Some get tired or annoyed at my comparisons of China and the US, or CCP and GOP, or Xi and Trump. If you are part of that crowd, you may move on.
Long ago I published the text of a speech by John Garnaut, an Australian journalist who spent many years covering China and Xi. The speech is from 2017. I’m sending now, again – Engineers of the Soul: Ideology in Xi Jinping’s China by John Garnaut Garnaut looks to explain Xi’s policy motives in light of traditional CCP directives.
The theme of Garnaut’s speech is to remind listeners that Xi is only following the script of the totalizing authoritarianism that is communism. Lenin, Stalin, Mao all promoted unwavering loyalty to the cause of communism and unwavering loyalty (at penalty of death) to the supreme leader. In that pursuit art, literature, journalism, all the arts are in service to the need to rewire the individual’s beliefs and morality, to engineer the soul toward proper reverence of the leader and the movement.
Sending the Garnaut again because I am reminded that the real Trump derangement, the MAGA loyalists, seem as captured by a Trumpian engineering of the soul as any senior CCP Xi loyalist. Stalin, Mao and Xi were addressing writers and artists and journalists to engage them in promoting the communist brand.
Trump and the GOP are certainly promoting the GOP brand, with Trump as enforcer. The MAGA people are only too happy to be part of the cult of Trump, their souls engineered to see Trump as more than President, more than the leader chosen by God, perhaps even reinterpreting the message of Christianity to suit. In 2026, patriotism has come to mean loyalty to Trump. The totalizing authoritarianism of GOP and Trump must of course find enemies everywhere, foreign and domestic, to solidify loyalty. National media control is understood, of course. Authoritarian control of all society only makes sense. It is Trump uber alles.
Some comparisons, Trump and Xi, GOP and CCP –
Engineering the soul – cult behavior
Xi Jinping has seen cult-like behavior among the most fervent CCP members. The cult of Xi is described at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping%27s_cult_of_personality –
Since Xi assumed power in 2012, books, cartoons, pop songs and dance routines have honoured his dictatorship. In 2017, the local government of Jiangxi province told Christians to replace their pictures of Jesus with Xi Jinping.
The political ideology bearing his name, Xi Jinping Thought, was enshrined into the CCP’s constitution in the 19th National Congress in October 2017 and into the state constitution in 2018. China Central Television (CCTV) also showed members of the National People’s Congress “crying in happiness” because of Xi Jinping’s re-election as president in 2018.
Xi rewrote both the CCP constitution and the constitution of China to get his third term.
To be fair to Trump and the GOP, “Donald Trump Thought” has not yet been written into the US Constitution. But there is time. And the scars on the White House, the scar of the coming big beautiful arch, and the scars on government, federal, state and local might be sufficient to permit fans to cry in happiness for decades after his demise. We do have more than one picture of Trump as Jesus. The most recent despicable is only the latest.
And Trump doesn’t need to rewrite the Constitution. He can and does go directly to the people. And for – pick your percentage – 25% or 50% of the voting population there has been sufficient engineering away from empathy, pluralism, education, belief in science, dare I say it, Christian morality. Main stream media and religious figures are too silent in calls for removal of this blot upon the Constitution and upon Christianity. The Supreme Court and Congress are too themselves overwhelmed with fear and awe to register normal protest. The plan is working.
Trump’s most fevered base is characterized by intense, cult loyalty that persists despite controversies, legal issues, or opposing evidence. Driven by a preference for faith-based reasoning over evidence-based views, supporters often prioritize loyalty and shared identity over traditional political metrics. Research suggests this devotion is linked to high conscientiousness, specifically a strong, persevering, and focused discipline, note researchers in Psychology Today and Baptist News Global.
Key aspects of this cult support include:
- ideological alignment: Supporters frequently trust Trump more than conventional media, academic research, or experts, relying on their own faith-based or value-driven interpretations.
- core beliefs: As highlighted in this Pew Research Center article, many supporters share specific views, such as strong opinions on border security, economic nationalism, and a belief that American interests should be prioritized exclusively.
- An “America First” focus: Supporters often feel heard and represented by his confrontational style, which they see as a necessary tool to disrupt established political norms.
- identity-driven loyalty: Trump support is deeply personal, with many fans feeling a direct, unwavering connection to him. More details at Baptist News Global.
This loyalty has been robust. It maintains strength across multiple election cycles and even after events like the January 6, 2021 incident. According to analysis in TheHumanist.com, this devotion is a key feature of his “cult-like” following. Other cult behaviors –
- refusal to answer objective, specific questions which would lead to undermining a deeply held belief
- refusal to gather evidence when the evidence may lead to an undesirable conclusion
- demonstrating pride about a lack of personal education in favour of a perceived ability to understand the world by intuition
The comparisons of Trump with Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Xi are not direct and exact. Certainly in 2026 one has seen some small wavering within the cult, accompanied when possible by threats, firings and derogatory language. And Communism is a totalizing ideology. Xi is the core – that is the term in China – of CCP while Trump is (only) a monopole. But the purges of loyalists in pursuit of absolute fealty, the utter disregard for truth, rejection of empathy, the fanaticism of true believers, even perpetual struggle as the essence of the movement – Trump will always find enemies – are certainly reminiscent. Perpetual struggle – true for Xi and CCP, true for Trump and GOP.
Engineering the soul – patriotism equals loyalty to the leader
Trump is no Mao … or Xi, for that matter. But the engineering of the soul away from what we used to think of as core values and fairness and rule of law are certainly similar. Loyalty to the leader is the only rule that matters.
Couple of excerpts from the Garnaut article –
Stalin –
“The production of souls is more important than the production of tanks…. And therefore I raise my glass to you, writers, the engineers of the human soul”.
Garnaut from his speech –
To me this is one of the great totalitarian metaphors: a machine designed to forge complete unity between state, society and individual.
It’s no different today. Xi:
“Among the core values of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the deepest, most basic and most enduring is patriotism. Our modern art and literature needs to take patriotism as its muse, guiding the people to establish and adhere to correct views of history, the nation, the country and culture.”
Patriotism for Trump means “America First.” This is accompanied by an economic nationalism and tariffs.
For Xi, the “China Dream” is not a hope for individual flourishing, but a strong China. For “China First” one need only refer to the precepts of the “Made in China 2025” Project –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_China_2025 a national strategic plan to eliminate imports of technology and achieve independence from foreign suppliers. And of course, the explicit clarification that to love China is to love CCP.
A few years ago I pointed to similarities in rhetoric and leadership style between Trump and Xi, and GOP and CCP, regarding their approach to power, loyalty, and media. In 2026 the similarities among the pairs are greater. At least Xi and CCP profess to disregard the cult and near-worship of the zealots.
Engineering the soul – enemies everywhere
Garnaut again on Xi –
And the old warnings against subversive western liberalism haven’t changed either.
For Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Xi, words are not vehicles of reason and persuasion. They are bullets. Words are weapons for defining, isolating and destroying opponents. And the task of destroying enemies can never end.
The key point about Communist Party ideology … is that the party is and always has defined itself as being in perpetual struggle with the “hostile” forces of Western liberalism.
Western liberalism is also a key element by which the US is seeking to destroy China, per the infamous Document No. 9 from 2013. All CCP members are forewarned.
Here is Trump on the hostile forces of Western liberalism –
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/12/trump-rally-vermin-political-opponents/
Trump – “We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections,” Trump said toward the end of his speech, repeating his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. “They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream.”
Anne Applebaum reminded us Trump Is Speaking Like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-authoritarian-rhetoric-hitler-mussolini/680296/
This language isn’t merely ugly or repellent: These words belong to a particular tradition. Adolf Hitler used these kinds of terms often. In 1938, he praised his compatriots who had helped “cleanse Germany of all those parasites who drank at the well of the despair of the Fatherland and the People.” In occupied Warsaw, a 1941 poster displayed a drawing of a louse with a caricature of a Jewish face. The slogan: “Jews are lice: they cause typhus.”
Mao Zedong also described his political opponents as “poisonous weeds.”
One might replace “Communist Party” in Garnaut’s comment above with “GOP.” CCP and GOP are in agreement. Western liberalism is the enemy.
Engineering the soul – media control
Both leaders demand absolute loyalty from subordinates and surrounding themselves with supporters, while aiming to control the press.
Any reader here is well aware of media censorship in China – just refer back to Mao, above. Xi’s contribution is to remind all in China that “Party, government, military, civilian, and academic, north, south, east, west, and center, the Party leads everything.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Party_leads_everything
Trump lobbed a series of attacks aimed at dismantling the free press earlier this year. These attacks include a $1.1 billion cut in public broadcasting funds to NPR and PBS stations, as well as a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal.
The administration has broken from centuries of precedent by restricting press coverage. The White House Correspondents’ Association announced that — after more than a hundred years — it would no longer control the White House press pool in February. By ceding control of that power to the Trump administration, the White House now decides which journalists and news organizations are part of the press pool. Similarly, the Pentagon removed longstanding offices for legacy media outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, and Politico for new media outlets, the majority of which lean conservative in their coverage.
And https://pen.org/press-release/pressure-and-threats-against-media-by-fcc/
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” didn’t air an interview with a Texas Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, James Talarico, after CBS legal guidance cautioned that the appearance could trigger “equal time” obligations for other candidates. The late-night program ultimately posted the segment online. While the FCC did not directly threaten CBS about this interview, the network acted preemptively. Days later, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency began an “enforcement action” related to ABC’s “The View” after it featured Talarico as a guest. Meanwhile, talk radio – which also falls under the FCC’s authority and includes multiple programs sympathetic to the president – has faced no comparable scrutiny.
As of April 2026, Trump has continued to demand intense loyalty from the media, frequently attacking outlets and journalists who provide critical coverage. His administration has utilized regulatory threats, public name-calling, and attempts to control information to pressure media organizations into compliance.
There are targeted attacks on media and individuals for not demonstrating loyalty. There are demands that reporters be fired for reporting Trump does not like. There are demands for release of confidential sources.
Some observers, including former officials, have described these demands as requiring “fealty” and “submission” rather than professional loyalty. Additionally, PEN America warns that this approach creates an atmosphere of fear to chill critical coverage, while critics argue such demands expect a, as noted in the Cincinnati Enquirer, “blind loyalty” that is detached from reality.
Engineering the soul – consolidation of power and authoritarian control of all society
Constitution? Constitution? We don’t need no stinking constitution. You remember the Treasure of the Sierra Madre – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqomZQMZQCQ
Xi consolidated power in himself from early in 2013. He designated himself as the chair of a dozen “small leading groups” that set policy, moving government away from the previous collective leadership style. In 2016 he designated himself as the “core” of CCP, confirming him as sole leader of Party, government, and military. Xi Jinping Thought is now enshrined in both CCP and national constitutions.
It soon began to stifle forward movement in government, since approval by a leader eventually came to mean approval by Xi himself.
Trump has expressed admiration for Xi Jinping’s ability to control 1.4 billion people with an “iron fist.” Trump has stated he envies the way Xi Jinping’s officials stand at attention, wishing for similar obedience from his own cabinet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEOTuPQUH14&t=8s
CCP has long used threats to family as a way to control individual behavior. Someone with views considered unpatriotic (read unfriendly to CCP) is told their parents, children, spouse might lose their job or freedom unless behavior is corrected.
Trump has not bothered with warnings as children are snatched from school and held as ransom until their parents can be seized as well. The camps are not “overnight in a cell until you make bail in the morning.” At one camp in Texas there are more than 5,000 adults and children – The Return of Family Detention. The ICE family prisons remind one of nothing so much as the family detentions in the … aaahhh… education centers for Uyghurs in Xinjiang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_internment_camps. Many Uyghurs have reportedly been interned without trial and no charges have been levied against them (held in administrative detention). So, too, in the Trump-GOP America.
In the second term, Trump has sought to consolidate federal power within the White House, aiming to shift control from independent agencies, Congress, and the civil service directly to himself. This approach is largely based on an extreme interpretation of the “Unitary Executive Theory,” which posits that the president has absolute authority over all federal departments and agencies.
Trump wants to directly control independent agencies. In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order requiring independent regulatory agencies—such as the FCC, FTC, and SEC—to submit new regulations to the White House and report directly to the Office of Management and Budget, effectively bringing them under executive control. He has threatened to fire the chair of the Federal Reserve Bank unless he knuckles under to Trump demands.
You know about the purges of tens of thousands of civil service employees across government. Trump has weakened inspector general oversight, fired or replaced senior officials with loyalists, and taken steps to dismantle protections for civil servants, enabling the removal of those deemed disloyal. These actions remind one of the government purges under Mao in the anti-rightist campaign of 1957-58. Mao was more thorough – half a million to a million government and Party workers were eliminated.
The Department of Justice and other law enforcement entities directly under presidential influence have taken steps to investigate political opponents.
Trump has routinely defied court orders, including a federal court ruling blocking his attempt to redefine the constitutional definition of citizenship.
Trump has invoked emergency powers to deploy federal law enforcement, including the National Guard against the will of local leadership, to test and expand executive authority. The entire ICE raid program of masked thugs, an American gestapo, is an illegal use of emergency powers, as is deployment of military and federal agents into cities to handle matters typically managed by local law enforcement.
Xi engineered a previously illegal third term for himself starting in 2023.
As you know, Trump has explored possibility of a third term. His threats to voting procedures, the threat to nationalize elections, the fear (and likelihood) of federal agents (ICE?) monitoring polling places is clearly designed to intimidate voters, even if all it means is long lines without ability to get water.
CCP has long used the People’s Armed Police and chengguan (local non-uniformed thugs) to intimidate or physically harm protesters or even street peddlers. One is of course reminded of the killings of Americans by ICE in Minneapolis.
Too much? Ok. But there are plenty of serious political science scholars who are warning of the fascist tendencies in our government now. No one expects Trump et.al. and the GOP to embrace communism. It is the practice of engineering – the threats, the purgings, the violence, the singling out of enemies foreign and domestic, the use of money to silence opposition in academia and media, the use of rallies and social media to stir loyalty and foster compliance – that are similar to CCP tactics and so worrisome. Wait for it – the warning from Trump or an acolyte that “government, military, civilian, religion and academic, north, south, east, west, and center, the GOP – with Mr. Trump as the core of GOP – leads everything.
Mr. Xi will be so proud.
