Cults tend to charge for immaterial things, and if you complain they say it's your fault it didn't work, and to fix it you need to give more.

This is different.

These are capitalist grifts where the victims anticipate a tangible exchange of goods.

It's a lot harder to say a shitty watch is worth it when it can be appraised and assigned real world value.

It's not going to be a huge loss of support, but like I said, this is just chipping away at the most feverant supporters, which historically is the best way to fight fascism. And Trump's doing it to himself because he's greedy

Just saw this article today on ArsTechnica, which seems relevant: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/10/believing-misinformation-is-a-win-for-some-people-even-when-proven-false/