In December, I wrote about the moral devolution of Rudy Giuliani and of the other MAGA men and women who have populated the highest echelons of the Trump movement. I live in the heart of MAGA country, and Donald Trump is the single most culturally influential person here. It is common for those outside the Trump movement to describe their aunts or uncles or parents or grandparents as “lost.” They mean their relatives’ lives are utterly dominated by Trump, Trump’s media and Trump’s grievances. But never before have I seen extremism penetrate a vast American community so deeply, so completely and so comprehensively. They went from least likely to most likely to excuse the immoral behavior of politicians.

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Persons: Rudy Giuliani, MAGA, Trump, Donald Trump, It’s, “, ’, He’s, —, Trump’s, Hillary Clinton —, that’s, Iowa Republican caucusgoers Organizations: Trump, Trump Americans, Des Moines Register, NBC, Iowa Republican Locations: American, Iowa, America