(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



From MAGA to Democracy: My Story of Leaving the Republican Party From MAGA to democracy defender [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-31

1. Introduction: The Year It Was Cool to Be a Republican

I remember the year 2022. At my school, it was incredibly popular to be a Republican—especially among the guys. This was the middle of my 7th grade year, and all my friends were devout Trump supporters. Wanting to fit in, I became a Republican too.

2. Fitting in why I became a Republican

I joined the Republican Party at that time. I perceived the Democratic Party to be elitist. The reason why I perceived Democrats to be elitist due to the conservative media being incredibly savvy. They have portrayed Democrats as a bunch of boring feminists who want to control young men while conservatives just want to have fun. For me, it was easy to accept this narrative as everyone in my friend group had the same view. I came to support Trump because in my mind even if he had an erratic personality, he would still be good for the economy. At that age, I was 13 back then. So, therefore I didn’t question these narratives much—-I just wanted to fit in and felt like I was part of a movement that was bound to take over the White House, two legislative chambers of the House and the Senate. I wanted to be in the winning team. I remember feeling that I finally had the same beliefs as my friends. It wasn’t just about the ideas. It was about belonging in a community. At that age, a desire to fit in especially for a kid who has autism and ADHD was important. To me politics was important. Sometimes I questioned hyperbolic conspiracy theories coming from the “thought-leaders” of MAGA. However, I still kept calling myself conservatives as fitting in was more important than policy differences at that time.

I want to make this clear. I did not leave MAGA because I think that being an anti MAGA activist will make me more popular in school. In fact, it won’t. However, as I saw the pitfalls of MAGA and realized that I was wrong, I felt my story was important. I felt it was important enough for me to start a blog to reach out to Republicans and convince them that MAGA won’t bring small government.

3. The MAGA Mindset: What I Believed

As I became a teenager, I started the value of the promise of individualism and personal responsibility. I was drawn to the teachings of Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand, thinking that MAGA, Trump and the Republican Party embody them. Boy, I was wrong. I thought that if Trump was elected, he could drain the “swamp”. I thought that he could reduce prices. I thought he could “fix” the economy. Back then, I will admit, I had a very kindergarten understanding of economics. I still am not some expert on economics but I understand now that Presidents can’t set gas prices. Asides from economics, I have always advocated for a foreign policy that is isolationist. Today, I renounce that foreign policy in favor of a policy that seeks to hold states accountable for human rights violations. I once thought that Trump, through his strongman attitude would be able to end the war in Ukraine, despite his erratic personality. However, after the GOP rout in the midterms, I began to ask myself why Trump and the Republican Party is hated by millions of Americans. That was the turning point for me. I started to look beyond slogans and really examined what I believed——and why.

4. Cracks in the Foundation—Questioning the movement

I was still a committed MAGA supporter in 8th grade—basically the Republican poster child at my school. I volunteered on JD Vance’s digital team and made TikToks bashing “woke” Democrats. Looking back now, I feel embarrassed about how fully I sold my soul to the movement.

But cracks began to form when I started questioning Republican orthodoxy on social issues like gay marriage. If Republicans truly wanted smaller government and a society based on individual liberty and personal responsibility, why were they pushing private sports leagues to exclude transgender athletes or dictating healthcare choices to women and transgender people?

As a choir member with many LGBTQ friends, I was a supporter of gay rights and even tried to bring LGBTQ people into the Republican Party. I was misled by what I now call the “MAGA left”—liberals who supported Republicans mainly because they hated Democrats and claimed Trump made the party inclusive. Boy, were they wrong, or maybe they were pushing their own agenda.

Despite these doubts, I remained loyal to Trump and the GOP. I joined Turning Point USA, though I never had time to start a chapter, and even launched a MAGA podcast called The Unafraid Conservative—something I’m now quite embarrassed about. By this point, I was pushing back against some MAGA ideas within the party and even wanted Ron DeSantis to be the GOP nominee, but that didn’t last long. Still, I stayed loyal to MAGA.

5. Facing intolerance: My experience as an LGBTQ Ally

As I became an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ Rights, I faced flak from both sides of the political aisle. I was naive or misguided while those on the right thought that I was trying to appease liberals. In my freshman year, I was bullied. I was called “zesty” and other nicknames designed to mock me and guys like me who just think everyone should be respected.

The bullying escalated to a disturbing level—one student not only harassed me but also physically humiliated me and made deeply inappropriate threats. Even though this came from another high schooler, I recognized the toxic influence behind it: the “manosphere” and far-right online spaces that glorify hate and dehumanization.

This experience made me hate the far-right as much as I hated the far-left. When I talk about the far-left, I am not talking about the progressive flank of the Democratic Party, I am talking about the extreme communists on college campus. Still at that time, my main focus was to oust the Left from power. I tried my best to stay naive and to ignore what had happened. I never thought defecting to the other side. I was too invested in my identity as a conservative even as I begin to ponder whether I am truly a Republican or a “conservative” in the Trump era.

6. The Authoritarian turn: What MAGA Became

I started to realize that MAGA or at least at that time that sections of MAGA became authoritarian. I was distressed when Trump said he wanted to terminate the constitution. Although, before he started his second term, I thought that him being a dictator was over-blown. I just thought that he was a narcissist seeking attention, not threatening democracy.

But as his presidency continued, I started to pay closer attention to his actions and the direction of the movement. I saw growing attacks on the judiciary and threats against political opponents. There were alarming discussions about eliminating habeas corpus for undocumented immigrants, making it harder for them to challenge deportations in court. Stories circulated about people being deported without due process—sometimes even U.S. citizens or legal residents, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador simply because of his tattoos, despite being a U.S. citizen.

Others, like Mahmoud Khalil and Rumezya Ozturk, were reportedly deported for leading protests against U.S. aid to Israel. There were even reports of a ten-year-old child with brain cancer being deported. Each story made me more uneasy, as I realized these actions were not just targeting “the other side,” but could hurt anyone—including people like me.

Despite all this, I still tried to hold onto my faith in Trump, convincing myself that he wouldn’t do anything truly drastic that would harm his own supporters. But the evidence was piling up, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the authoritarian direction the movement was taking.

7. Economic disillusionment: The Tariff Trap

I have always believed in free-market economics. I thought that economies thrive when governments deregulate markets and let competition flourish. Trump, the GOP, and the MAGA movement often pay lip service to free-market principles, but when it comes to actually upholding them, they fall short.

Tariffs, for example, are the opposite of free-market policy. They’re essentially a tax that American companies and consumers pay—not foreign countries. Tariffs make it more expensive for American companies to manufacture goods, since they’re forced to produce domestically or pay extra for imported materials. This often leads to lower-quality products and higher costs, as companies pass those expenses on to consumers. Prices go up, especially for essential goods.

Some argue that tariffs help America build its own industries in the long run, but they overlook how long and painful that process can be for ordinary people. Trade isn’t the enemy—it’s not a bad thing to import goods or to export American products around the world. Trade deficits aren’t the crisis some make them out to be.

Despite my growing doubts, I tried to keep faith in Trump and MAGA. But as I watched these policies hurt the very people they claimed to help, I realized I just couldn’t take it anymore.

8. Leaving the Party: Why I can’t be a Republican anymore

It eventually became clear to me that the Republican Party has gone too far to be redeemed. I realized that, in its current form, the GOP must be fundamentally reformed—or replaced. The values I hold dear—democracy at home and abroad, checks and balances, and free enterprise—are no longer at the heart of the Republican Party. Instead, it has become the Trump party, with leaders and members doing whatever Trump tells them to do.

Coming to this conclusion wasn’t easy. Leaving behind a political identity I’d held for years meant rethinking friendships, beliefs, and even my sense of belonging. But I couldn’t ignore the reality any longer: the party I once believed in no longer exists.

9. Building Something Better: The Case for a Broad Coalition

That’s why I believe we need unity across all sections of American society. Whether you’re conservative, liberal, or moderate, it’s time to recognize that our current political debate isn’t just about tax policy or the usual partisan issues—it’s about whether we want to preserve our democratic institutions.

Just because I left MAGA doesn’t mean I now blindly support everything the Democratic Party does. I don’t. There are still plenty of policy disagreements to be had, and we can debate those differences in good faith once we’ve defeated the anti-democratic forces at home.

Now is the time to come together, put country over party, and defend the core values that make America worth fighting for: democracy, inclusion, and the rule of law.

10. Conclusion: An Invitation to Join the Movement

I hope you’ll join the pro-democracy movement, no matter who you are. If you’re a Republican who once supported Trump, I encourage you to share your story—your voice matters. Let’s build a movement that defends democracy and puts country above party. I would greatly appreciate hearing your experiences and perspectives as we work together to protect the values that unite us all.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/31/2325342/-From-MAGA-to-Democracy-My-Story-of-Leaving-the-Republican-Party-From-MAGA-to-democracy-defender?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/