Donald Trump Labeled 'a Wannabe Cult Leader' by Haters After Asking Crowd to Swear Their Loyalty to Him: Watch

President Donald Trump led a crowd in a loyalty pledge to himself on Thursday, September 10, during the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, Tx. During his speech, Trump asked attendees to raise their right hands and repeat lines pledging loyalty to "the greatest president in the history of the United States.”

The event took place as Republicans faced grim polling numbers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. To energize the base, Trump positioned himself at the center of the ticket, telling voters to pretend he was on the ballot. The night prior, he also promised a $5,000 "Trump Dividend" to all American adults if Republicans retain control of Congress.

Critics and commentators blasted the event as a "cult ritual" or "creepy loyalty oath.”

After asking the audience to raise their right hands, the president said, “I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States. That loves us so much, he can't even breathe.”

After the audience repeated his words back to him, he concluded, “That I will go out with my family, my friends; I'll do it anyway. I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try and cheat like h--- like they do. There's never been bigger cheaters that don't care.”

Continuing his plea for midterm votes, the POTUS added, “I am going to go out, and I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3, or we are going to vote before that...Okay, are you ready? Ready to finish the pledge? So, we swear that on November 3, we are going to go out and vote.”

After concluding with “So help me God,” he said, “Whoa. Now I know. Now, I'd say just about everybody was screaming. You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to h---, you know that. Okay? You go to h---. And I don't want that to happen to you, so please go and vote.”

Social media seized on the moment, with one critic noting, “I see we’re going full nuclear cult. Lovely.”

“Would Congress do its job and remove this demented old fool from the White House? Please?” pleaded another.

“Holy s---! If this doesn’t prove that he’s gone insane... I really fear for our democracy,” exclaimed another person.

“He's a wannabe cult leader, and that entire arena's full of mindless slaves,” added someone else.

This is not the first time Trump has used this tactic.

He famously used a similar routine during his 2016 primary campaign at a rally in Orlando, Fla., where he forced attendees to raise their right hands and swear a solemn oath to vote for him.