In case you don't keep up with these things, for the past couple of weeks, there have been various theories floating around MAGA social media about the Democratic national convention, specifically about Harris or Walz being forced off the ticket.
As is often the case, the most over-the-top version came from Trump himself
Of course, this didn't help.
Uh, no.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 18, 2024
"Parties picking their nominee after some rough internal wrangling" is not a coup.
"An armed mob trying to stop the electoral process and install the losing candidate" is a coup. pic.twitter.com/LxlbUX4DqV
Most aren't sure what's going to happen but they know it'll be big.
Yes, very likely!
Shall we bet, say, one million dollars on whether this will occur?— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) August 18, 2024
("Newsmax Host, bestselling author and host of The Todd Starnes Radio Show - weekdays at noon. http://ToddStarnes.com. Fox News alum" -- we don't just quote any rando off the street here at West Coast Stat Views.)
All of this is happening against a background of conservative media news reports about how frightened and desperate the Democrats are.Wait, I thought this guy was deposed in a coup and was really angry and the delegates were all deprived of their democratic rights or some damn thing pic.twitter.com/icBU8yd43d
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 20, 2024
Watters: I just got back from vacation and noticed Kamala Harris has surged ahead of Trump in the polls. I had my team look into it. Turns out these polls are dramatically oversampling Democrats and burying the samples so you can’t see it pic.twitter.com/19DURQHfWN
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 19, 2024
Technically, we can't say for certain these theories are wrong until the end of the convention, but assuming that Joe doesn't force his way onto the stage on the last day of the convention and that the buildup were seen for coach Tim is not some incredibly elaborate head fake, this will join the long list of failed prophecies that have popped up in MAGA world since November 2024. (Who can forget the second coming of JFK jr.?) I don't think there's any way of knowing how many Trump supporters actually believe all of the craziness. I suspect it's a small but nontrivial minority, but that's just a guess.
From what I've observed (and from the experience of growing up and still having contacts in rural Arkansas), most Trump supporters have consciously or unconsciously made a bargain with themselves. There are certain aspects of the man that trouble them but they have pushed these to the back of the minds and think about them as little as possible. Though a few may enjoy going along with the cosplay, these people are not part of the cult. There is a point where they will stop supporting Trump. Whether or not a significant number reach that point in the next seventy-seven days is a question for the social scientists in the audience.
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