Akina Cox - Part 2: The Moonies, ICE, and the Cult Tactics of Trump
Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
4.4 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 6 August 2025
⏱️ 53 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
Artist and writer Akina Cox returns to share more about her experience growing up in the Unification Church (also known as the Moonies), its physical punishment rituals, and where the church stands now. The girls then transition from the topic of her particular cult to a discussion on the cult-like patterns of the current American political landscape, and how to approach political disagreements with loved ones.
Akina also reflects on her article for Salon, where she explores how the Trump administration employs many of the same tactics used by Reverend Moon, and how high-control groups tend to choose a group to scapegoat for their problems. They discuss the demonization of immigrants and trans folks, the realities of ICE kidnappings, and how the failures of political leadership effectively addressing income inequality created an opening for demagogues to thrive.
SOURCES:
How to Talk to Your Republican Uncle
ORGANIZATIONS FOR OUTREACH AND RESISTANCE:
National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is exactly right. |
| 0:07.7 | Trust me. Do you trust me? |
| 0:10.9 | Would I ever lead you astray? |
| 0:12.4 | Trust me. |
| 0:13.3 | This is the truth. The only truth. |
| 0:15.8 | If anybody ever tells you to just trust them, don't! |
| 0:19.6 | Welcome to Trust Me, the podcast about cults, extreme belief, and manipulation from two American |
| 0:25.8 | girls who have actually experienced it. |
| 0:27.9 | I am Lola Blanc. |
| 0:29.0 | And I am Megan Elizabeth. |
| 0:30.9 | Today's part two of our interview with the wonderful Akina Cox, artist and writer who grew up |
| 0:36.1 | in the Moone's or at the Unification Church. |
| 0:38.6 | She is going to share more about her experiences in the church, including its physical |
| 0:42.7 | punishment rituals and where the church stands now. |
| 0:46.8 | We'll then transition into discussing the cult-like patterns of the current state of American |
| 0:51.3 | politics, and we'll debate how to approach political disagreements |
| 0:55.2 | with loved ones. We'll discuss her article for Salon, in which she exposes how the Trump |
| 1:00.2 | administration employs many of the same tactics used by Reverend Moon and how high-control groups |
| 1:05.6 | tend to choose a group to scapegoat for their problems. Plus, the demonization of immigrants and trans folks, the realities of ICE kidnappings, |
| 1:14.1 | and how the failures of political leadership to effectively address income inequality in America |
| 1:18.5 | created an opening for demagogues to thrive. |
| 1:22.2 | It's the chunky one. It's the meaty one. |
... |
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