Now I don't know all the details of what happened after he left, but it wasn't just that his replacement was absolutely terrible. Instead it showed that to a large degree that they had a personality cult. People were there because of that pastor. When he left, they left, and when he came back, they came back. I know that most churches lose members in pastoral changes, but this was the extreme. And I think we will see that as the pastors of some of the other mega churches retire in the upcoming years. (Or look at the Crystal Cathedral)
I say all that as a comment on Trumpism. Now that he is out of office there is a lot of talk about how he will continue, or who will take over his base. And, while I could be wrong, I think the answer is no one, not even his kids. It's called Trumpism for a reason, and that's because it's based on his personality. Do Hawley or Cruz have anywhere close to the personality to replace Trump? Absolutely not. Can you imagine anyone going to an arena to hear them riff for more than an hour? No.
The problem with personality cults is that they are built on personalities, and when that personality goes away then so too does the cult. Some will hang on forever regardless and some will look for new things, just look at what QAnon followers are doing at the moment, but many will simply stop following and never glom on to a replacement they way they did to the original.
I expect (hope) that the cult of personality that is Trumpism will be greatly lessened now, especially since he doesn't have a bullhorn to talk, and will eventually simply go away when he goes away. Some of his ideas will hang around simply because they were always there, but I don't think anyone else can pick up the torch that he leaves behind.
And besides, even if they do, it's a losing coalition when it comes to popular vote.
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