Monarchists, that's what they've always been.
That's why they're drawn to autocratic types, becoming even cultish with the likes of Reagan and now even more so with Trump.
They call it patriotism but it's really fanaticism. Even something like the Confederacy, it wasn't just an area, a division because of a way of life, it was the embodiment of something, a persona.
That's why they've elevated it to a religion, and that is also their attitude towards religion. Religion to them is not a belief system, a way of life, it is a personification of something bigger than themselves to attach themselves to. That's how they feel better about themselves, by becoming part of something that's bigger and better than themselves.
It doesn't matter what bad Trump does or that he looks down on them, all that matters to them is that they see him as god-like, and worshiping him is all that matters.