter dissected the “cult” of President Donald Trump and his use of, yes, “mind control.”
Stelter hosted “mental health expert” Steven Hassan, who happens to be pushing a book called “The Cult of Trump,” to tackle the issue on Sunday’s show.
“I define a destructive cult as an authoritarian pyramid-structured group with someone at the top who claims to have total power and total wisdom that uses the deception and control of behavior, information, thoughts, and emotions to make people loyal and dependent and obedient followers,” Hassan told Stelter, as reported by BizPac Review.
“So, for me, the issue between an ethical healthy cult, where you’re free to think and free to leave, versus a destructive cult … I’m referring to Trump’s organization and followership as a destructive cult, where people are being fed propaganda and they’re not being encouraged to think for themselves,” he continued. “They’re not being encouraged to really explore and look at the details and arrive at their own conclusion. Much of what they’re hearing is emotionally driven, loaded words, thought-stopping and thought-terminating-type clichés like ‘fake news’ or ‘build the wall’ or ‘Make America Great Again.’”
Stelter then asked Hassan how one could prove Trump’s supposed use of “mind control.” Seriously.
“We can start with the pathological lying, which is characteristic of destructive cult leaders,” the self-styled”expert” replied. “Saying things in a very confident way that have nothing to do with facts or truthfulness. The blaming others and never taking responsibility for his own failures and faults. Shunning and kicking out anyone who raises questions or concerns about his own behavior. His use of fear mongering immigration is a horrible thing.”
Hassan also suggested on CNN airwaves that Trump supporters be “deprogrammed” on Thanksgiving.
“The first step with anyone who’s a true believer is contact with people that are outside the bubble,” he said. “Cult leaders want to isolate their people. They want — they want family and friends to just disappear rather than keep engaged. Hey, did you read this article? What do you think of it? You know, I’ll watch one of your shows, watch one of my shows. In other words, appealing to the person’s true self, their authentic self, that wants to be a good person, that wants — that believes in America and democracy and truth.”
“For the people who are dreading Thanksgiving, you’re saying it’s an opportunity to get together?” Stelter suggested.
“Exactly. Let’s — we’re family. We’re friends, let’s talk. And you know, truth will come out. Truth will stand up to scrutiny,” Hassan endorsed the idea.
Stelter has repeatedly been criticized for his partisanship, though he claims to be an objective media observer. Most recently, a massive ABC scandal barely made a blip on Stelter’s radar, and when it did, Stelter defended the news network.
As noted by The Daily Wire, video from James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas showed ABC anchor Amy Robach detailing how the network killed her bombshell story on convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Briefly covering the video in a newsletter, Stelter dismissed Project Veritas as a “right-wing, pro-Trump activist group” and focused on ABC’s reaction to the story.
WATCH:
This is @CNN, "the most trusted name in news." Media "journalist" @brianstelter ended his Sunday show "Reliable Sources" with a segment telling viewers Trump is a "destructive cult leader" a kin to Jim Jones and using "mind control" to manipulate his supporters. pic.twitter.com/j7XZnHTUdg
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) November 24, 2019