When Barack Obama was elected president, a lot of white people, especially men, were thrown into an existential crisis. What am I if this black men is smarter, better-looking, has a happer family, and his the POTUS. They have never gotten over it, and in attempting to justify their collective existence, they are not only punishing people of color but are also punishing American Democracy in general.

Trump is not the progenitor. He is just the one who got out in front of the crowd. If he were gone, there would still be DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor soon-to-be-ex-Green, and all the rest. They don't worship him; they're showing their gratitude that no matter how evil they are, he made the world safer for them.