JD Vance once called Trump “America’s Hitler” so why did he join MAGA? In this episode of Cults, Culture, & Coercion, Dr. Steven Hassan interviews JD Vance's relative, Nikki McCarty on Christian nationalism, Pentecostal indoctrination, and authoritarian extremism.
Nikki McCarty, JD Vance's relative and the “childless cat lady” he often refers to, shares her firsthand experience growing up in a high-control Christian nationalist environment shaped by purity culture, rapture theology, emotional manipulation, and media control.
They also explore Nikki’s relationship to JD Vance’s family and her shock at watching his public political evolution from condemning Trump and warning of fascism, to embracing the MAGA movement. Nikki reflects on how hopeful she once felt that Vance might become a bridge between divided family members and how her hope collapsed as his rhetoric became increasingly extreme.
This episode also discusses Nikki’s late autism diagnosis, her experience coming out as a member of the LGBT community after growing up in homophobic religious culture, and the painful reality of family estrangement in an era of political polarization. Together, they explore how mind control dynamics don’t just exist in “cults,” but can operate inside religious movements, political ecosystems, and modern media environments.
In this conversation, Dr. Hassan and Nikki McCarty examine:
- Nikki’s upbringing in Christian nationalism and Pentecostal-style high control religion
- How rapture theology and the "Left Behind" worldview shape fear-based thinking
- Seven Mountain Dominionism and the belief in taking over government, media, and society
- How behavioral control shaped education, friendships, and identity
- Purity culture, sexual repression, and religious control of women’s bodies
- Thought stopping techniques, fear conditioning, and “God is good” indoctrination
- Speaking in tongues, prophecy, and falling “under the Spirit” as a form of group influence
- MLM/pyramid scheme exploitation inside church communities
- Autism diagnosis later in life and the power of understanding neurodivergence
- Family estrangement and the emotional toll of political polarization
- JD Vance’s transformation from “Never Trump” to Trump’s political ally
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Learn more about Nikki McCarty on Substack: https://nikkimccarty9.substack.com
IMPORTANT ADDENDUM FROM NIKKI:
Nikki asked us to clarify that while she believes in the possibility of redemption, she believes there is no “redemption arc” for J.D. Vance without full justice for the Epstein survivors. She emphasized that the only way he can begin to mitigate the harm he has enabled is by supporting accountability for traffickers and abusers, regardless of power or party, and ending the protection of pedophiles and the silencing of victims.
Chapters:
- JD Vance, Trump, and “America’s Hitler”
- Nikki McCarty’s background and connection to JD Vance
- The killing of Renee Good and ICE authoritarianism
- JD Vance’s family history and early estrangement
- Christian nationalism and Seven Mountain Dominionism
- Rapture theology, Left Behind ideology, and fear-based indoctrination
- Steven Hassan’s Moonies experience and cult identity
- Using the BITE Model to analyze religious upbringing
- Purity culture, education control, and restricting friendships
- MLM exploitation and pyramid schemes inside church culture
- Constant services, immersion, and behavioral control
- Generational curses, shame, and withholding forgiveness
- Medical neglect, MS diagnosis, and “pray it away” control
- Thought stopping, guilt, and blaming the victim
- Speaking in tongues and falling “under the Spirit”
- Autism diagnosis later in life
- Coming out while raised in homophobic religious culture
- Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance’s shift, and political extremism
- Estrangement, isolation, and hope for healing
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