For all of Donald Trump’s rhetorical innovations, personality quirks, and alleged criminal malfeasance, what has made him truly unique as a political figure is how much he has merged fan culture with American politics. It’s not unusual for Americans to idolize presidents—Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama are still actively revered by many—but no other president has inspired the same level of merchandise lines or themed car flags. A MAGA bumper sticker often isn’t simply a statement of loyalty; it’s a cultural signifier of community much like the dancing bear bumper sticker is for a Grateful Dead fan.
Nowhere is this more clear than at Trump’s rallies. He’s turned his campaign events into something that has more in common with a Bruce Springsteen concert than a Harry Truman whistle-stop tour.
Yeah, the only person Trump would take a bullet for would be his own reflection in a mirror and even then I’m not convinced. (This is, of course, assuming that Trump was temporarily granted the physical ability to jump in front of a bullet.)
He’s told his followers that he’s being indicted to protect them and they’ve bought it hook, line, and sinker. They really think that, without Trump, the Democrats would arrest all of them for possessing classified documents, financial fraud, trying to overturn an election, and trying to incite an insurrection.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the only reason they would be indicted for any of these things would be if there was evidence that they did any of this. For some, there is (e.g. the January 6th Insurrectionists), but for your average MAGA Republican? Nobody is going to file charges against them.
But still, they are convinced that Trump is protecting them somehow.