As we prepare for what will undoubtedly be a historic presidential election year — for better or for worse — we already know it is going to be anything but dull. We’re just weeks into 2024, and the pool of GOP candidates has been whittled down so quickly that in no time it may be hard to remember that anyone besides former President Donald Trump was ever in the running.

Similar to how the Biden campaign played out in 2020, Trump has done very little to honor the election process, opting out of most events in which every other candidate has been expected to participate. Yet despite how most of his base mocked Biden in the previous election for conducting most campaign operations from his basement, lack of participation has had no effect on Trump’s popularity with or loyalty from the voters who rallied behind him in the past.

In fact, the support for this man has seemingly escalated from a balanced defense and reasoned perspective to something of a god-like worship held by members of an exclusive club where any sign of wavering support will get you kicked out and banned.

An example of this bizarre behavior, which might suggest that dedication to Trump has taken on a new life, was recently demonstrated just before the Iowa caucus. At that time, a few of the other Republican candidates were still hanging on by a thread, and conservative commentator Benny Johnson shared on X that he was getting ready to hang out with then-presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.

Johnson’s post rocked the deeply devoted in the MAGA movement: “Catch me on the campaign trail with @Vivek Ramaswamy.”

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

It was immediately shared by Laura Loomer, who apparently felt that she was doing the voting base a favor by exposing a traitor in their midst. “Way to be disloyal to President Trump,” Loomer fumed. “I certainly won’t ever forget this. Really nice of you to stab him in the back after you bragged about having dinner with him at Mar a Lago. Despicable.”

The backlash did not stop there. Followers of Johnson vowed to unfollow his social media accounts and channels, angrily accusing him of betrayal.

The response was so immediate and intense that Johnson felt the need to delete what he later referred to as a “poorly worded tweet” and issue an apology to the Trump discipleship for this grave error in judgment. “We’re in Iowa filming a documentary for our ‘In the Arena’ show about the caucus,” Johnson explained. “We’re not ‘campaigning’ for or being a ‘surrogate’ for any campaign. We’re not being paid by anyone. I like Trump. I like Vivek. I love America.”

In the comments, the base fiercely rejected the apology and vowed never to accept Johnson — or anyone else who dared to breathe in the direction of a candidate besides Trump — into the movement again.

This might seem like an isolated situation. However, upon the announcement that Ramaswamy was officially ending his presidential campaign, the Trump devotees doubled down on their stance that anyone who had ever swayed in their dedication to their pick to beat Biden had committed an unforgivable sin.

One particularly devoted follower, Leo Terrell of Fox News, has issued several warnings to Republican political figures — including House Speaker Mike Johnson — to not betray Trump again. In addition, searching for the words “betray Trump” on X will show posts by numerous other zealous followers with similar admonitions.

Trump certainly earned praise for his record of service. Having an established record of delivering positive results to the American people as a former president is not an advantage we’ve had previously when approaching an election.

However, there is also an idolization of Trump that is far too similar to the Messiah-like veneration that the Democrat base had for Barack Obama during his eight years in office. This type of allegiance can cause people to lose sight of what elections are supposed to be about — understanding the issues that matter to everyday people and finding the best person to address them.

A section of the MAGA base has gone from allegiance to adoration, from respect to reverence. The mindset has shifted. They may be electing a man who they used to follow because he made it possible for them to save themselves. Unfortunately, some seem to see him as their savior.