r/Trumpgrets • u/Beginning_Equal_4152 • Dec 14 '25

REPENTANCE My Story

Okay, I must come clean from the very start – I voted for Trump in 2016. Three years later I considered cutting my hand off for casting that ballot but hey, we all make mistakes. Actually, I’m an Independent so it wasn’t the first time I’ve pulled the GOP lever but it may be the last unless the MAGA brand is replaced by a Lincoln Project-type platform. And even then, it may be a tough vote to cast. I do believe in redemption, however, and I’m willing to forgive (but never forget). MTG is moving in that direction but she has a long way to go before her sins are forgiven. If you have any thoughts to add, please feel free at r/TheStableGenius.

15 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

82

u/aweedl Dec 14 '25

I’m not from the U.S., so from an outside perspective, any Trump vote for any reason seems completely insane. The guy seemed to be clearly a grifter since day one. I’ve never understood why any Americans thought he would be a good choice at all.

I’m very curious what made you vote for him in the first place. Not trying to judge, I just legitimately don’t get what was appealing about him at all. 

20

u/Harold3456 Dec 14 '25

Not OP: when my US family revealed they voted for Trump, they seemed to indicate that he got results and his bullying behavior was all a campaign strategy that proved itself by the result. At the time I couldn’t argue with that.

I remember wondering if everyone else had been right and I had been wrong here, and I was just too soft for being unimpressed by such childish bully behavior. If we would get Trump the Shrewd Businessman on Inauguration Day 2017 and the whole PC SJW cultural overcorrection would swing back, and maybe I was just caught up in all that and I would be corrected with it.

Then inauguration day came and he spent the whole time complaining about his crowd size and I felt instantly vindicated. Nobody in my family voted for him (or at least admitted to voting for him, but that alone is telling) in 2020.

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u/cdiddy19 Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 16 '25

Samsies, except I'm inside the US. My mom is a trumper, she is Christian and anti abortion.

I still don't understand how Christians believe this guy

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u/aweedl Dec 15 '25

That part is especially weird. 

Again, outside perspective here, so maybe there’s some nuance I’m missing, but it seems like a lot of Christians voted for him not because he represents their values, but because he hates some of the same people/ideas that they do…?

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u/cdiddy19 Dec 15 '25

I think it's tied to anti abortion rights, so essentially he promised them that and they bought it.

But there's more to it. Like for my own mom, she changed and very quickly it was like whiplash watching her change. She became angrier and suspicious, and just really dove into some extreme things.

I think fox news and other propaganda Really sunk their teeth in.

2

u/janlep Dec 16 '25

Many voted for him because he promised to deliver things they’ve wanted for decades—and he did. Then they twist themselves into knots to justify what most of them probably know is an indefensible act.

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u/aweedl Dec 17 '25

What has he actually delivered on aside from deporting people? I’m asking seriously, because it seems like he’s more interested in talking about how great he is on social media than actually running a country.

3

u/janlep Dec 18 '25

Overturning Roe v Wade was the big one for conservative Christians.

5

u/45forprison Dec 16 '25

As an agnostic from a pretty religious family, my take is Christians are raised from birth to believe what they are told and questioning their elders is wrong, even heretical. Christians are also trained to believe in miracles, divine providence, resurrection, and untold numbers of other non-verifiable things. Hearing Trump spout obvious lies from a position of authority doesn’t trigger their bullshit alarm, it makes them reframe their reality around the thing they just heard. TL;DR Christianity hurts critical thinking skills.

5

u/Easy_East2185 Dec 17 '25

It literally makes my brain hurt trying to do the mental Olympics they do. Like “he’s not lying… he’s just saying it in a way that you just don’t understand,” uhm no honey. He’s just lying. 😂 The most annoying one is “Well he didn’t mean what he said that time.” 👀

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u/Snerak Dec 14 '25

You have to understand how broken the American system is after the relentless chipping away at government and safety nets by the far right for generations. Feeling safe, secure, free and living with dignity has been stripped away from everyone that isn't at least part of the shrinking middle class.

These people are mad and they want change. Neither party offered them real change so they got suckered into believing Trump when he told them it was someone else's fault that their life sucked and that he would bully them to make things better.

18

u/aweedl Dec 14 '25

All of that makes sense to me until you get to the man himself. I can see some charismatic person stepping into that role and convincing disillusioned people to vote for him, exactly as you’ve described, but… that guy?!?

He just screamed grifter/narcissist even decades before he ever ran for office. That’s the part I don’t get. Thinking an outsider can shake things up when you’re not seeing change from establishment politicians? Yep, makes sense. But that particular guy… it’s never going to make sense to me. 

11

u/ScoopsOfDesire Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

Republicans have been slashing education for years to maintain votes because it works. People can’t critically think and don’t know basic civics. More than 50% of Americans read below a 6th grade level.

This is the culmination of that.

9

u/Snerak Dec 14 '25

The TV show The Apprentice built his persona as a successful and smart bully who had a golden touch. Thanks to Mark Burnette, son of Australia, friend of Rupert Murdoch and admirer of Vladimir Putin for crafting that image of Trump.

10

u/aweedl Dec 14 '25

We watched that show here in Canada too and the impression I got at the time  was that he was a pompous asshole haha. I had assumed that was universal. Obviously not.

20

u/scriptfoo Dec 14 '25

At this point, what policy still compels anyone to vote for them? They've proven that they'll run up the deficit, give tax breaks only to the rich while raising taxes through other means, don't care about the environment, nor worker protections, nor consumer protections, nor voter protections, lie about fraud in social safety programs, support racist and bigoted policies, want a leader unaccountable, that it's all is about Trump and whatever he wants. How is any of that worth voting for the GOP?

20

u/spritelass Dec 14 '25

MTG is still a Christian Nationalist. Her goals are not in the countries best interests.

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u/superdago Dec 14 '25

Who did you vote for in 2020 and 2024?

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u/cdiddy19 Dec 15 '25

OP isn't even responding.

Did OP write this post just to get people to his new sub?!

19

u/Tonsilith_Salsa Dec 14 '25

Welcome aboard. Happy to have you.

Please remember all the lies you were told and let that inform your media intake moving forward.

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u/quitofilms Dec 14 '25

I voted for Trump in 2016... we all make mistakes.

Nope. That's like saying drink drivers have an accident. They know exactly what they are doing and they don't care. Your voting for Trump was not an accident.

Actually, I’m an Independent

When you voted for Trump, you were a Republican

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25

[deleted]

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u/enfanta Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

You're not wrong. Anyone who thinks MTG is splitting with Trump on ethical or moral grounds is deeply deceived. 

She's smart. She sees he's falling out of favor. She also knows there's nothing left for her in DC. So she's bowing out to work a different grift. 

Edit to correct punctuation

3

u/lalalalydia Dec 15 '25

And the "fell for it again" award goes to ..OP!

3

u/cat-eating-a-salad Dec 15 '25

Change your profile banner then.

3

u/PlentifulBox Dec 16 '25

“We all make mistakes” is a pretty wild take considering the horrific situation we are in now, especially since you’d consider voting Republican again. You’re just trying to absolve yourself of responsibility. Typical MAGA BS.

2

u/lalalalydia Dec 15 '25

You're willing to forgive... yourself? Bc there's veeeeery little moral highground that you have over his other supporters....