A self-identified supporter of President Donald Trump is asking for advice online after losing long-standing friendships because of their political views, and netizens are not having it.
In the post, which has spread widely on social media, the voter wrote that friends of more than 20 years recently cut off contact after learning about their support for Trump.
Highlights
- A Trump supporter lost friendships of over 20 years after openly backing the president, sparking mixed reactions online.
- The supporter sought advice, feeling confused and hurt over friends cutting ties due to political disagreements.
- Reddit users expressed no sympathy, citing Trump's policies as reasons for social rejection and blocked contacts.
The writer said they do not see themselves as deeply political and do not spend much time debating issues. However, they are asking for advice on dealing with friends who have cut them off.
A Trump supporter asked for advice online, and netizens had no empathy
Image credits (not the actual person in the story): Peter Zay/Getty Images
“I'm feeling lost and confused,” they wrote on a Facebook group, “What’s Happening In Schaumburg, IL [Illinois].” The post was then shared and discussed on the Reddit forum LeopardsAteMyFace.
“Has anyone here ever lost close friends—friends of 20+ years—because of how you voted? In my case, it was because I voted for Trump. To be fair, I did celebrate his victory and made some posts, but I wasn't deeply invested in politics,” they said.
The person continued, “I had a couple of reasons for voting the way I did, but I'm not someone who lives and breathes political debates. My friends, however, never let it go. They kept bringing it up, criticizing me, and refusing to move past it.”
Image credits: LeopardsAteMyFace/Reddit
“I kept trying to say, ‘Can't we just respect each other's differences? As long as we treat each other with respect, who cares who we voted for?’ But it didn't help. Eventually, they blocked me on social media, and now I've lost two people I considered very close friends,” the writer said.
“It's making me feel sick to my stomach. I keep wondering: Am I the weird one here? Am I being unrealistic or lacking empathy? Is it really so wrong to believe that people can disagree politically and still be good, honest, hardworking individuals who treat others with respect?” the person wrote, before adding that they are “really sad and confused” and would appreciate any advice.
Image credits: Jacek Boczarski/Getty Images
Illinois has been one of the states most targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In September, ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz in the state, aimed at arresting undocumented “criminals.”
The Trump administration claims the operation has led to more than 3,000 arrests. It has also sparked clashes with residents and garnered criticism from local officials.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker strongly opposed these federal operations, comparing the raids to authoritarian crackdowns.
The Trump supporter’s message drew thousands of responses, many of which strongly disagreed with their perspective.
Illinois, where the author of the post lives, has been one of the most targeted states by ICE
Image credits: LeopardsAteMyFace/Reddit
“I celebrated when I helped an arsonist burn down my neighbour’s house but I’ve never been that into fire so I don’t get why they’re still mad,” one user said on Reddit.
“‘Can we respect each others differences’ doesn’t include voting for people actively campaigning against people who are different,” said another.
Many people gave examples of what they thought was valid to disagree on. One person said, “Agree to disagree is for whether pineapple goes on pizza, not whether or not to strip people of their rights as human beings.”
Image credits: LeopardsAteMyFace/Reddit
Another said, “We could respect differences when these people were voting between a park and a parking lot. Deporting people isn’t ignorance that can be looked past. Tariffs isn’t stupidity that can be looked passed cause these things affect us all.”
One user on Reddit spoke of tolerance. “Tolerance is not a right, it's a social contract. It says, ‘don't be a d**k to me and I won't be a d**k to you.’ But they want to be d***s to people without consequences, and that voids the social contract. So, nobody needs to tolerate fascist, nazi-type s**t,” the person wrote.
While Reddit users collectively seemed to agree on the fact that the Trump voter did not deserve any empathy, responses on the original Facebook post, which BP Daily was unable to view, were apparently mixed.
Image credits: LeopardsAteMyFace/Reddit
Describing the Facebook responses, one user on Reddit wrote, “You can go onto Facebook and see the comments by looking up the group. It's crazy. A lot of people saying if you dislike Trump you have a mental disorder. As well as a lot of cope, saying Trump is doing great things but won't name anything specific,” the Reddit user wrote.
“What I find interesting is how they seem to revel in some sort of moral high ground by not cutting people for politics, bash liberals, but then get mad when liberals don't want to be their friend,” they continued.