LIMINAL NEWS with Daniel Pinchbeck Veteran Cult Reporter Don Lattin on Trump, Jim Jones, and Messianic Power
In this episode of LIMINAL NEWS, I'm joined by journalist and author Don Lattin, who spent decades as the religion beat reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, covering cults, new religious movements, and American spirituality from the inside. We begin with a provocative question: Is Donald Trump functioning as a modern messianic cult leader? Drawing on his firsthand reporting on Jim Jones, Jonestown, and the cult "wars" of the 1970s, Don breaks down the psychological, political, and religious dynamics that define cult leadership — and why so many of those same patterns are visible today. From Christian nationalism and the New Apostolic Reformation to the strange convergence of psychedelics, wellness culture, tech elites, and authoritarian politics, this conversation maps the deeper forces shaping our current moment. We also explore Don's long engagement with psychedelics and religion, including insights from his books "The Harvard Psychedelic Club" and "God on Psychedelics." This is a wide-ranging, unsettling, and deeply informed conversation about belief, power, charisma, and the future of American consciousness.
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