I have had these frustrating conversations with people who truly believe in Trump/MAGA garbage. Enraging & heartbreaking.

But to your other point, about the ones who were just Republicans who’d been screwed by NAFTA and were really tired of being looked down on for being forgotten, which many struggling Americans feel they are, I do believe some can/have been reached as horrors have unfolded. So, kudos to you for attempting to re-engage on a crap day.

I must say, the complete lack of interest in your well-being at the opening of the conversation is telling: my Trumpiest relationships involve people who have only ever contacted me when they had a use for my skills or needed to borrow something, looking back, but sort of interpreted my owning the item as “frivolous spending” that saved them a dime (whilst they judged me), or my availability as “having nothing better to do” rather than making an effort on their behalf.

In their mind, they’ve always been the alpha (no matter how much success I’ve had), and the dynamic in their head is their superiority, meaning, any wins I’ve had, have been UNFAIR/UNMERITED and less meaningful than their accomplishments.

Based upon this belief of their inherent superiority, they’re never going to denounce white supremacy. That’s what it’s based on. People like THEM should be winning it all, hands down, no contest. If that’s not happening, in their mind, someone’s clearly fixing the score.