Less than a year into President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, a number of his former supporters say they have reached breaking point.
After nearly a decade of backing his political rise, some now report that Trump’s recent behavior and decisions have pushed them away for good.
Former voters shared their experiences in online forums and community discussions. BP Daily analyzed one such Reddit forum to investigate the top reasons why voters have turned on Trump.
Highlights
- Former Trump supporters cite secrecy around Epstein files as a key reason for losing trust in Trump’s character and leadership.
- Many ex-supporters criticize Trump’s support for Israel and Ukraine, seeing it as contradictory to his 'America First' promise.
- Trump’s bombing of Iran and mixed foreign policy decisions disappointed voters who expected stronger America-first actions.
- The $4.5 trillion 'Big Beautiful Bill' raised deficit concerns, further alienating supporters who expected fiscal responsibility.
Secrecy around the Epstein files
Many feel Trump is being secretive about the Epstein files. Image credits: Allison Robbert/Getty Images
For many, Trump’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender accused of trafficking minors, was a critical red line.
Trump had known Epstein socially for years, with some people even describing them as close friends. In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy.”
Jack O’Donnell, who served as president of a casino Epstein and Trump frequented from 1987 to 1991, told CNN, “In my mind, Epstein was his best friend.”
Trump and Epstein pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in 1997. Image credits: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
While the two had an alleged falling out before Epstein’s convictions, the Trump administration’s secrecy around releasing files related to the financier has made many supporters suspicious of Trump.
“The way trump has been getting defensive whenever the epstein list Is mentioned it tells me he's hiding something in regards to the epstein list, and I can't support someone who is associated with that type of activity,” a previous supporter wrote on Reddit.
“He's either in them [the Epstein files], or covering for the Elites and/or Israel and their connection to him,” said another user, referring to a popular theory that Epstein was connected to Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.
Israel has denied the claims.
Trump’s Response to Israel’s War on Gaza
For many Americans, Trump brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas while Americans were suffering under the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history left a sour taste.
Trump and Netanyahu on October 13 in Jerusalem after the U.S. brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Image credits: Evelyn Hockstein/Getty Images
One user complained that they are fed up with Trump because he “continues to fund Israel and Ukraine in their wars," describing it as "hardly America First." Another called Trump “[Israeli President Benjamin] Netanyahu’s wh**e.”
An X user shared similar sentiments, saying their support for Trump reduced when he backed Israel, “and the AI video of ‘Trump Gaza.’”
“It was him and his followers justifying a horrific genocide (they'll never call it that, they'll call it a war) that pushed me over the edge. As a Jew, if you're looking at what's happening to innocent civilians in Palestine and have no empathy, you're inhuman and disgusting,” the user wrote.
Trump Not Welcome demonstration in London. Image credits: Mark Kerrison/Getty Images
The Washington Post leaked a prospectus in September, where the U.S. planned to develop the “Gaza Riviera” as a string of high-tech megacities.
Foreign policy contradicts ‘America First’ promises
One of Trump’s campaign promises was to put “America First.” The policies emphasize taking foreign policy and domestic policy decisions that serve the interests of Americans.
However, many Trump voters feel that his decisions in 2025 were not putting Americans first.
Others pointed to Trump’s bombing of Iran. U.S. forces launched coordinated strikes in June against three key nuclear sites in Iran — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
"I didn't vote for Trump in 16 or 20, but I did in 2024. I regret voting for him for a collection of reasons," one person said. One of the reasons was that Trump "painted himself as an anti-war president, but bombed Iran."
Top U.S. officials later acknowledged they cannot confirm the whereabouts of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium, the target of the bombing.
Trump’s personality and character flaws
Many former supporters reflected on Trump’s personality and character.
One user said they “thought he [Trump] was different to the others. Down to earth and listening to what the people of America wanted. But boy was I wrong about the narcissistic racist pedo cheeseball.”
Ex-supporters are dismayed by Trump's traits. Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Another said that Trump “embodies so many traits that disgust me. But I thought that maybe this country needed someone to run for President who wasn't a politician. Oh well.. It looked good on paper.”
$4.5 trillion tax and spending bill
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act approved in July is a $4.5 trillion package of tax and federal spending cuts, with funding boosts for the Pentagon and border security.
The bill is highly controversial as it will cause the deficit to rise sharply, adding an estimated $3.3 trillion to the deficit through 2034. Analysts also said the tax cuts would benefit the wealthy, while the spending cuts would hurt the most vulnerable.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson celebrates after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Image credits: Alex Wong/Getty Images
“Trump once called it ‘unpatriotic’ to have such a large national debt. Yet he just pushed a budget bill through that will add $3.2 trillion annually to our already $37 trillion debt,” a user said on Reddit.
Another said, “the big beautiful bill was annoying because the military doesn't need more money, in fact it probably needs to get DOGE'd like the rest of the government.”