facing multiple threats: economic collapse, political opponents intent on undermining the nation, and global conflicts that only he believes he can avert. His warnings have become increasingly extreme, including claims that without his leadership, "You won't have a country anymore," as well as predictions of World War III and potential nuclear disasters.
JD Vance, Trump’s Mini-Me, has become a powerful amplifier of these fear-inducing messages. Vance has taken Trump’s rhetoric and added his own inflammatory claims, such as falsely asserting that Haitian migrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets. He frequently employs “invasion” language when discussing immigration, co-sponsoring legislation that encourages state governors to “repel the dangerous ongoing invasion across the United States southern border.”
The impact of this fear-based strategy has been profound and far-reaching. It has deepened political divisions, with critics arguing that it stokes racial resentment and xenophobia. Some link inflammatory language to real-world violence, including the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Yet fear has proven to be a powerful motivator for voters, with both sides of the political spectrum using it to energize their base.
Trump and Vance’s approach has raised alarms both domestically and internationally. Trump’s adoption of white nationalist talking points, such as his tweets about South African farmers, has sparked concerns about the global impact of his rhetoric. Critics argue that this fear-based approach is particularly dangerous coming from political leaders as it can lead to increased hate crimes, street violence, and the emboldening of extremist groups.
However, for many of Trump’s supporters, he and Vance are seen as necessary defenders against an ever-shifting list of perceived threats to their way of life. The use of fear as a political tool remains central to Trump and his allies’ strategy, continuing to shape the American political landscape and public discourse in profound and often divisive ways.
Why Fear Works—and Why It’s Repeated
From Trump’s talk of a migrant “invasion,” Orbán’s dark warnings of a “Muslim” flood, Putin’s alarms about Western infiltration, to Hitler’s rallying cry of a betrayed nation, the strategy doesn’t change. Fear, whether based on fact or fabrication, triggers a primal sense of vulnerability. When people feel their very identity is at stake, they clamor for a champion who vows to protect them—at any cost.
And that “any cost” is how democracies falter. In the name of security, citizens consent to banning free press, sidelining opposition, and undercutting checks and balances. With each step, the strongman gathers more authority, harnessing paranoia to justify authoritarian measures.
This was Step One. Stirring fear is the wedge that cracks open a society’s complacency. Once people believe their survival hinges on a single leader, they become more willing to see opponents as traitors and to accept extreme policies as a means of salvation.