On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump gathered at Union Station near Columbus Circle and 1st Street at Massachusetts Avenue NE in Washington, D.C. That day became infamous due to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, but it’s also a reflection of a broader ideological shift happening among some conservative groups in the U.S., particularly within the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. One of the more surprising aspects of this shift is the growing rejection of empathy as a positive or necessary human quality.
According to Amanda Marcotte, a senior writer for *Slate*, there is a rising belief within the MAGA movement that empathy is not just unnecessary but actually harmful. She argues that for many Trump supporters, empathy is seen as a weakness—a trait that gets in the way of strength, dominance, and control, all qualities they associate with Trump. Marcotte even goes so far as to call Trump “incapable of empathy,” which, in her view, is part of the reason his followers admire him. They don’t want a leader who feels for others—they want someone who wins, no matter what it costs.
She points to Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as a striking example. In 2016, Mohler condemned Trump, calling him a predator. But over time, his stance completely flipped. Not only did Mohler become one of Trump’s strongest supporters on the Christian right, but he also began speaking out against empathy, describing it as “artificial” and “destructive.” For people like Mohler, empathy is no longer seen as a virtue, but as something dangerous that can lead people away from their duty or moral clarity.
Marcotte sees this shift as deeply political. She suggests that what used to be considered a basic moral value—caring about others—is now under attack because it doesn’t align with the values of dominance and power that MAGA politics embrace. In her view, Trump has become such a dominant figure in the Christian right that he’s started to replace traditional religious ideals. She cites bizarre examples, like a Christian podcast rewriting the Lord’s Prayer to include Trump’s name, or people at his inauguration ball singing “amen” while an artist painted his image. These acts suggest that for some followers, Trump has taken on a godlike role.
Marcotte also touches on something even more troubling: the MAGA movement’s connection between rejecting empathy and their views on gender. She says that many in the movement see empathy as a “feminine” trait, and since they hold deeply misogynistic beliefs, they reject it outright. She claims that many of Trump’s supporters believe that femininity itself is the source of society’s problems. This mindset, according to her, feeds into their hostility toward women in leadership—especially strong, independent women like Kamala Harris.
After the 2024 election, when Kamala Harris lost her bid to become the first female president, many commentators pointed to this very issue. A panel of Black female experts argued that “misogynoir”—the combination of racism and sexism—was the real reason behind Harris’s defeat. One of them, LaTosha Brown, explained that both racism and sexism work to strip people of their sense of humanity and power, and when combined, they form a powerful force that was clearly at work in the election.
All of this paints a disturbing picture of how empathy, once seen as a universal value that brought people together, is now viewed by some as a flaw. In the eyes of these hardline conservatives, especially within the MAGA base, emotions like compassion and concern for others are seen as weak, feminine, and even un-American. Instead, strength is measured by dominance, control, and loyalty to a powerful leader—someone like Trump, who doesn’t flinch or feel sorry, but simply pushes forward.
