Former cult member reveals how to get through to MAGA relatives on Thanksgiving

A supporter of President Donald Trump at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa on January 30, 2020 (Image: Shutterstock)

Thanksgiving dinner is typically known for both succulent dishes and intense political discussions with relatives. Now, one former cult member is revealing their strategy for breaking through to people who have made President Donald Trump's MAGA movement a part of their core identity.

In a recent appearance on the Daily Beast Podcast, Dr. Steven Hassan — a mental health counselor and former member of the Unification Church in the 1970s — said it's important for family members to understand the mentality of someone in what he called an "authoritarian mind control cult." He urged listeners to put themselves in their MAGA relatives' shoes and find a way to appeal to their humanity beyond partisan labels.

"[What] people need to do now is they need to think about people they were close to ... And most people that I talk to have blocked these people or not invited them for Thanksgiving," Hassan said.

Hassan went on to say that the start of repairing and rebuilding connections to estranged MAGA family members will often require initiative from relatives. He noted that those conversations can be sparked by beginning them with an apology if a family member was cut off from communication in the wake of Trump's victories in either 2016 or 2024.

"We need to make a massive effort to reach out to these people, say ‘I miss you, I want you back in my life," he said.

“To the best of your ability, be as sincere as possible and say I want a redo or I want a reboot, and I’m sorry for things said and done, but we’re family, and let’s be together," Hassan continued. "Let’s be in each other’s life and if it means not talking about politics."

Hassan said his experience as a member of the Christian-esque Unification Church — which was led by the Korean minister Sun Myung Moon (who founded the conservative Washington Times newspaper) until his death in 2012. He compared Trump to Moon in that both men primarily communicated to their followers through far-right networks and newspapers that they either controlled or heavily influenced. He cautioned Americans hoping to connect with their MAGA family members against directly criticizing Trump, saying cult members are often programmed to defend their leader when attacked.

"It activates the cult identity to defend and think you’re persecuting them and that you’re evil," Hassan said.

Click here to read the Beast's full article and watch Hassan's interview (subscription required).

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