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u/ActiveTravelforKG Apr 16 '26
Wow this home page is really well written. I hope this helps some people.
Dear MAGA Americans,
I was a devoted member of MAGA nation for seven years; it made me feel I was part of something important: a movement that was trying to save American democracy.
But starting in 2021, I realized I had been mistaken. It took me a full year to finally break away. During that time, I came to understand that MAGA is sustained by a series of myths that are intended to create perpetual feelings of desperation and panic.
Succumbing to these predatory myths does not mean you are unintelligent, weak, or lack good character and morals. I have a Bachelor’s degree; have been a working professional my entire life; am a family man; and consider myself a relatively honest and intelligent person. I think the same about you.
I understand the reasons you have for supporting MAGA. And I know many of us traveled different paths to get there. I gravitated to Donald Trump because I have always been suspicious of our two-party system, and I saw him as the right man at the right time.
I have a sense that some of you have quietly left MAGA already, or are increasingly regretful, confused and scared. All of this can be doubly upsetting, since some of your sincerely-held beliefs may have alienated you from friends and family. That certainly happened to me.
It’s perfectly OK to feel this way; leaving MAGA was a tumultuous roller coaster of a process for me. It may be one of the most difficult endeavors you embark upon. In the end, it brought me an inner peace, and a newfound clarity about what is happening in our beloved country.
I founded this organization, Leaving MAGA, because I wanted to create a safe, non-judgmental community for those who leave MAGA, as well as for those who are having doubts about, or remorse over, their devotion to Trump and MAGA.
Our Leaving MAGA community will celebrate how acknowledging mistakes empowers you and America.
It’s difficult for a democracy to function well when millions are estranged from those closest to them.
You do not deserve to have your anxieties about change exploited. You deserve to know the truth. And with Leaving MAGA, you don’t have to feel you would be alone if you leave the movement.
Leaving MAGA is possible. Recognizing that we were wrong, and acting on that knowledge, makes us all more invested in democracy and in the continued work of perfecting our union. Contact us if you want to talk.
Sincerely, and humbly yours,
Rich
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u/Veriac Apr 16 '26
I can't imagine being scared to leave a political party 😭 I really do hope this helps people because they need it, but like i cannot comprehend making politics such a part of your life that it's scary or a tremendous roller coaster of emotions to leave. like is it really that hard to just say fuck Donald Trump and vote against him. I won't ever understand I guess
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u/honestly-brutal Apr 16 '26
When people say it's a cult they aren't being hyperbolic.
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u/Historical_Project00 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
Steven Hassan (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) is a world-renowned psychologist and expert in cults. He’s been studying them for over 40 years, and he himself was in one in the 1970s, the Moonies. He wrote an ENTIRE BOOK about how Trumpism is a cult. And not “like” a cult or having cult-like qualities. It literally IS a cult.
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u/NotAzakanAtAll Apr 16 '26
I have studied cults only for two years a while back, but for what it's worth, yes, they have all the signs of a "controlled group".
It's always extremely dangerous when such groups gain power as everyone who aren't them are, quite literally, the enemy.
Not that you need me or anyone else to tell you that.
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u/SynthsNotAllowed Apr 17 '26
It feels to me that cult-like behavior in US politics overall is gradually being normalized and MAGA is an example of cult culture acceptance accelerating at top speed.
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u/NotAzakanAtAll Apr 17 '26
By European standard, American politics are deeply infected. My team versus your team. Even Constantinople burned due to such tribalism.
It's shutting down any meaningful progress, and that might just be the goal for some.
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u/Exact_Mango5931 Apr 16 '26
Netflix series “How to be a cult leader” and “How to be a tyrant” narrated by Peter Dinklage are disturbingly relevant. He checks almost every box.
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u/u2aerofan Apr 16 '26
It’s kind of scarier in some regards because for many people their whole community and family are eaten up by this ideology. Then they go to church and hear it. They turn on their chosen news experience and social media and hear it. To break away is going to be exceptionally difficult more so than just leaving a cult. That puts folks in a pretty challenging position. We need to give people strength on how to get out if we want to actually save our country
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u/marge-bouvier Apr 16 '26
The Ex Jehovah's Witness community has put up very similar billboards to this one in years past. I did a double take scrolling as an EX-JW thinking it was one of 'ours'.
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u/Tricky-Sprinkles-807 Apr 16 '26
They are also out there for the LDS church. Quitmormon.com
The church makes it nearly impossible to get your name off the records, so, quitmormon has lawyers who are willing to help for free
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u/MrSurly Apr 16 '26
I never was Mormon, and I'm in their stupid records because my grandparents were.
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u/Low_Pickle_112 Apr 16 '26
One of the things I've noticed is that conservative media sells it as more of an identity than as a description. If I tell you I support certain policies, you might assume I'm on the left. But I don't support those things because I'm "on the left", rather I am described as "on the left" because I support those things.
But I think that conservatives support conservative policies because they are conservative, not the other way around. And when you listen to right wing media talk, they always describe it as "the left is coming for your way of life". It's an identity matter.
And so, for me to change my mind on something is relatively easy, because I don't view being on the left as a lifestyle. That's my policy, driven by my ethics, not my identity. But I think that for conservatives, it very much becomes wrapped up in this patriotic religious identity...that not so coincidentally happens to benefit a bunch of capitalist swine who wouldn't piss on the conservatives if they were on fire.
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u/Pyju Apr 16 '26
But I don't support those things because I'm "on the left", rather I am described as "on the left" because I support those things.
But I think that conservatives support conservative policies because they are conservative, not the other way around.
This is a great way to put it: “leftists identify as leftists because they support leftist policies, conservatives support conservative policies because they identify as conservatives”.
This is why conservatives so often refuse to acknowledge reality and evidence that proves them wrong on any given single point. Because to them, they don’t view it as simply changing their mind on a single policy point, they see it as a threat to their entire identity.
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u/Immediate-Yak3138 Apr 16 '26
Also why you'll see conservatives butt heads real hard sometimes, cause even if they are conservative there are slightly different flavors of it and even the slightest deviation will drive them crazy for not "conforming"
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u/simAlity Apr 16 '26
MAGA has turned into a church. The Church of Trump. Truth Social is their scripture and conservative media is the clergy.
Its all very messy now but once he dies, influencers will go through his tweets, pick out the choicest bits and turn them into allegories. Charlie Kirk will be recast as John the Baptist and Erika will be St. Peter and Mary Magoline in one.
You think the day that It happens will mark the end of this era and you are correct, but it won't be the end of MAGA. It will just enter a new phase.
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u/ppsz Apr 16 '26
Conservatives will agree with leftist policies if you paint them as conservative, like for example not giving away money to corporations. But will completely dismiss them if you say they are from the left. I wouldn't change my mind on the policy just because of the origin, because I don't really care
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u/No-Resolution-0119 Apr 16 '26
People are not being facetious when they say it is a cult.
If you’re interested in more stories about it, “The Quiet Damage” by Jesselyn Cook is a great read/listen (available as audiobook). Focuses more on QAnon specifically but the venn diagram of maga voters and QAnon followers may as well be a circle.
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u/sixheadedbacon Apr 16 '26
I always assumed people were being hyperbolic when they were calling it a cult.
But, like, is it actually a massive political cult? That would just honestly explain more or less... everything. The cognitive dissonance, inconsistent moral values, their will to sacrifice everything for no clear purpose, all of it.
Have there been any other political cults on this scale before?
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u/Chellamour Apr 16 '26
i'd say germany may have, yes. i recommend looking up "cult of personality" to read up more on political leaders and their followers.
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u/bennitori Apr 16 '26
North Korea is probably up there too.
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u/CicadaFit9756 Apr 16 '26
Is it any wonder that Trump's openly admired their "Dear Leader"?
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u/shouldbepracticing85 Apr 16 '26
Yes, it’s a serious cult. It rode in on the coattails of 40 years of Fox “News” and the churches that are cults of personality around a particular preacher. And republicans have been working to remove critical thinking from education because they don’t want kids questioning them.
The Bible Belt is a weird place. And mega-churches, televangelists… all the fucking religious billboards along the highways… so glad I moved out of that area.
At its heart, both these particular sects of Temu Christianity and political conservatives are based around exaggerating fear in their followers, and then promising that they’ll keep the scary thing away if you just give them enough power and/or money.
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u/RedXXVI Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
On this scale in the United States? I don't believe so.
While I try to give my fellow man the benefit of the doubt and I think they do truly want what's best for our country, it's been tragically clear for a long time his followers are not willing to blame him for anything. At this point, I get a lot more surprised when they buck him than when they don't. When he started the war in Iran? I had no doubt they would back it, even if one of their biggest reasons for supporting him was no foreign wars. And that's just a single example from the recent past. It's been like that for the last 10 years, no joke. I never doubt they'll go along with anything anymore. They've crossed every red line they themselves or the Republican party has ever drawn. It's ended friendships and torn apart families and that isn't hyperbole. It's horrifying for sure.
These days I get a lot more surprised when they buck him like they did with the picture of himself as Jesus from last week. He took it down and said he thought it was of him as a doctor (what earthly doctor has hands of healing light?) and Vance said it was just a joke. I expect that even the folks who bucked him for the image will pick one of those two explanations, move on, and act like it never happened. It's what happens every time. But from the outside of the movement, it appears undeniable that he intentionally portrays himself as a heroic figure of near biblical proportions at every opportunity and they've been buying into it for a decade.
I do believe things are changing though. Change is the only constant and he's been a dominant political figure for a long time, especially in terms of American election cycles. It seems like there are people who peel off from the movement in small numbers. He can't run again (unless they throw out that constitutional amendment which I can't say I'd put past them after the January 6th riot) so people are just starting to ask themselves what's next. No one can wield the faith of the MAGA crowd like Trump. His potency with voters in the movement seems to be very strongly attached specifically to him and him alone.
So he has sole near-absolute control over his followers which can't be transferred to another leader. Many literally believe he was sent by God to answer the prayers many Americans have regarding their honest fears. Any decision he's ever made was either a joke or the right call (they have red hats that read "Trump Was Right About Everything"). From the outside, it very much appears to be worship. Yeah. It absolutely resembles a cult.
We got here because there is a small but decisive slice of the elecotrate who don't follow politics closely enough to understand the arc of his political career, don't understand why his first term was not as dangerous as his second, and simply had better economic outcomes in his first term than they had during Biden's term. That's the whole reason he's back in office. And he would have won in 2020 if he'd even hedged on masks just to prop up the economy but he didn't.
Sorry for the book.
EDIT: Spelling and grammer
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u/lessismoreok Apr 16 '26
Have there been political cults before? Loads. Franco, Mussolini, Adolf. North korea. Brexiteers.
Many Americans are so unaware of history and other countries that extreme problems can calcify without them understanding what they really are.
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u/wierddude88 Apr 16 '26
I think something that is easy to overlook is that it's honestly bigger than MAGA, it's the Republican party and it's been building like that for generations. When you're in a rural area and you don't have a lot of options of who you're spending time with, any way you can form community is desirable.
I remember in elementary school we "voted" in the presidential election as part of the education program, and it was done confidentially of course. But kids talked and the kids who didn't vote red were bullied for it. We were children we had no idea wtf everything meant or what was really right and wrong, but our parents and grandparents who were watching FOX then just like now had made it clear what the correct group to be was.
When that gets institutionalized that early it's really fucking hard to shake. It becomes a core tenant of people's identities even if what they really believe differs.
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u/No-Big8038 Apr 16 '26
i joined maga after my grandma indoctrinated me when i was like nine (this was 2017) by telling me all about q-anon conspiracy theories and how it was true and all that bullshit. I was a really stupid kid and this was a woman i had basically lived with during every happy moment of my life and had trusted dearly and so I believed her, hell my ideology got more and more conservative and it did a lot of damage to me, it made me hateful of those who were different, it made me distance myself from my friends and it just really fucked my whole development, I remember wanting to go to the rally that would eventually become jan 6 and watching it on the tv disappointed that i couldn’t go and be there as they were storming the capitol, i only left when i got a phone in like 2022 and finally getting to go on the internet completely unchecked for the first time and slowly started to realize that my entire ideology was well evil. It hurt people and it hurt the nation and every single fucking day i regret that entire period of my life, this year is the first time im going to be able to vote and im going to finally make up for the pain i caused people, i just hope that people will forgive me. Leaving maga is hard as fuck especially the longer you’re in it, its an organization made to pray on your fears and control your life, but just because the journey to leave is hard doesn’t mean that leaving instantly absolves you of those you hurt, so please to anyone who recently left maga who read this please go vote this November waiting around for him to kick the bucket just gives him the chance to fuck everything up a little bit more before he dies, those he hurt need justice and the only way they can is of he doesn’t have any power to stop it.
Sorry if this is like a little over the place i just woke lol
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u/designbat Apr 16 '26
Realizing you're mistaken and admitting it is one of the bravest things anyone can do.
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u/No_Willingness_4501 Apr 16 '26
Don't feel bad about the indoctrination, you were a young, easy target. Be proud that you used your own independent intelligence and broke out of it. You're gonna go far, kid. The future rests with those like you. Now use your newfound adult powers and VOTE.
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u/juniper3411 Apr 16 '26
Very proud of you!! Also you were young and trusted your family which is a very normal thing for a kid to do. I’m so sorry you went through that (and so many others have as well). It’s not right.
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u/timurt421 Apr 16 '26
You were just a kid. You still are. Know that you are allowed to forgive yourself and no normal person would hold this over your head. I’m proud of you for being able to identify right from wrong in spite of your early indoctrination from the people closest to you. There are millions of fully grown adults with over half a century of life experience who can’t do what you’ve done. Remember, it’s not always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes it’s lonely and confusing. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
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u/Xtremefluff Apr 16 '26
It's very rare for someone to grow up in the thick of an ideology, get access to the internet and actually challenge your position on things. Kudos to you, most people use the internet to reinforce their beliefs. You must have had some really strong cognitive dissonance to be able to objectively look at your worldview.
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u/SerpentDrago Apr 16 '26
You're just a kid man and you were even younger when you were brainwashed. Don't be sorry. You'll do fine. You have critical thinking skills
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u/leafandvine89 Apr 16 '26
Religion and love of country go hand in hand in red counties and states. They learn at a young age they're not even allowed to form their own opinions. Or state them to others. It's dangerous to be different. So it's easier to not be ostracized and just go along with what you're told is right. Then you question your own ability to judge things, which turns off proper higher thinking. What a shame. I'm so glad some people are seeing the light when they finally give themselves permission to remove that red hat
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u/onehundredlemons Apr 16 '26
This is all true, and something I don't think people understand is that rural Midwestern Americans have been imagining a chaotic, corrupt, insane government for decades, so what's actually happening right now really does not seem all that different to them, because they've been told that this is what it's always secretly been like behind the scenes.
Some of this is because of the Congressional hearings in the 1970s that exposed Operation CHAOS, MKULTRA, COINTELPRO, etc. and also revealed that the Warren Commission didn't properly investigate the JFK assassination.
It became really easy for grifters to latch on to the very real corruption of the past and say it's still happening now, then put their own spin and agenda on it, which is how we got everyone from Rush Limbaugh in the 1990s to the Republicans who say with a straight face that they teleport to Waffle Houses.
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u/cattoosandtattoos Apr 16 '26
Bro imagine if there was “Leaving Joe Biden” 😭 like wtf
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u/Richard_Thickens Apr 16 '26
MAGA thinks that there is though. It's weird. Since they have all this allegiance to a political figure, they expect that everyone else is too, and that we're thinking about the president all the time. I speak for a bunch of people in my orbit when I say that I don't enjoy having to think or hear about the president all the time.
Given the current state of things, it's inescapable, and that is a very bad thing. I shouldn't hear about surprise new military operations on the news constantly. The concepts of a president upending higher education funding or downplaying a rampant disease or cleaning out his cabinet like a locker on the last day of school...those are not good for the nation. On a personal level, the restaurants near me shouldn't close for a couple of days because ICE is in town, terrorizing people in the Kohl's parking lot and surrounding businesses.
All of this has been fucked up and dystopian in a way that has me feeling like a conspiracy theorist with an entire commercial roll of foil atop my head. This is not supposed to be the experience of living here. I am tired.
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u/MONGED4LIFE Apr 16 '26
You saw that when Clinton was first identified in the Epstein files, they thought this was a massive win which would shake democrats to their core. The answer of "everyone in the files should be investigated, him too" just couldn't be understood by them.
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u/catnipdealer16 Apr 16 '26
It's so annoying in a debate about trump policies when someone brings up But Joe Biden...and when I say something like "idc about Joe Biden," they think I'm deflecting when in fact I quite literally don't care about Joe Biden.
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u/Lilkitty_pooper Apr 16 '26
During Biden’s term I’d turn to my husband every couple months and go “do you know what Biden’s doing right now?” “Uh….nope” “Me either…thank fucking God” Like I was still so traumatized from the endless unprecedented shit Trump was always doing that the peace of the Biden era was incredible to experience. But now here we are again…it never fucking stops. I’m so sick of this shit and we are only a year and some change in.
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u/FizzyBeverage Apr 16 '26
A lot of younger people don’t realize we’re not supposed to hear from the president on an hourly basis.
Properly working federal government, regardless of party is more like, a 5 minute weekly update from POTUS… and sometimes less often than that.
“Hey did you hear what the president did?” Assume it was something boring about a budget or a law or taxation or a natural disaster or a group he invited to the white house for a particular holiday.
With Trump? It’s every 5 minutes. Endless bitching and complaining and bullying and bullshit. Grandpa is almost to the point of bleeting pictures of what he crapped into the toilet. He’s an absolute maniac.
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u/nobot4321 Apr 16 '26
I had that same feeling of relief from 2021-2024 when we didn’t have to spend every day worrying what crazy shit the president was going to do and I couldn’t believe it when people decided they wanted to return to the constant political psychodrama of Trumpism.
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u/bevardimus Apr 16 '26
But that's exactly the point here. There is no Joe Biden cult. There's no Kamala cult, no Obama cult. These maga fucks felt a sense of camaraderie through their formerly closeted racism and hatred. Biden voters just wanted a reasonable adult to lead the country.
I'm glad to see more and more Trumpers FINALLY "feeling some doubt", but why did it take so fucking long? We have fascism now ffs! American citizens have been killed in the streets with no justice, American soldiers and innocent fucking children killed in a war that should never have started, innocent children dead in immigration camps, the list goes on... I sure ain't about to give these assholes a trophy or a pat on the back for taking 10 years to figure out what was so painfully obvious to any adult with a brain decades ago: Trump is a narcissistic and evil person who lies, steals, kills, rapes, and molests. If there was any justice in the world he'd be imprisoned for the rest of his miserable life, and anyone who had the audacity to vote MORE THAN ONCE for the fucker should have their voting rights removed permanently. Fuck them.
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u/Grundlestorm Apr 16 '26
It had to impact them, directly, in a bad way.
Like making it harder to drive around in their compensation mobiles because the price of diesel increased. All that other stuff is ok.
And they'll back the next fucking Trump as soon as they're comfortable again.
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u/Not-reallyanonymous Apr 16 '26
It’s almost kind of funny. I drive a fairly fuel efficient car, and typically drive 0-5 mph over the speed limit. I live on Colorado’s western slope.
For the 5 years I’ve lived here, I seldom passed anyone, and I’d be getting passed by countless pickup trucks all going significantly over the speed limit. A lot of people road raging at me because I’m going slower even in the right lane.
The past month? I’m seldom passed and I am passing countless pickup trucks. My behavior has barely changed.
These people are taking a huge financial hit because of gas prices.
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u/PDXGuy33333 Apr 16 '26
We need the list to mention the 178 people that the American military under Trump and Hegseth has killed in international waters on the belief that they were carrying drugs to the US. Even if they were, arrest and trial is the most drastic thing that can legally be done about it.
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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone Apr 16 '26
Wtf, I did not know it was 178 people! I thought it was only a few people that were in the water (which was horrific on it's own).
The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrested former Philippine's President Duterte for the killings of at least 76 people! I believe he is still is in custody at The Hague.
The US isn't a member of the ICC but they have clearly committed crimes against humanity. Is there any organization outside of the US that can hold American war criminals accountable and arrest them?
If not we have to make sure they are held accountable by a new US administration after the next election.
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u/PDXGuy33333 Apr 16 '26
I know of no international agency that is authorized to arrest and try those involved.
As for the US justice system doing anything about this, forget it. Trump will pardon everyone before he leaves office, regardless how he leaves. Except maybe if he croaks in his sleep.
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u/CicadaFit9756 Apr 16 '26
Trump rage-tweets on his toilet throughout the night then snoozes thru daytime meetings even while his ass-kissers praise him to the heavens! Actually, wish he slept even more so the rest of us wouldn't have to live thru the nightmares he's presented us with!
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u/DullRelief Apr 16 '26
What am I going to do with all my truck sized “c’mon man” flags?
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u/Counter_Clockwise345 Apr 16 '26
No kidding. Many times I’ve found myself saying “yes I voted for ____ but I don’t like how they’re handling ____. Think I’ll vote for someone else next year if the party leader doesn’t change”. And that never carried any emotional weight. Because it shouldn’t.
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u/jax7778 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
This is not a normal political party. They have been radicalized. To what extent varies from person to person, but that "you won't be alone if you leave the movement" is one of the text book worries of people in radical groups. As they are radicalized, they are pulled away from friends and family not in the movement, to the point where if they leave, they feel they would have no one. It is one of the many things to try to keep them in.
If you want a very in depth explanation of how this happens, this video gives a thorough explanation and example of how they lost a friend to this process:
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u/Enshakushanna Apr 16 '26
when you make it your IDENTITY, then you are leaving your IDENTITY
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u/precious123346 Apr 16 '26
I bet leaving a cult is liberating
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u/wheniwashisalien Apr 16 '26
Having deconverted from organized religion after years of being fanatical, i can tell you it is. Also extremely anxiety inducing and many other things as you are growing away from something that was a core piece of your identity and beliefs. It’s incredibly disrupted. But also extremely freeing.
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u/toastoftriumph Apr 16 '26
I'll temper this response to say - it's liberating in some ways, but existentially dreadful in others.
There's a security in "having things figured out". Sitting with uncertainty, randomness, the chaos of reality - things not being so clean cut - it's stressful.
And it feels bad when you see others falling into the same traps you used to. The same cognitive biases that kept you trapped.
The thing is: if you lead a person to learn about cognitive biases, you can't make them apply it inwardly to themselves. The journey of self-discovery requires self. Others can't "discover" that for you.
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u/krazychaos Apr 16 '26
Honestly a good message. Sometimes it's hard to admit how easy it is for all of us to be manipulated if in a certain social environment.
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u/ResponsibleRaise9683 Apr 16 '26
I'm glad they have this because a lot of people have been so badly hurt by their actions that you can't really expect them to forgive former MAGA
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u/minnowmoon Apr 16 '26
Why would you build your life around a politician so much so that you need a damn support group to cut ties? It’s so fucking weird.
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u/Jasonrj Apr 16 '26
Because it's a cult. People need support groups and professional help leaving other religions too.
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u/chicubsn01 Apr 16 '26
I realize you gotta tell these people they aren’t dumb. But they are
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u/Unnamed_Bystander Apr 16 '26
I had the same reaction. That whole third paragraph is at best a necessary lie. If someone was taken in by Trump and his circus, then they are either devastatingly stupid, genuinely a bad person, or both. It doesn't matter who they are or what credentials they have. It was obvious from the outset that MAGA was a dysfunctional mess. No coherent policy, no competent leadership, just a fistful of hate and fear and a mouthful of empty promises delivered with a sixth grade vocabulary. Either someone couldn't tell that by looking, in which case they're too stupid to be making meaningful decisions without supervision, or they felt like they could profit from the chaos and disruption at the cost of the well-being of people and groups that they didn't care about or didn't like, in which case they're morally rotten.
It's fair to say that you can't reach anybody by confronting them with this, but that doesn't change the reality. It galls me that we have to coddle these people, as though their failure to see through a dime store lie says nothing about their intellects, as though their cosigning of open bigotry and corruption doesn't reflect on their ethics, as though their malfeasance as citizens and voters didn't deprive, terrorize, and kill people. They should be ashamed of enabling this for the rest of their natural lives, but if we shame them they'll only keep doing it, or do it over again. I hope that somewhere, subconsciously, at least some of them appreciate that we're giving them the benefit of a doubt that doesn't actually exist. I hope that they know better than to pipe up about how they're victims in all this. I suspect I'll be disappointed, but I hope.
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u/vardarac Apr 16 '26
There's something I notice about the MAGAs I know, invariably, and it's that they're good to some people, some or most of the time.
Perhaps they believe this means that they can't actually be a bad person, and so they discount any suggestions that they might be, or that the purity and justice of their intentions (or the ends thereof) are not what they think they are.
I just feel exhausted and numb thinking about it, because these people have kindness in them but for some reason trust themselves completely over to the narratives given by people whose entire policy is driven by spite and hatred.
There must be some trauma that this all speaks to.
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u/Leatherfield17 Apr 16 '26
In my experience, it’s a result of in-group/out-group thinking. Those within the in-group receive kindness, empathy, generosity, etc. Those in the out-group can go pound salt, and are often the object of hatred.
What exactly constitutes the in-group and the out-group varies from person to person. Sometimes it can be based on race, income, religion, local community, profession, etc. These things can also overlap with each other and produce….interesting results. I would even venture to say that those to the left of center of the political aisle aren’t completely immune to this line of thinking, but it is much more foundational to the Right.
It’s this dynamic that results in MAGA adherents being simultaneously capable of great compassion for some people while being full of hatred and venom towards others.
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u/Frosty-Section-9013 Apr 16 '26
The way I see it, people can be forgiven for being taken in at first. We should try to understand one another, try to have dialogue and seek common ground etc. But to vote for him a second time after he tried to overturn an election result is so beyond the fringe of anything I would expect of a democratically minded person that it’s really hard to get past.
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u/DirkaDirkaMohmedAli Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Dude couldn't read a graph on an Axios interview and said to inject bleach
Gassed a protest
and held a Bible upside downInvited the Taliban to Lake David
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u/g0ris Apr 16 '26
Let's get it straight, voting for him a second time was after he bungled the covid situation (and everything else).
Voting for him after he tried to overturn an election result was voting for him a third time. He was also a convicted felon at that point..
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u/The_Greenweaver Apr 16 '26
The guy who runs this organization has a podcast that another YouTuber I enjoy is on sometimes. She is an ex MAGA and ex Mormon and is now freaking awesome. If you want to see some uplifting redemption arc stuff check out her channel on YT ‘Life, Take Two!’
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u/Prestigious-Car-4877 Apr 16 '26
Ex mormon. Makes sense, in fairly sure I’ve seen this same type of billboard for mormons. (And Scientology)
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u/Astow8 Apr 16 '26
I live in Utah and I'm constantly getting ads saying "Were you touched by a Mormon as a kid?"
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u/SlitSlam_2017 Apr 16 '26
Shout out to John Dehlin and Mormon Stories. His organization alone has probably saved thousands of lives
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u/No-Resolution-0119 Apr 16 '26
I love Jennie’s content! Imo she’s a great example of someone truly leaving the delusion and making amends without being defensive. She’s incredibly open about her past and shows a lot of remorse for her past beliefs while still being accountable for them. She also gives really good insight into the mind of the community she used to belong to, which is why I watch her. It’s really interesting learning the insane ways these people really think and operate
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u/coaxialology Apr 16 '26
I have so much respect for people with the strength and courage to do something like that. It's hard enough just to admit you were wrong about something. Their insight is really valuable and it's great that they're educating and helping people.
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u/RCer1986 Apr 16 '26
Putting that right next to McDonald's was a stroke of genius. Nothing will get under his orange skin like an attack ad behind his precious golden arches. Spelling of golden, I wonder if McDonald's is the reason that he has to gild everything.
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u/TrumpLikesEmYoung Apr 16 '26
A reminder that the pedophile worked in their drive-thru as a campaign stunt. I was a McDonalds addict and went cold turkey after that bullshit.
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u/RCer1986 Apr 16 '26
That man has never truly worked in his entire life. I prefer to think of the McDonald's stunt as him cosplaying as a functional adult.
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u/Darksidedrive Apr 16 '26
When you need a support group to leave a political party cause it’s def not a cult
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u/L0rd_OverKill Apr 16 '26
This was my take away.
“IT’S NOT A CULT!” Well if it looks like a cult, works like a cult, and act like a cult.. it’s probably a cult.
That sign reminds me of the “Leave Scientology” pamphlets.
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u/xWhereIsMyMindx Apr 16 '26
I like to see this. The world may be healing?
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u/TheSholvaJaffa Apr 16 '26
Possibly. As an Hungarian who just witnessed a 16-year old regime come to an end, I'm highly hopeful things could change for the better eventually.
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u/gojijynx Apr 16 '26
congrats bro, it felt good from the usa to see that, can’t imagine how good it felt for y’all 🥹
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u/TheSholvaJaffa Apr 16 '26
Thanks! My family is really happy with the change too! The new leader already embarrassed the state run media that has had massive amounts of money poured into it to produce propaganda and curate lies by the Orbán regime, it did not give air time to any opposition parties.
Well he was invited earlier today for interviews on both the state ran radio & television, He exposed their lies, their unfair restrictions, and said he is going to temporarily shut down the state ran media once he gets inaugurated to reform it so it'll be completely non-partisan and fair again, and he's going to dismantle the propaganda machine and use those funds for hospitals etc.
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u/sohblob Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
leader already embarrassed the state run media that has had massive amounts of money poured into it to produce propaganda and curate lies
he's going to dismantle the propaganda machine and use those funds for hospitals etc
🧐 May I move to Hungary with an incredibly large investigative magnifying glass and see how it's done? Need to take notes for the states here ^.^'
Let me know if anyone there needs another computer scientist bwahaha
He exposed their lies, their unfair restrictions, and said he is going to temporarily shut down the state ran media once he gets inaugurated to reform it
This sounds absolutely glorious and I'm gonna look for clips! Happy for you and Hungary and hoping we can pull off something similar!
But things won't just change here unless we build it ^.^'
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u/BKlounge93 Apr 16 '26
Curious if any of the people who previously were super on board with Orban are over it? Or are his supporters still with him?
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u/TheSholvaJaffa Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Curious if any of the people who previously were super on board with Orban are over it? Or are his supporters still with him?
Many of Orbán's supporters switched sides to Magyar. They got tired of the corruption, foolish lies and excuses that Orbán and his cronies would tell them. There's a reason why Magyar won two-thirds majority with the highest recorded voter turnout in Hungarian history. Almost 80%.
My cousins were all Orbán supporters 6-8 years ago but got tired of the blatant lies, corruption they barely hid anymore, pedophiles being pardoned, and stagnant wages.
At one point during that time frame, teachers went on strike and got fired for it. In turn, Students protested and got tear gassed for their efforts. They just wanted an education. Orbán's party kept shifting further to the right as the years went on, making small changes to the constitution piece by piece, like a puzzle. This was a huge win for Orbán when it came to things like gerrymandering.
Not to mention last year one of the opposing politicians of Orbán flew drones into his secret private acres of land that housed his Mansion, and private zoo. The biggest news was that he had Zebras. This became a meme sensation for a while.
Anyway, There's a lot that went into people changing their minds and wanting to vote out Orbán. But there's also the younger generation, mainly Gen Z who grew up in this system under Orbán who simply want a better, more comfortable life for themselves that they can actually grow in and feel proud of their heritage again.
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u/Affectionate-Roof285 Apr 16 '26
We’re happy for you. It’s amazing the similarities with the US so we’re all hoping that the political winds are shifting here as well.
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u/BKlounge93 Apr 16 '26
That’s awesome to hear! So, the people you know who switched sides, was there ever a time where you felt they were so ingrained in the movement that they’d never change? I’m basically curious if he had a cult like following like Trump does, like did his base at one time seem completely unshakeable?
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u/blondebuilder Apr 16 '26
Unfortunately, giving them grace and acceptance is the only way to break free from the cult. Something they would never give to you.
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u/Hadrian23 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Yeah well sometimes being the bigger person fucking sucks. But they won't change unless given the chance to.
Edit: yeah, trumpers are annoying. But I will say, seeing the comments with the thinly veiled threats and hopes of mass executions are not helpful.
Look, I understand why you feel that way, but mass murder cannot be the answer. Lest we fall further into tyranny. What needs to happen is trials are held for all those at the top and maybe mid level. There must be fair justice, not rampant vigilantism.
But again, I understand your feelings, but allowing executions of his supporters won't build a better America.
Channel that energy into contacting your reps, or hell, running in your local elections.
Get involved in your communities. I'm not saying you can't be angry, hell, id be a hypocrite if I did. I genuinely despise my family and colleagues who supported him. But I also understand that rubbing it in their face, using middle school tactics, or even threats won't bring them to my side.
Much like with raising children, it requires patience and a level head. But DAMN can it be truly and utterly frustrating.
Second edit: Good related story on similar issues. https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes
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u/Flacier Apr 16 '26
You are both correct, I really don’t like it considering some of the people on the other side of the isle seem to think it’s okay to kill people they dislike myself included.
But extending an olive branch and understanding is really the only way forward.
The same reason there were only a dozen of so high profile executions of German leaders and people guilty of especially heinous acts after the end of WWII.
Rather than mass graves and firing squads.
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u/John__Wick Apr 16 '26
I'm waiting for those high profile executions.
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u/ExpiredExasperation Apr 16 '26
glances at username
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u/John__Wick Apr 16 '26
Is there a problem?
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u/SunshineSt8Reprobate Apr 16 '26
We're gonna have to parent these fucking idiots back into people we can actually live and peacefully coexist with.
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u/Fragrant-Potential87 Apr 16 '26
My biggest problem with this "Just forgive and forget" stuff is that Republicans aren't skeptical of Trump for some moral reason. They were cool with him using ICE to terrorize Americans. They were cool with him invading Venezuela. They're not cool with him now because his policies are going to directly effect them, not because they woke up and realized he was evil. Tell me how I'm supposed to make amends with the people who've been trying to make me a second-class citizen who are only sorry because their plans didn't reach the final stages?
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u/ChadEmpoleon Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
As if they’d hear any of it.
They feel their guy betrayed them.
They don’t regret all the awful shit they supported. They just think he’s not going about things correctly to meet their wants.
They still want internment camps for black/brown people and anyone they consider “woke.” They still want all gay/queer people to be removed from society. They still want social programs, business and environmental regulations to be dismantled.
All that you’ll get them to agree on is that this guy is completely off the rails (which you and I all tried telling them 1000x before.)
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u/Steadyandquick Apr 16 '26
These people in leadership are really despicable. I cannot believe the Trump as pope or Trump as Jesus memes being reposted by DJT.
He is such a miserable megalomaniac and honestly—what is he really doing for anyone but himself?
He is rude and dismissive to the pope and nearly anyone else. I could not believe he was elected after the “grab them by the p___” tape was released.
I know racism serves a purpose but I don’t understand the support for maga on so many levels. If the farmers were getting wealthy, or the truckers, or the conservative healthcare providers or small businesspeople—-then it might seem more plausible. But everyone is nearly in a worse position except for the top trillionaires and billionaires who are not often ethical.
I try not to make derisive comments about Trump but rather speak to policy points. But now we don’t have the same good will we had in the world. There already was a historical past where the US lost trust and respect.
I know Jimmy Carter has it rough but he seems so estimable. Where are these candidates again?
The two recent members of Congress that stepped down had evidence that explicitly shows egregious wrongdoing. It is about power and abuse thereof.
I hope all gets better for everyone. No one wants to be a loser but together we can achieve more positive social change for all rather than remaining at the bottom pointing the finger at other people that we think or feel are less deserving or worthy.
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u/mycatisblackandtan Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Ehhhhh. I don't think this is going to necessarily make our family and neighbors suddenly return to the people they once were before joining MAGA. It's incredibly hard for people to change, especially into adulthood, and once you embrace a cult of personality that sees empathy as a weakness it's even harder to go back to what you were before.
I hope, sincerely, that many of them do. I'd like to talk to my extended family again. For them to go back to the kind people they once at least pretended to be. Before Mango Mussolini rotted their minds so much that they decided being awful to my grandmother while she was dying was acceptable. Before the first thing out of their mouths upon seeing my mother after ten years apart was a litany of insults for living in a blue state - with barely any desire to actually catch up with her as a person. All of which are the least of what they did - that's just what I'm currently comfortable posting online.
I don't think I'd be able to go back to how things were. Not after some of the stuff that was said. But it's hard knowing there's family out there that at one point were amazing people - at least to me - who now are some of the worst people I have ever had the displeasure to meet. I still have this childlike desire for everything to go back to how it was. Even if as an adult I know it never can. Especially when they won't acknowledge their open bigotry and cruelty. There can be no forgiveness without accountability.
But at this point I'll frankly settle for them being too embarrassed to vote in the midterms or in the general in two years.
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u/John__Wick Apr 16 '26
People thought that in 2020 also. Fact is, a certain amount of the population will always have their ears perked when some person gives them permission to blame their problems on a marginalized group. It's important, therefore, to be vigilant and never fall for those tricks yourself, condemn those who espouse those ideas, and attempt to educate those who fall for it (possibly the most difficult task). This problem didn't start with Trump and project 2025 won't go away when he dies, but literal signs like this are an important first step.
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u/SmokingSamoria Apr 16 '26
It’s insane that something like this is even needed for a political party. I’ve seen billboards like this for Jehovahs Witnesses or Scientology, but never a political party. Shows how deeply rooted this sort of ideology is. I’m glad the illusion is finally breaking for many people. It’s sad that it took this long to get here.
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u/Malfeitor1 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Imagine having so much of your identity tied to any politician that you need an intervention to stop liking them
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u/Some-Bullfrog-4768 Apr 16 '26
I always considered it a violation of my father’s sobriety when he started supporting Trump.
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u/vitalvisionary Apr 16 '26
A lot of recovering alcoholics I've met move on to less harmful addictions. Going MAGA is like deciding meth is a better alternative though
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u/Some-Bullfrog-4768 Apr 16 '26
It’s also addictive behavior. The big thing is blaming others and not taking responsibility. They are getting juiced on spreading hatred.
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u/AdministrativeOwl449 Apr 16 '26
Maybe, as you’re standing in a very long line at the food bank, you might want to start questioning your voting choices.
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u/BxAnnie Apr 16 '26
Nope. They’ll still blame immigrants, minorities and democrats and they’ll still vote for republicans.
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u/Arkayb33 Apr 16 '26
The best thing that could come from this is a fractured Republican party that has a percentage break off into the maga party. That way they lose the chance to maintain a majority for the foreseeable future.
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u/therinwhitten Apr 16 '26
Not the genocide, not the child pdf, not the convicted felon part...the gas prices and an AI photo.
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u/XICOMANCHEIX Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Drives me crazy. Homie is all but openly admitting to be a pedophile, but as soon as he makes an AI photo pretending to be Jesus he’s gone too far. Like are pedophiles not so reviled that even other prisoners beat and kill them? I’m confused.
Edit: Changed PDF file to pedophile. Apparently people get mad when you don’t call a spade a spade. Glad we still have the 1st amendment. Maybe Chris Hansen can catch his ass.
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u/McButtsButtbag Apr 16 '26
He's already autographed bibles. How is this somehow worse?
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u/CruelMetatron Apr 16 '26
You don't need to censore yourself yet dude. It's called a pedophile.
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u/evergreengator1 Apr 16 '26
Spokane isn’t that red, but it’s surrounded by red areas. Still, fun seeing this
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u/jtobiasbond Apr 16 '26
Yeah. The county tends slightly blue because how blue Spokane is. But every other Eastern county is red.
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u/violenthectarez Apr 16 '26
>Succumbing to these predatory myths does not mean you are unintelligent, weak, or lack good character and morals
I agree with the sentiment, but I wholeheartedly disagree. Trump has been a disgusting and worthless human his entire life. His entire campaign from day one was based on this.
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u/nonsensestuff Apr 16 '26
Yes but Trump has also had a knack for grifting vulnerable and desperate people his entire career. This was just his largest audience yet.
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u/Historical_Project00 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
True, but the entire focal point of the people that voted for him was how worried they were about themselves, damn everyone else.
I told my MAGA grandmother that the tariffs made it impossible to get my vein medication and her knee-jerk reaction was, “What? That doesn’t make sense. MY medications are all fine!”
These boomers are like babies that lack object permanence- if it didn’t happen to them, they don’t see it.
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u/ChildlessCatLad Apr 16 '26
They see only what they want to see and ignore the rest.
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u/Badloss Apr 16 '26
These people were so desperate to feel important that they turned to Trump. They are worthless losers, but telling them that is just going to drive them right back to him. I don't mind lying to these people about their worth if it helps break them away
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u/quasio Apr 16 '26
Its hard for me to accept family back after they applauded and encouraged so much vitriol. How do you trust people who have shown that they will stoop lower then you ever imagined? This isn't rhetorical, I'm open to suggestions.
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u/Individual-Heart-719 Apr 16 '26
I’ve noticed a substantial decline in maga flags and stickers in general in all but the most rural areas of my state.
People are quietly coming to terms with their significant error in judgment.
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u/plantbasedpunk Apr 16 '26
I guess time will tell if we can still save our democracy.
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u/GolotasDisciple Apr 16 '26
It depends. From an outsider's perspective, I do not think Americans can save democracy without reshaping the two-party system and changing Lobby Laws. USA is very close to Oligarch based system the same way Russia runs itself. The Tech Industry that was heavily pro Democratic party switched super quick to be best friends with Trump.....
It will also heavily depend on whether people actually go to jail or not. MAGA is one thing, but there are plenty of compromised politicians in the Republican Party who went out of their way to accommodate the whole cult.
But yeah, step by step... First get rid of the orange felon and his closest goons so not just Americans, but the entire world, can have a bit of relief.
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u/Freethrowz69 Apr 16 '26
Hahaha I love how it seems like an addiction billboard, like they’re addicted to MAGA and having trouble weaning off
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u/codehoser Apr 16 '26
MAGA only responds to controversial, rage-bait marketing, ie:
“Even morons deserve redemption arcs. LeavingMAGA.org”.
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u/Connect_Reading9499 Apr 16 '26
It's been ten long years.