In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the titular scientist assembles a creature from corpses, breathes life into it, and, horrified by his own creation, casts it aside. But the creature does not die. It grows. It watches. It learns. And eventually, it turns on its maker and the world that rejected it.
Donald J. Trump was not born a monster. He was created—stitched together from decades of political grievances, media spectacle, racial resentment, economic fear, and the calculated dog whistles of a Republican Party willing to trade principle for power. MAGA is not a movement that found its messiah. It is the mob that built its monster.
Sewing the Monster Together: The GOP’s Role
Long before Trump descended that golden escalator in 2015, the Republican Party had laid the groundwork. Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy of the 1980s, which used coded racial messaging to secure white votes, planted the early seeds. Fox News, launched in 1996, became the 24/7 echo chamber of outrage and identity politics. By 2008, with the election of the first Black president, the Tea Party exploded onto the scene, fueled by anti-government fervor, thinly veiled racism, and a refusal to compromise.
Republican lawmakers welcomed these forces. Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and others rode the wave of resentment to midterm victories. But they never imagined that the mob would one day demand more than dog whistles—they would demand blood.
Breathing Life into the Monster: Enter Donald J. Trump
Trump’s rise wasn’t a hostile takeover; it was a coronation. He tapped directly into the emotional brain of a party that had spent years feeding on fear—of immigrants, of globalism, of liberals, of progress. In 2015, he didn’t just promise to make America great again; he promised revenge, purity, and domination.
He wasn’t merely tolerated—he was embraced. From Jerry Falwell Jr. to Rep. Elise Stefanik, from Fox hosts like Sean Hannity to right-wing media like Breitbart and InfoWars, Trump was deified. Conservative leaders praised him as the “chosen one.” He gutted the DOJ, fired inspectors general, bullied the press, and pardoned war criminals—and the crowd roared louder.
This wasn’t conservatism. It was cultism. As historian Timothy Snyder warned, “Post-truth is pre-fascism.” Trump delivered both.
Mob Mentality: The Creation Joins Its Creators
Shelley’s monster was not born evil; he became so after rejection, abandonment, and humiliation. Trump’s MAGA mob evolved similarly. They started as voters but became crusaders. Fueled by conspiracy theories like QAnon, and stoked by constant grievance, they turned to violence—not as a last resort, but as a ritual of loyalty.
On January 6, 2021, the creature turned fully monstrous. Trump, like Frankenstein, watched his creation storm the Capitol. Five people died. Police were beaten. Elected officials fled for their lives. Trump watched in silence, then told the mob, “We love you. You’re very special.”
The Republican Party didn’t abandon the monster. Instead, it doubled down. Representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Matt Gaetz became the face of the new GOP—loud, loyal, and dangerous.
Consumed by the Creature
Victor Frankenstein died chasing the monster he created. Today, the GOP is in similar pursuit—helpless to stop what it unleashed. Liz Cheney was excommunicated. Mitt Romney is retiring. Truth-tellers are censured, while insurrectionists are endorsed.
Trump’s grip on the party remains total. According to Pew Research (2023), 67% of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen. And despite four criminal indictments, Trump remains the 2024 nominee.
But make no mistake: this is not just about Trump. It’s about the mob that created him. The voters who cheered. The lawmakers who enabled. The pastors who sanctified. The silence of those who knew better.
Conclusion: The Mob Owns the Monster
MAGA isn’t the victim of Trump. It is his co-author, co-star, and accomplice. Together, they’ve written a story as tragic as Shelley’s—but far more dangerous.
In Frankenstein, the creature begged to be heard. Trump’s mob doesn’t beg. It breaks windows, threatens election workers, and demands loyalty over law. The modern GOP isn’t led by the monster—it is the monster.
And unless the American electorate wakes up, unless civic courage outshines blind loyalty, we may find that this story has no redemption—only rubble.
