The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

How Should Thinking People Treat Hardcore Trump Supporters?

Written by

Bruce Gerencser

in

, ,
no king but trump

In 2015, Donald Trump came down a golden escalator to announce his first presidential campaign, which he handily won. Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, spending the next four years planning revenge on all those deemed his “enemies.” Re-elected in 2024, Trump wasted no time in exacting revenge, pillaging the Federal treasury, waging war, killing protesters, deporting U.S. citizens, breaking contracts/treaties, and turning the United States into a laughingstock of the world. Trump is determined to cause chaos and destroy any semblance of the American dream. All he cares about is building his big, beautiful ballroom and, much like a male dog, leaving his mark on everything he touches. Instead of being a caretaker or a temporary resident, Trump thinks the government is his personal fiefdom, which he rules over like a crazy man.

Who do we blame for the mess that has engulfed our country? Trump? Sure, but he wouldn’t be president unless Americans voted for him. It is our Republican/MAGA/Independent friends and neighbors who have given Trump two terms in office. These same voters gave Republicans complete control of all three branches of government. They are directly to blame for the mess we are in, though Democrats have plenty of shit on their shoes too. Hillary? Biden? Kamala? Is this the best Democrats had to offer? It’s no wonder Democrats lost two of the last three presidential elections. That said, Evangelical Christians are primarily to blame for giving us Donald Trump (as are lazy-ass people who don’t bother to vote). And these same Evangelicals continue to support Republican/MAGA candidates down ballot, ensuring Republican control of the federal government and many state governments. If Democrats don’t get their shit together or Evangelicals finally find moral courage, we are in for more of the same.

How should we respond to our MAGA family, friends, and neighbors, many of whom are kind, thoughtful people. Why is there such a disconnect between their moral/ethical beliefs and how they vote? Are they as racist and bigoted as the people they elect? On Sundays, they worship the “Prince of Peace,” and the rest of the week they bend their knees to the most un-Christian president in U.S. history. Why is there so much cognitive dissonance among the MAGA faithful? Can they not see beyond the current culture war?

How do you respond to your MAGA family, friends, and neighbors? Please share your experiences in the comment section.

Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

Comments

11 responses to “How Should Thinking People Treat Hardcore Trump Supporters?”

  1. Avatar
    Sally

    I’m struggling with Trump supporters and Trump voters. To be civil to them, to treat them better than Trump treats people. I’m horrified and disgusted by who they have shown themselves to be. I wish had it in me to look past this, but I can’t. I’m currently in the “no forgetting, no forgiving” mindspace.
    I don’t have anything positive to add to the discussion, really. I’ve withdrawn from a lot of people because of this issue. Family, friends, coworkers.

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Kell

    How I respond to my MAGA religious cultists is by refusing to respond to anything they text about their God’s chosen. I only respond or engage in family chat, how they are doing personally in life, the kids, weather, cooking or whatever, but no politics or religion anymore. I finally came to the realization that religion brainwashed people into believing myths and it’s moved into a real life mess. When ever they send a political text I simply swipe “delete” end of conservation. When they ask for prayer I respond with “I certainly hope for the best outcome”. The end.

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    John S.

    I remember in early 2017, going on a hike with an older friend who I looked up to as a mentor. During the hike we discussed Trump. We were both conservative Republicans at the time. He was very successful and had just retired from state service. He was also a hard worker and very organized, with a big heart for people who needed help, but with very little sympathy for those he perceived (usually correctly) had manipulating personalities. I saw firsthand where he had been burned by someone he trusted and helped.

    He supported trump. I told him I could not, I had voted third party (I wasn’t a Hillary fan either). He was nice about it, but as usual I was accused of “throwing away my vote”. I responded that something about trump didn’t sit well with me. He came across as a type A personality asshole. Of course my friend didn’t care for that part of trump’s personality either, but being a little type A himself, with a touch of OCD, he seemed to “understand “ it better than me. I had dealt with bullies and abuse as a young teenager, along with the gaslighting most people like me got in the 1980’s. So even then trump reminded me of people I did not care for, regardless of his political positions.

    I have never voted for Trump. I vote mostly democrat now. I am center left, but I’m probably the only person that would describe themself as a “progressive-conservative”- progressive on economics and individual liberties but conservative in how I live my own personal life.

    I have friends and family who are far left, who are gay, who are still either trump supporters are maybe more like “maga-adjacent”. I have noticed my trumpista friends don’t talk much about trump or maga much anymore.

    They are still my friends. I usually will listen and nod my head when they bring Dear Leader up, but they (and my far left acquaintances too) know I’m politically independent, not an ideologue. If a decent idea comes from the right, then ok (I guess). But I really like what I hear Pete Buttigieg saying. And Talarico. And Adam Kinzinger. And Bernie. And AOC. Doesn’t mean I agree with them all. But at least they’re making an effort to reach out to me.

    Reply
  4. Avatar
    ObstacleChick

    I unfriended or unfollowed on social media everyone who was a Trump supporter. I only had a couple of in-real-life Trumpers to deal with. One is my father-in-law. We used to have conversations, but it got to the point where he’d leave our house mad or hang up the phone. We tried using reason and evidence on him, but hhe was too far down the rabbit hole of far-right media. Now we tell him he isn’t allowed to access any far-right media if he visits and we don’t want to hear any of his RW bullshit.

    My brother has been an interesting case. We didn’t talk religion or politics for YEARS. we live far apart, so it wasn’t hard to kept that up. This past fall, we had a death in the family that caused us all to be closer together. He and his nuclear family are more right-wing – my nuclear family and I are left, as are my uncle and cousin. We’re the only ones left in the immediate family, and it was my aunt’s death that brought us together again. Well, my brother has been on a religious journey from charismatic Christianity, then somehow to Orthodox then Lutheran, and now Catholic. I joked with him not to be a JD Vance Catholic (he now hates Vamce lol). So with the attacks on the Venezuelan boats and the kidnapping of Madiro, my brother started reaching out to my husband and me upset with Trump. Iran has sent my brother into a complete tailspin. He is possed. He feels betrayed by Trump’s “America First” promises. Now he considers that it’s Trump, Trump”s family, billionaires, and Netanyahu first. My brother wants Trump to be removed from office, but he thinks Vance and the entire Cabinet are corrupt. He’s mad at Congress for enabling this. He’s mad at the Democrats for not doing enough. He says he’s done with national level politicians.

    We don’t agree on a good number of things, but we are finding common ground. I try to find non-US media sources because my brother will listen to those. He’s mostly suspicious of US sources, but sometimes he’ll even send me a link from one.

    We’re conversing. I try to present ideas and concepts neutrally. I give him room to express his feelings without condemnation or saying “I told you do” or “how did you not see that.” I realize we were getting info from different sources, and now he’s starting to look at BBC or Al-Jazeera for example. I’m still mad at him but am not expressing that – it will only do harm. Damn it’s hard!

    Reply
  5. BJW

    At this point, I try not to make a friend of someone who supports Trump. My Trump voting friends aren’t really friends anymore, and with any dearly loved family member, we talk about all kinds of stuff, just not politics. I have been disillusioned with the people I respected in the past, who love Trump and his stuff.

    Reply
  6. amimental

    I think of his supporters the same way I think of people who followed Jim Jones or other cult leaders. Those kinds of people have a good sized chunk of attic insulation missing. No amount of talking or pointing out the disgusting and disturbing shit he has done and continues to do will ever change their minds. So I don’t bother. If it’s family (and sadly, there are a few of those) we don’t discuss it. I have eliminated most of them from my social media, though.

    From a distance, I look at them and absolutely can’t make sense of it. WTF?

    Reply
  7. Avatar
    … Zoe ~

    This is a comment I left at Ark’s blog regarding Tucker’s change of mind.

    “I hear you. I lost my mother to the MAGA nightmare and she’s Canadian. 😦

    For me, I think of those who belong due to prophecy. Then the prophecy fails. Now what? Regroup, move the goal posts. Develop new angles and apologetics to usher out the old and bring in the new. It’s all the same stuff with a new coat of paint.”

    I think interacting with MAGA has become the new “let’s be empathetic with them in hopes that they will flee.” Sadly, the one’s investing energy they often don’t have, are the empathetic ones. It takes a lot to sit and listen with empathy, often subjecting oneself to rather distasteful rhetoric as the MAGA personality defends themselves and Trump.

    Reply
  8. Avatar
    Christopher Diaz

    It’s simple why they voted for him, Bruce. He is stupid like his voters are, and he hates the same people they hate.

    Reply
  9. Avatar
    Asphalt-Type person

    When he’s finally gone we need nuremburg trials to see who says they were “just following orders”

    Reply
  10. Avatar
    Jen G

    Bruce, if you haven’t heard about this group, you have now: https://leavingmaga.org. You’ll recognize his language and his journey. He didn’t leave IFB, he left the MAGA cult, and is creating an off ramp for others.

    To answer the question of the blog post-people should treat hardcore Trump supporters in a way that keeps them safe and authentic to themselves. If they have capacity to patiently educate, great. If they’re a member of a population targeted by Trump-you know, anyone not a white Christian male-they don’t owe hardcore Trump supporters a damn thing. Not one iota of empathy or grace or patience.

    Reply
  11. Avatar
    Sage

    If you are a Trump supporter, you won’t be a part of my life.

    I not longer have contact with family largely because of their support of Trump. They have chosen Trump over me and other LGBTQ family members. If they don’t care about our rights, and even our existence, and support him then they made their choice.

    My mother, who died last year, was the only family member that accepted me and her LGBTQ great grandchildren. The rest simply could not. I only kept in contact with them because of her, and now that she has moved on, I won’t be seeking any contact, or replying to any attempt to contact me. I doubt they will ever be able to cross the divide they created to fix any relationship.

    I also avoid MAGA people in general. There is little gained by engaging. If anyone has left the MAGA movement and want to engage with me, I will keep them at a distance. They will have a lot to prove before I let them into my life.

    Reply

Want to Respond to Bruce? Fire Away! If You Are a First Time Commenter, Please Read the Comment Policy Located at the Top of the Page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More posts

Discover more from The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading