I'm just going to jump in here and say *thank you* to everyone who has contributed, here and via email. It is inspiring to see such thoughtful views and respectful dialogue. You all have inspried me to open my comments more because you are all an inspiration to me.
I voted for Trump in 2016 and immediately regretted it. Mostly because I had been raised Republican and had always voted Republican in every election. I did not vote for him in 2020, though. I will not vote for him in 2024 or any other year. And I seriously cannot understand anyone who would.
Same & same. Voted for Jesus in 2020 - will likely do the same this year. It is evil how many “evangelicals” are still backing Trump. Seems only for power…. Trump is an embarrassing “Christian”.
Don’t be fooled. A vote for anyone but Biden is a vote for Trump. The country/democracy can survive four years of unpreferred policies; it won’t survive Trump.
I think many Christians really want a Christian theocracy where their idea of Christianity is enforced by government. Much like the Judaism Jesus sought to reinterpret in his day. (I don’t think they are aware that the Taliban is like that)
I’m sure others have other reasons for supporting Trump which I simply can’t understand.
I am currently running for a seat on the Ottawa County (Michigan) Commission as a Democrat. My district historically votes R. Traditional wisdom holds that a D cannot get elected here. I’ve been canvassing door-to-door and I’m hearing from voter after voter that they will not vote R in this election, even though they have always done so in the past. Not a scientific sample, I realize, but interesting nonetheless.
Kristin, I loved your book. I am now reading The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory and am in shock all over again. The assumption that people might actually think logically is apparently false. The church is one huge blind spot. My kids, age 28 and 30, want nothing to do with church or religion, mostly because of Trump. My parents, age 84 and 85, don't even go to church anymore. The church has surely sold its soul.
The depravity was mind blowing. I was so glad to see the unmasking chapters on people like Ralph Reed (he’s truly chilling) and other social and political leaders.
Too many “Christians” either don’t understand or won’t accept that Christians are not called to rule this world. “Take up your cross and follow me” - that’s the Christian’s cross, not to be used for nailing up the opposition. And I use quote marks because, for so many people, religion is just a cultural marker.
I personally don’t know anybody who voted for Trump who’s reconsidered their support for him. It seems to me that this is largely because of right-wing propaganda from Fox News and others telling them lies for horrible things Democrats support and do. They’re totally convinced that we support killing babies after birth, that we’re socialists or communists who hate America and it’s values, that we want to make their kids gay convince them to cut off their genitals, that our politicians are all corrupt, that we want to ban Christianity, and on and on. So they believe that even someone as incompetent, anxious and morally degenerate as Trump is better than what they think we are. They’ve been led to believe that we’re their mortal enemy and gravest existential threat.
I know lots of people who have. And all the media is to blame - none of them actually report the news like they used to it's all spin. There are good, honest, decent, people and Christians in all political parties. We have to stop putting people in boxes - saying that all Republicans think the same is no different than all Democrats do or ________.
I’m not saying all Republicans are the same, I’m commenting about end ones I know, friends and family members, who are very much good, honest and decent people who I love and respect. Their reason for sticking with Trump and Republicans in general is that Democrats are much worse, and then bring up things like “support of infanticide”, which they’ve heard from Trump and other Republicans, amplified by RW media and RW evangelical leaders, such as Franklin Graham and others like him. Over the past couple of decades, it’s been easy to predict what grievances I’d be hearing about from them in the event that we happened to talk about political or cultural issues just by watching a few clips from Fox News, or reading what certain RW evangelical leaders I know they follow was claiming. It always lines up. I also never had any doubt that they’d stick with the Republican Party no matter no matter how much they had to abandon positions they had previously held. It’s totally predictable.
I don’t doubt for a minute that you know lots of people who had voted for Trump who have recognized the danger that Trump and current Republicans pose, and abandoned their former party. I unfortunately don’t.
What I can’t understand is why Trump supporters will believe anything they hear via the proverbial grapevine about Biden and the Democrats, but refuse to even consider what is told them about Trump and MAGA Republicans.
Cognitive dissonance is a powerful drug. It takes a hardy soul to see an error, especially an important one. The who do are often following a lifelong habit of examining their attitudes and “default” beliefs. The majority of people don’t do this, as witness the number of people who still castigate our gracious host for teaching both men and women. The knowledge is available, but they are inoculated against it.
Voted for Trump in 2016 simply hoping he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v Wade. Deeply regret that. A prayer life changed by contemplation has set me free from evangelical/charismatic/Pentecostal right wing politics and can’t imagine going back. Reading James Cone, Brian Zahnd, Kristin Du Mez, Fleming Rutledge and many others have opened up new worlds. Deeply grateful for this and feel like I’m just beginning even though I’m almost 69.
I’m in AZ and have spoken with a few evangelicals who cashed out after 1/6. It meant leaving their churches, which had been overtaken by MAGA.
I was traveling extensively at the time of the 2016 election and folks in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia expressed horror at what was happening in America. Didn’t we know they looked up to us and put democracy? Didn’t we recognize an autocrat when we saw one? Why were we trying to emulate the politics of less developed countries? Good questions.
I never voted for Trump and recall people holding their noses as they did. The same people became apologists for him like some twisted confirmation bias.
My brother was cautious and slow to support Trump. However, he has always been prone to buy into conspiracy theories. By 2018 he was far down the path described by Roger Strassburg (in these comments) and now is a aggressive supporter of Trump and believes it is his Christian and Patriotic duty to defeat and destroy Democrats.
I was in Italy in 2019, and had an earnest convo with a woman in her 30s - a bookstore manager - about how Americans could possibly have elected Trump to the presidency. (All I wanted was an Italian translation of The Lord of the Rings, but there we were.) It was a respectful and serious conversation, and I finally boiled it down to this: How, in the early 1920s, did Italy permit Mussolini and the Fascist Party to seize and retain power until forced out by war?
That set her back - but the answers are very similar. I lived in Italy in the late 1980s and knew veterans, war widows, and saw, even then, 45 years later, bomb damage in Sicilian cities that hadn't been repaired. Time has passed. People forget. New people are born with no living memory or direct connection with what has gone before. And so the cycle repeats.
We live in Az as well and experienced a similar encounter with Canadians on a summer holiday after the 2016 election. Their reaction over and over was "how could Americans who value democracy elect a man like Trump"? They were truly incredulous. We apologized, sad for our country's temporary insanity
My aunt voted for him in 2016 but not in 2020. (I know that isn't quite what you asked.) She voted for Biden in 2020, the first time in her life she had ever voted for a Democrat for president, and plans to this year as far as I know. She wanted a return to moral decency and she really disliked the way Trump had handled the pandemic.
Hug your aunt for all of us. It's good to be able to reconsider one's vote and learn to do something as drastic as vote for the "other" candidate after a life-long loyalty to one party. We need more people like her!
I voted for trump in 2016. I could not vote for him again. I’m 86 years old. I’ve paid attention. I don’t want to see him in another four. I have so many reasons not to. He will do anything to not lose. No rules for him. Jeff Cho spoke briefly on Trumps cold loveless up bringing. But he ended by saying, “ but I don’t want him for president.” Wilma rabidoux Hudsonville, Michigan
I voted for him twice. As I realized what kind of a human he is, I was amazed how foolish I am AND how hypocritical Christians are when they attacked Bill Clinton for his moral indiscretion but excused Trump for his. I cannot vote for him a third time. That being said, I am appalled that the other options are not very appealing
I'll take an unappealing run of the mill politico over an aspiring fascist dictator any day. I'm reminded of what PJ O'Rourke said, in essence, in 2016 (paraphrased): Clinton will be an awful president in a predictable, survivable way. Trump has the potential to be terrible in completely unpredictable, dangerous ways.
Yes! My favorite quote along this line: "Your vote is a chess move, not a valentine." I'm scared of former Trump voters who just decide to not vote because they're not in love with Biden. There's no candidate who gets us a perfect country (because could we ever even agree on what it would look like?) -- vote for the candidate who moves us in the right direction and will do the least damage.
A close family member of mine voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020, because they pretty much ignored all his policies and focused just on him being "pro-life." They recently told me they won't be voting for him this year, and though I don't know the exact reason, I think just getting bits of news here and there about him have been enough to convince them.
I am in AZ and saw first hand electors who are going to prison for collusion to lie about Trump’s loss. The AZ votes were recounted twice by far right GOP companies funded by Bannon. Both times Biden gained thousands more votes. These are people from our church who will be voting for Trump again. And why do you think the 20-35 group are leaving in droves? Same reason this older woman is.
I’ve not been very up on political news in the past but believed it was important to exercise my right to vote but voted only in presidential elections. I voted for Trump in 2016 because I didn’t trust Hillary. We did well financially so I voted for Trump again in 2020. The line in the sand was drawn on Jan 6 and ever since. I have been following the news in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and our local newspaper (our county commisioners were taken over by Christian Nationalist because not many voted in the mid terms—I did my homework this time). I will not vote for Trump again but not sure about Biden. I wish Niki Haley had made it further. I’m 77 years old and very concerned about the direction the country I love is heading. Thank you for asking this simple question. I have been hoping and praying there are more people that just aren’t speaking up against Trump but will at the polls.
Most of the former Trump voters we know have gone silent. When pressed they say they think Trumps day is over but they are keeping it private. Too fearful to share with others in our local red state evangelical community. They will admit this to us because we are safe but deny their skepticism about Trump to others. Some say they will vote for RFK (!). Suspect that some just will not vote at all or write in some name.
My husband had a column in our local paper from 2002 to 2017. We were early skeptics of Trump and just asked our local people to think about this choice to vote for Trump. We did not promote any other candidates but asked people to think. For some in 2016 that made us supportive of killing babies and anti-liberty.
I think doing anything other than voting for Biden will elect Trump. I think Trump is out to destroy our democracy. I have two daughters and I want them to always be free to make all their own choices just like Mrs Alito and Mrs Thomas are free to make their own choices.
While the editorial staff at The Dispatch is known for being Never Trump, many Dispatch subscribers weren't Never Trump at first, but voted for Trump at least once and later cashed out. I know a few of these Dispatch subscribers by their screen handles, and it's possible The Dispatch staff could put you in touch with Dispatch members who are former Trump voters.
While I kept refusing to vote for Trump, I wasn't Never Trump myself (just repeatedly "nope for now") until the 1/6 riot. The riot and subsequent news on the "paperwork coup" that enabled and encouraged it have convinced me that Trump has disqualified himself from the electoral process.
I used to serve as election judge, and hope to again some day when my kids are older. So many little things can go wrong at a polling place for not-at-all nefarious reasons, and witnessing the Trump campaign enabling all sorts of paranoid fantasizing over the normal accidents, or even routine procedures, of running elections also turned me off.
I'm just going to jump in here and say *thank you* to everyone who has contributed, here and via email. It is inspiring to see such thoughtful views and respectful dialogue. You all have inspried me to open my comments more because you are all an inspiration to me.
We come to you,
As well we may,
That we may do
As does 'do' 'may.'
I voted for Trump in 2016 and immediately regretted it. Mostly because I had been raised Republican and had always voted Republican in every election. I did not vote for him in 2020, though. I will not vote for him in 2024 or any other year. And I seriously cannot understand anyone who would.
Same & same. Voted for Jesus in 2020 - will likely do the same this year. It is evil how many “evangelicals” are still backing Trump. Seems only for power…. Trump is an embarrassing “Christian”.
Don’t be fooled. A vote for anyone but Biden is a vote for Trump. The country/democracy can survive four years of unpreferred policies; it won’t survive Trump.
Here is a quote from Liz Cheney: “We can survive bad policies. We can’t survive a president who goes to war with the Constitution.”
I think many Christians really want a Christian theocracy where their idea of Christianity is enforced by government. Much like the Judaism Jesus sought to reinterpret in his day. (I don’t think they are aware that the Taliban is like that)
I’m sure others have other reasons for supporting Trump which I simply can’t understand.
Speaker Johnson may be more dangerous than Trump.
The combo is especially worrying.
I am currently running for a seat on the Ottawa County (Michigan) Commission as a Democrat. My district historically votes R. Traditional wisdom holds that a D cannot get elected here. I’ve been canvassing door-to-door and I’m hearing from voter after voter that they will not vote R in this election, even though they have always done so in the past. Not a scientific sample, I realize, but interesting nonetheless.
Thank you for running and doorknocking
Kristin, I loved your book. I am now reading The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory and am in shock all over again. The assumption that people might actually think logically is apparently false. The church is one huge blind spot. My kids, age 28 and 30, want nothing to do with church or religion, mostly because of Trump. My parents, age 84 and 85, don't even go to church anymore. The church has surely sold its soul.
I just finished that one! Wow. What a ride. Crazy stuff.
The depravity was mind blowing. I was so glad to see the unmasking chapters on people like Ralph Reed (he’s truly chilling) and other social and political leaders.
Too many “Christians” either don’t understand or won’t accept that Christians are not called to rule this world. “Take up your cross and follow me” - that’s the Christian’s cross, not to be used for nailing up the opposition. And I use quote marks because, for so many people, religion is just a cultural marker.
I personally don’t know anybody who voted for Trump who’s reconsidered their support for him. It seems to me that this is largely because of right-wing propaganda from Fox News and others telling them lies for horrible things Democrats support and do. They’re totally convinced that we support killing babies after birth, that we’re socialists or communists who hate America and it’s values, that we want to make their kids gay convince them to cut off their genitals, that our politicians are all corrupt, that we want to ban Christianity, and on and on. So they believe that even someone as incompetent, anxious and morally degenerate as Trump is better than what they think we are. They’ve been led to believe that we’re their mortal enemy and gravest existential threat.
I know lots of people who have. And all the media is to blame - none of them actually report the news like they used to it's all spin. There are good, honest, decent, people and Christians in all political parties. We have to stop putting people in boxes - saying that all Republicans think the same is no different than all Democrats do or ________.
I’m not saying all Republicans are the same, I’m commenting about end ones I know, friends and family members, who are very much good, honest and decent people who I love and respect. Their reason for sticking with Trump and Republicans in general is that Democrats are much worse, and then bring up things like “support of infanticide”, which they’ve heard from Trump and other Republicans, amplified by RW media and RW evangelical leaders, such as Franklin Graham and others like him. Over the past couple of decades, it’s been easy to predict what grievances I’d be hearing about from them in the event that we happened to talk about political or cultural issues just by watching a few clips from Fox News, or reading what certain RW evangelical leaders I know they follow was claiming. It always lines up. I also never had any doubt that they’d stick with the Republican Party no matter no matter how much they had to abandon positions they had previously held. It’s totally predictable.
I don’t doubt for a minute that you know lots of people who had voted for Trump who have recognized the danger that Trump and current Republicans pose, and abandoned their former party. I unfortunately don’t.
What I can’t understand is why Trump supporters will believe anything they hear via the proverbial grapevine about Biden and the Democrats, but refuse to even consider what is told them about Trump and MAGA Republicans.
Cognitive dissonance is a powerful drug. It takes a hardy soul to see an error, especially an important one. The who do are often following a lifelong habit of examining their attitudes and “default” beliefs. The majority of people don’t do this, as witness the number of people who still castigate our gracious host for teaching both men and women. The knowledge is available, but they are inoculated against it.
Absolutely well put!! Right on the button.
Voted for Trump in 2016 simply hoping he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v Wade. Deeply regret that. A prayer life changed by contemplation has set me free from evangelical/charismatic/Pentecostal right wing politics and can’t imagine going back. Reading James Cone, Brian Zahnd, Kristin Du Mez, Fleming Rutledge and many others have opened up new worlds. Deeply grateful for this and feel like I’m just beginning even though I’m almost 69.
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
It's never too late to learn new things. Kudos
I’m in AZ and have spoken with a few evangelicals who cashed out after 1/6. It meant leaving their churches, which had been overtaken by MAGA.
I was traveling extensively at the time of the 2016 election and folks in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia expressed horror at what was happening in America. Didn’t we know they looked up to us and put democracy? Didn’t we recognize an autocrat when we saw one? Why were we trying to emulate the politics of less developed countries? Good questions.
I never voted for Trump and recall people holding their noses as they did. The same people became apologists for him like some twisted confirmation bias.
Yes, I've seen much of that, too. Which is why comments here are encouraging.
My brother was cautious and slow to support Trump. However, he has always been prone to buy into conspiracy theories. By 2018 he was far down the path described by Roger Strassburg (in these comments) and now is a aggressive supporter of Trump and believes it is his Christian and Patriotic duty to defeat and destroy Democrats.
I was in Italy in 2019, and had an earnest convo with a woman in her 30s - a bookstore manager - about how Americans could possibly have elected Trump to the presidency. (All I wanted was an Italian translation of The Lord of the Rings, but there we were.) It was a respectful and serious conversation, and I finally boiled it down to this: How, in the early 1920s, did Italy permit Mussolini and the Fascist Party to seize and retain power until forced out by war?
That set her back - but the answers are very similar. I lived in Italy in the late 1980s and knew veterans, war widows, and saw, even then, 45 years later, bomb damage in Sicilian cities that hadn't been repaired. Time has passed. People forget. New people are born with no living memory or direct connection with what has gone before. And so the cycle repeats.
Totally. I just read Takeover about the enablers that helped Hitler rise to power. Chilling. https://open.spotify.com/show/3wMVxo5Y0eEeLoinXAgDw2?si=8US1OyyCRj2xGgm5GGYfdg
We live in Az as well and experienced a similar encounter with Canadians on a summer holiday after the 2016 election. Their reaction over and over was "how could Americans who value democracy elect a man like Trump"? They were truly incredulous. We apologized, sad for our country's temporary insanity
My aunt voted for him in 2016 but not in 2020. (I know that isn't quite what you asked.) She voted for Biden in 2020, the first time in her life she had ever voted for a Democrat for president, and plans to this year as far as I know. She wanted a return to moral decency and she really disliked the way Trump had handled the pandemic.
Hug your aunt for all of us. It's good to be able to reconsider one's vote and learn to do something as drastic as vote for the "other" candidate after a life-long loyalty to one party. We need more people like her!
Totally agree!
I voted for trump in 2016. I could not vote for him again. I’m 86 years old. I’ve paid attention. I don’t want to see him in another four. I have so many reasons not to. He will do anything to not lose. No rules for him. Jeff Cho spoke briefly on Trumps cold loveless up bringing. But he ended by saying, “ but I don’t want him for president.” Wilma rabidoux Hudsonville, Michigan
I voted for him twice. As I realized what kind of a human he is, I was amazed how foolish I am AND how hypocritical Christians are when they attacked Bill Clinton for his moral indiscretion but excused Trump for his. I cannot vote for him a third time. That being said, I am appalled that the other options are not very appealing
I'll take an unappealing run of the mill politico over an aspiring fascist dictator any day. I'm reminded of what PJ O'Rourke said, in essence, in 2016 (paraphrased): Clinton will be an awful president in a predictable, survivable way. Trump has the potential to be terrible in completely unpredictable, dangerous ways.
That came true in spades.
Yes! My favorite quote along this line: "Your vote is a chess move, not a valentine." I'm scared of former Trump voters who just decide to not vote because they're not in love with Biden. There's no candidate who gets us a perfect country (because could we ever even agree on what it would look like?) -- vote for the candidate who moves us in the right direction and will do the least damage.
A close family member of mine voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020, because they pretty much ignored all his policies and focused just on him being "pro-life." They recently told me they won't be voting for him this year, and though I don't know the exact reason, I think just getting bits of news here and there about him have been enough to convince them.
I am in AZ and saw first hand electors who are going to prison for collusion to lie about Trump’s loss. The AZ votes were recounted twice by far right GOP companies funded by Bannon. Both times Biden gained thousands more votes. These are people from our church who will be voting for Trump again. And why do you think the 20-35 group are leaving in droves? Same reason this older woman is.
I’ve not been very up on political news in the past but believed it was important to exercise my right to vote but voted only in presidential elections. I voted for Trump in 2016 because I didn’t trust Hillary. We did well financially so I voted for Trump again in 2020. The line in the sand was drawn on Jan 6 and ever since. I have been following the news in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and our local newspaper (our county commisioners were taken over by Christian Nationalist because not many voted in the mid terms—I did my homework this time). I will not vote for Trump again but not sure about Biden. I wish Niki Haley had made it further. I’m 77 years old and very concerned about the direction the country I love is heading. Thank you for asking this simple question. I have been hoping and praying there are more people that just aren’t speaking up against Trump but will at the polls.
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful observations.
Voted for him 2x while holding my nose, but just can't again. He believes his own provocative, delusional rantings which should frighten everyone.
Most of the former Trump voters we know have gone silent. When pressed they say they think Trumps day is over but they are keeping it private. Too fearful to share with others in our local red state evangelical community. They will admit this to us because we are safe but deny their skepticism about Trump to others. Some say they will vote for RFK (!). Suspect that some just will not vote at all or write in some name.
Deborah, it is a testament to you and your husband that people know it is safe to talk to you. Keep up the good work!
My husband had a column in our local paper from 2002 to 2017. We were early skeptics of Trump and just asked our local people to think about this choice to vote for Trump. We did not promote any other candidates but asked people to think. For some in 2016 that made us supportive of killing babies and anti-liberty.
We need a sad emoji!!
I think doing anything other than voting for Biden will elect Trump. I think Trump is out to destroy our democracy. I have two daughters and I want them to always be free to make all their own choices just like Mrs Alito and Mrs Thomas are free to make their own choices.
While the editorial staff at The Dispatch is known for being Never Trump, many Dispatch subscribers weren't Never Trump at first, but voted for Trump at least once and later cashed out. I know a few of these Dispatch subscribers by their screen handles, and it's possible The Dispatch staff could put you in touch with Dispatch members who are former Trump voters.
https://thedispatch.com/contact/
While I kept refusing to vote for Trump, I wasn't Never Trump myself (just repeatedly "nope for now") until the 1/6 riot. The riot and subsequent news on the "paperwork coup" that enabled and encouraged it have convinced me that Trump has disqualified himself from the electoral process.
I used to serve as election judge, and hope to again some day when my kids are older. So many little things can go wrong at a polling place for not-at-all nefarious reasons, and witnessing the Trump campaign enabling all sorts of paranoid fantasizing over the normal accidents, or even routine procedures, of running elections also turned me off.