Cohen's description of his time serving Trump neatly illustrated how Trump manipulates his followers, which follows the beats of your most famous cult leaders: First, find people who feel lost or mired in their own mediocrity. Second, convince them they, too, can rise above their current station by hitching their wagon to the leader. Religious cults promise spiritual transcendence, whereas Trump mostly just promises he'll teach his minions to cheat the system as he has. Amanda Marcotte in Salon.com