How To Respect A Trump Supporter in 2022

Short answer- You can't

John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz

That's the simple difference and people I know who are still voting Republican: I would not be capable of embracing the horrible things they have been able to, and that is now a barrier to us that may be insurmountable.

johnpavlovitz.comWhy I’ve Lost Respect For My Republican Former FriendsI’ve spent much of my life pastoring in predominately white churches in the South. Before that, I was raised in a family with many Conservatives. I’ve always been surrounded by Republican voters, and until very recently I could respect their positions, even when I disagreed with them. Despite our d…

While Erin and I were in Seaside, OR, this past week, we decided to go out to dinner with a friend. As we pulled into a parking spot in front of a Ford F-250 with a Trump 2024 sticker on its tailgate, my first thought was “asshole.” But then, I caught myself, and for a moment, I was about to caution myself not to make assumptions based on one piece of information.

Then I realized that, no, my initial reaction was honest and very likely correct. If you still ardently support Donald Trump after the past seven years- notably the past two- you’re no longer worthy of my respect.

Why? Because you hate a President who’s honest, competent, and fair while supporting one who’s hateful, incompetent, dishonest, and almost certainly a criminal.

That’s why. And from where I sit, that’s more than enough.

John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz

This is our moment to spend our fragile and fleeting sliver of space and time here, and for the sake of our predecessors in humanity and for our descendants who will be here after we're gone—we can't blow it. #BlueWave

johnpavlovitz.comHere’s Why You Can’t Lose HopeEvery day in my travels around this country (both in person or online) people ask one question: “How do you stay hopeful right now; how do you keep going when there is so much to grieve over, so much cruelty in front of you, when there is such daily violence to contend with?” I often… Continue Readi…

Despite everything that’s come to light about Donald Trump, if you’ve chosen to support him STILL, that tells me you support any criminality as long as your guy has an “R” behind his name. That’s not American or ANY democracy. That’s autocracy and kleptocracy, and you love Trump because he hates the same people you do- anyone who’s not White, Conservative, Christian, and heterosexual.

Donald Trump permits you to be your worst self, and you’re grateful to him for that. You may claim he was making America great again, but how? How was he doing that when every move he made was for his self-aggrandizement? How was gutting the State Department intended to make America great again? How was turning the CDC and FDA into political machines designed to make America great again? Did he even care about the thousands upon thousands who died from COVID-19? Did he consider what he might do to help save lives?

Or was it all about doing whatever was necessary to ensure his re-election?

I used to think that Trump supporters were unaware of what their guy had been doing. Perhaps they simply hadn’t been paying attention and were under his spell.

They know their party tried to violently overthrow the Government and overturn an election, and is still actively perpetuating the big lie.

They know they are willfully prolonging the pandemic by shunning safeguards and opposing vaccines and peddling disinformation.

They know they’re gerrymandering and suppressing votes and installing corrupt electors because they can’t win elections any other way.

They know their party is fully infected with Proud Boy, KKK white supremacist domestic terrorism.

They know it is filled with unqualified, unstable sociopaths like Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Madison Cawthorn, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

They know Donald Trump is a lying, vile, incompetent, traitorous monster who hasn’t had a noble instinct in his lifetime.

They know that their party is on balance, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-LGBT, anti-Semitic, and anti-women.

They’re not oblivious of what Trump and the GOP are doing. They’re aware of it, and they’re HAPPY about it. These are the things they’ve wanted to see happening for quite some time, and now they’re positively giddy about it.

So the reason their trucks are carrying Trump bumper stickers and their homes are flying Trump flags is because they’re PROUD of what he’s doing. And they want to see more of it.

They’re cult members and feel no shame about making their membership known. On the contrary, they’re proud of who and what they’ve become and believe they’re America’s “chosen ones.”

Why? Because Donald Trump told them so.

They are “winning,” in whatever way they define that, and so the intoxicating ends justifies the sickening, violent, shameful means. They no longer have a need to weigh the morality of the people they are in bed with, no longer worry about abiding the teachings of Jesus, no longer have to do the uncomfortable work of examining their own hearts….

Over the past five years, they have seen the absolutely unfathomable criminality of Donald Trump and the Republicans—and despite knowing the depths of their misdeeds and the human collateral damage and the economic toll and the national disfigurement—they will vote Republican again without a moment’s deliberation. I can’t get over that.

“Winning” is, for them, not just everything. It’s the only thing, and the low, underhanded, dishonest, and/or mean-spirited ends justify the means. “Winning” means coming out on top, no matter who may be hurt or crushed along the way. The only interests that matter are those of the White Conservative Christian heterosexual majority.

They justify their attitude by saying those of us on the other side of the ideological divide would be doing the same thing if Trump was a Democrat. Still, while I can only speak for myself, I’m pretty confident their argument is bullshit.

Democrats believe there’s room for all of us and that America doesn’t “belong” to any one demographic. Nor is it a Christian nation. However, we understand and recognize that America is a melting pot and that in our diversity lies our strength.

Democrats don’t vote for demagogues. Nor do we vote for criminals, populists, and those with no platform save for self-aggrandizement. Instead, we demand to know what our Presidential candidates plan to do for America. Sure, Democratic Presidents may not always be perfect, but how many members of Barack Obama’s administration were indicted during his two terms?

That’s right; ZERO. Donald Trump’s administration was a criminal defense attorney’s wet dream.

The Trump Administration was rife with corruption and full of moral midgets who failed to understand the concept of “public service.” From Day One, corruption reigned, and America is poorer for it.

I long ago gave up arguing with Trump supporters. It’s a no-win proposition. I’d have better luck pounding my forehead into a cinderblock wall.

I don’t treat Trump supporters as “less than,” and I’ve promised to respect their humanity. That said, I can’t respect those willing to overlook criminality and thoroughly objectionable inhumanity. So I’ll continue to question their intelligence, humanity, and decency- because there’s no other choice for me.

If you don’t want to be assumed to be an asshole, you shouldn’t be obviously and publicly supporting an asshole.