Welcome to another normal day in Magaland. The sun is shining, the leaves are falling, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is fantasizing about “Daddy” Donald Trump beating up teenage girls.

This new hell is coming to Duluth, Georgia, where Carlson was preparing for a Trump rally on Wednesday evening. That's notable in itself, as Carlson wasn't always a big fan of the former president. Last year, as part of the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, a series of private text messages from Carlson were made public that made his true feelings about Trump very clear.

“We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights.” Carlson texted an unknown recipient on January 4, 2021. “I really can’t wait.” He added, “I hate him with a passion.”

However, instead of ignoring Trump, which he was once so enthusiastic about doing, Carlson – who was fired from Fox News last year – appears to have become a confidant of the ex-president and now makes disturbing speeches on his behalf. During the rally, Carlson, who has three adult daughters, compared the US under Trump to a naughty girl being disciplined by her father. “If you allow your hormonal 15-year-old daughter to slam the door and give you the finger, you're going to get more of it,” Carlson said. “There has to come a point when daddy comes home.” At this point, the crowd erupted in loud cheers.

“Dad comes home and is mad,” Carlson continues. “He is not vindictive, he loves his children. No matter how disobedient they may be, he loves them… And when daddy comes home, you know what he says? You were a bad girl. You were a bad little girl and now you're getting a severe beating. And no, it won't hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it's not that. I won't lie. It'll hurt you a lot more than it hurt me. And you deserve that. You’re going to get a severe beating because you were a bad girl, and that’s how it has to be.”

This obviously resonated with the crowd. When Trump later came on stage, they shouted “Daddy's home” and “Daddy Don.” Sigmund Freud almost rose from his grave.

James Singer, a Harris campaign spokesman, called the speech “weird as hell.” And for many people it certainly was. But for Trump's cult-like followers, Carlson's spanking fantasy embodies everything they love about the presidential candidate: the paternalism, the toxic masculinity, the lust for violence and the thirst for revenge.

The idea of ​​Trump as a father figure also plays a role in the candidate's self-portrayal. Trump doesn't specifically tell people to call him “Daddy” (as far as I know), but he has tried to portray himself as a protector of women. At a recent rally in Pennsylvania, for example, Trump told women he would save them. “You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or afraid… You will no longer be afraid of all the problems our country has today,” Trump said. “You will be protected and I will be your protector.”

While nothing is testing the faith of die-hard Trump supporters, the idea of ​​the former president as protector may be starting to lose traction among white women. About 47% of white women voted for Trump in 2016, compared to 45% for Hillary Clinton. And in 2020, 53% of white women voted for Trump, compared to 46% for Joe Biden. Now, however, thanks largely to the repeal of abortion rights, many white women appear to be finally breaking away from the Republican Party.

But as women turn away from Trump, more men are flocking to him: He has always had strong support from white men, but has recently seen gains among Hispanic and African-American men. And for many of these men, the idea of ​​a tough guy like Trump putting a woman in her place unfortunately seems very convincing. Carlson is certainly not alone in expressing chauvinistic fantasies. In August, for example, Fox News host Jesse Watters declared that if elected, Harris would be “paralyzed in the situation room while the generals have their way with her” – a comment so vile that even Watters 'Co-hosts asked him to take it back. Instead, Watters redoubled his attack. “Handle her, control her – not in a sexual way,” he grinned.

Harris' reps may dismiss Carlson's vile speech as “weird,” but it's less strange than frightening. The idea that Trump is a father figure who can beat a woman into submission seems to resonate with a disturbing number of Americans. There is a very real chance that Trump will be re-elected to office in just two weeks. And if so, you can bet that democracy will suffer defeat.