U.S. President Donald Trump started his presidency a little over a year ago, and the political landscape in the U.S. has been chaotic, at best.
Protests in the U.S. have jumped more than 100% since Trump’s first term, with more than 10,700 protests in the last year, especially over the operations of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Highlights
- U.S. protests surged over 100% to 10,700 protests in a year, fueled by ICE controversies and administration policies under Trump’s second term.
- 42% of states that voted for Trump saw protests since January 2025, reflecting widespread unrest including in traditionally supportive areas.
- Former Trump supporters cite personal impact from tariffs, layoffs, and ICE actions as key reasons for withdrawing their support.
- Users revealed leaving Trump after breaking out of conservative media bubbles and realizing MAGA doesn’t reflect traditional conservatism.
According to data by the Crowd Counting Consortium, a huge majority of U.S. states, including 42% that voted for Trump, have had at least one protest since the start of his second term.
42% of states that voted for Trump have seen at least one protest since January 2025
Image credits: Richard Baker/Getty Images
The protests have only intensified with the recent ICE killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, the detainment of a five-year-old boy, and a general increase in ICE-related unrest in American cities.
In a recent Reddit post, many ex-Trump supporters spoke up about why they changed their minds about the president.
Reddit user u/canigetameowbish asked, “Anyone who used to support Trump and has changed their mind over the last few weeks? What made you change?”
The thread with more than 7,000 comments revealed several patterns and reasons why people changed their minds about Trump.
BP Daily highlights five key themes surrounding the pullback.
Image credits: The Guardian, data from Crowd Counting Consortium
‘It finally affected me’
This was likely the biggest factor behind people changing their minds. Many described personal experiences: federal workers who faced layoffs during the longest government shutdown, families hurt by Trump’s tariffs, and communities disrupted by ICE actions, including immigrant relatives or neighbors suddenly being targeted.
Previously, many Trump supporters who lost their confidence in him were criticized for accepting cruelty or instability until it landed in their own lap.
Image credits: Kyle Mazza/Getty Images
“My wife and her mom voted for Trump just because they thought he would lower their taxes. She’s a federal worker and works [sic] in grants management so her opinion changed pretty quickly,” said one user on Reddit.
“ICE was the final straw for my mom,” noted another.
A third said, “My mom (closet Trump voters) are mad she can't make national parks reservations.”
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
“Wait… this guy is embarrassing, or potentially dangerous”
Another recurring theme was exhaustion with constant instability. Many former supporters said they underestimated how much Trump’s governing style would affect their daily lives.
“My parents voted for him in all three elections,” recounted one user. “They no longer support him or watch Fox News… They still consider themselves conservatives, but are now embarrassed by his behavior.”
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
Another said, “I was never sold on Trump, but didn’t feel he was this dangerous until this second term. Now I feel like an idiot because everything the left predicted has come true.”
A third called Trump, “A con man. He is pathologically deceptive and harmful to all people, especially women and children.”
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
One user spoke about ICE and the recent killings in Minnesota. “I initially supported ICE until I saw what was happening in Minnesota. When Renee Good was murdered, a switch completely flipped in me, and now I can see what is really happening.
“I am pissed off with the blatant lies, lack of compassion, and the all-out bullying (not to mention murdering) that is happening to American citizens. This administration must be stopped,” they said.
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
For another commenter, it was Trump’s recent obsession with Greenland. One user, sharing their friend’s story, said, “Recently, he's [the friend] changed his mind on Trump over Greenland. I'm like....Wow, that's what got you to change your mind....Unreal.”
The moral hypocrisy finally became undeniable
One netizen said they lost their support for Trump when he and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
“The guy is in an impossible situation and probably speaking his fourth language. Totally non-presidential and bullying from both of them,” the user recounted.
In February last year, Vance had accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful toward the U.S. and to Trump.
Image credits: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Another user recalled having to show their daughter the video of Trump commenting, “Grab ‘em by the p***y,” to get her to stop supporting Trump.
“My daughter … is exposed to Fox News and Trump bulls**t at her dad. I had her watch the clip and discuss with me how it made her feel as a young woman. She has not been so pro-Trump since,” they said.
The media bubble started cracking
On the note of watching Fox News, many users said they understood the reality of the situation when they began seeing past the conservative news media bubble.
“I allowed myself to be brainwashed,” one user began telling their story.
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
“I refused to watch the J6 footage, believing that it was a hoax, like I was told by all the conservative ‘news’ media. My eyes were opened, but slowly. I regret to say I was duped.”
They continued, “I wish I hadn’t swallowed all the “fake news CNN” sh*te. I really wish I hadn’t voted for him just because he wasn’t Hillary.”
MAGA ≠ conservatism
Another thing people discussed was realizing that Trump does not espouse traditional conservative values. One user clarified that while Trump has lost their support, they were still conservative.
Image credits: AskReddit/Reddit
“What many don’t realize is that MAGA is not Conservative. It’s Trump. He’s used conservative space for political expediency, but he has very little ideologically in common with what has traditionally been the conservative movement in the United States,” a Reddit user said.
“Something happened last election that restored a tiny shred of my faith in humanity. My very conservative parents, who voted for T the first time, told me they voted H because they thought T went too far. My dad, a retired police officer, now sees T as a danger to the constitution and our democracy. To my astonishment, because my folks are pro life, pro gun, devoutly religious, they attended a protest in their area recently. I could not have been more surprised,” another user shared.