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The Long MAGA Apology That Is Never Coming
Liberals must accept that Trump’s popularity with MAGA was never about the economy.
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Sometimes, I talk to MAGA.
I chat with them in bars, listen to endless focus groups, and debate with them online.
Why? I have always had a masochistic desire to understand MAGA for one reason — half of my family is MAGA. And not the kind that quietly voted for Trump because they thought he would make them rich. I mean, full-on, red hat-wearing, abuse immigrants, end DEI, kill science, attend the rallies, MAGA people.
I love my family, and I hate everything they represent. That kind of cognitive dissonance will shred your soul.
It will also make you look for answers.
An incident with a MAGA family member recently changed how I viewed the entire movement. Let’s call this family member Marge.
Marge is about to get fired from her job because the Trump administration is demanding all remote workers return to the office, even if the office is in another state. Marge has had her job for over 25 years.
I called her to see how she was doing. Now, I thought for sure Marge would have some starry-eyed epiphany. She would finally see that she voted for cruelty, and the chickens had come home to roost and peck out her eyes for good measure.
So I just listened to her complain. But at the end of her rant, I teased, “You might just vote Democrat after Trump is done tearing down the economy.”
Without missing a beat, she replied, “I love Trump. I want him to stay in office forever.”
And there it was. I thought losing her job would free her from this cult, but it only strengthened the bonds.
My experience is not anecdotal. A recent survey found that 90 percent of Republicans think Trump is doing a fabulous job, while only 4 percent of Democrats do.
Let that sink in. Trump currently has a 90% popularity rating with Republicans.
In only two months, inflation has risen, egg prices are ridiculous, job growth has slowed, the…
