Fox News host Greg Gutfeld strongly disagrees with those who think Donald Trump's supporters are dangerous cult followers whose minds have been "hijacked," RadarOnline.com can confirm.
On Friday's episode of The Five, the co-host disputed statements made by "cult expert" Steven Hassan during an appearance on MSNBC.
Hassan, who was previously in a cult himself, told MSNBC's Joy Reid he felt the former president's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement had deluded its followers.
“The good news is, it’s not permanent and people wake up, and they’re embarrassed and ashamed as I felt in 1976. But more and more people are leaving the MAGA cult," Hassan said in the clip.
"It’s important that people not just yell at people who are still trapped in this delusion. Ask questions in a respectful, curious way that gets them to realize they’ve been conned, that their minds have been hijacked,” he added.
Gutfeld, however, took a different stance after co-host Jeanine Pirro presented the clip of Hassan.
"If Trumpism is a cult, it’s the worst cult in history," Gutfeld retorted. "Because people come and go as they please. Everything is wholly transparent, there’s, nothing is secretive about it, and people seem to be having a good time. They don’t seem terrified of reprisals."
The host argued Trump supporters are more like passionate sports fans than religious zealots.
"If this is a cult, then so is Oktoberfest. I mean, Trump, I think what you can say about Trump-ism, if it’s an 'ism,' it’s more like your favorite team, where you root for your guy, and you root against the other guy, but you still can hang out with the other guy’s fans. It’s not a big deal," Gutfeld continued.
He went on to suggest those in the MAGA movement were welcoming of opposing viewpoints, and that "people who are pro-Trump have no problems pulling over and help you change a tire."
"They don’t care if you got a Biden bumper sticker on your car. They’ll do it. It’s not a two-way street," Gutfeld vehemently told his co-hosts.
Gutfeld also reacted to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's comments about why he will not be endorsing Joe Biden or any candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
"Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer is no," Johnson told host Will Cain in an interview released Friday, but added that he "is an optimistic guy" and thinks "we can get better."
While the Fast & Furious actor publicly supported Biden in 2020 and felt it was the "best decision" at the time, he said he "wouldn't do that again" because of the "division" it caused.
Gutfeld said he felt the Rock "tiptoed" around the subject.
"If that's what he said on the air, imagine how he really feels," Gutfeld said. "It's only big stars who can speak up because they can withstand whatever follows, they're not gonna be cancelled."
During his interview, Johnson admitted he was tired of "cancel culture," and that "you either succumb to that and be what other people want you to be, or you be yourself and be real … and that might make people upset and piss people off, and that's OK."
"My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that," he added.