The Rising of a False God

When Spectacle Replaces Substance in America’s Presidency

By Dr. Will Rodríguez

The Coronation of a Myth

On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump took the oath as the 47th President of the United States. Unlike a policy-driven mandate, this was a ceremonial anointing—a performance elevated into political theater.

Interlude:

A crowd chants, flags wave, the stage is lit.

Not for new ideas—but for affirmation.

A false god is not forged by ballots—it is birthed through spectacle.

Neuroscience of Devotion

Our brains crave familiar patterns—they equate repetition with truth. Known as the illusory truth effect, this bias leads us to accept repeated statements as genuine—even when we know they aren’t.

Trump’s arsenal—“Make America Great Again,” “Law and Order,” “Liberate Los Angeles”—are more than slogans: they are neural scripts, designed to bypass analytical thought by triggering emotion and familiarity.

Interlude:

A mantra is repeated.

The brain nods.

The false feels real.

The real becomes rare.

Anatomy of a False God

Historically, personality cults—like those of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao—emerged during social upheaval, replacing democratic discourse with ritualized devotion.

Today’s modern false god shares key elements:

• A mythic narrative (restoration of greatness)

  
  

• A leader-as-deity posture

  
  

• Mass rallies as emotional communion

  
  

• Rituals—like deploying federal force—as affirmations of power

In its early months, this pattern is evident:

• Deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, dismissing local authority.

  
  

• Declared intention to “liberate Los Angeles” from “Third World chaos,” echoing messianic fantasies.

These are not policies—they are ceremonial affirmations of superiority.

Interlude:

Governments deliberate.

Spectacles submit.

Politics becomes performance.

From Faith to Function—Or the Lack of It

When ideological fervor eclipses investigation, institutions flounder.

• Laws become performances: the nebulous “Big, Beautiful Bill” threatens longstanding health protections.

  
  

• Federal forces encroach on civil spaces, normalizing militarization in civic life.

  
  

• Executive narratives blur reality—“divine mandate” follows “presidential decree.”

We shift from self-governance to spectacle governance.

The Historical Drain

False gods have a history:

• Hitler’s Führer myth (economic anxiety)

  
  

• Stalin’s Supreme Leader cult (post-revolution consolidation)

  
  

• Roman emperors deified after conquest

What they share is a structure:

1. Narrative of crisis

   
   

2. Charismatic figure offering salvation

   
   

3. Weapons of repetition and ritual

   
   

4. Erosion of critical spaces

   
   

5. Dependency on the spectacle to maintain power

We’re witnessing a modern iteration of that structure.

The Moment of Reckoning

A false god thrives when we stop thinking for ourselves.

But this birth is not inevitable.

We can resist by:

• Recognizing the illusory truth effect

  
  

• Questioning every familiar slogan

  
  

• Demanding transparency over theatrics

Conclusion

This is not a battle cry. It’s a reminder.

Magnetism without substance is mirage.

Authority without accountability is illusion.

Our democracy isn’t served by spectacle—it demands informed minds.