💔 Exhausted after 10 years of MAGA politics? You’re not alone. From family conflicts to social media battles, this decade has left many, including me, drained.
💡 Let’s share how we’ve coped, grown, and found hope. Drop your story below ⬇️ or tag someone who needs to hear this! 🧡
Article Summary
The 2024 election underscored the depth of America’s division, leaving millions like the author drained after years of MAGA politics. From family conflicts fueled by misinformation and hostility to social media aggression and societal disconnection, this essay reflects on the emotional toll of navigating a decade of political polarization. The narrative concludes with a journey toward empowerment, education, and a fresh start in France.
About Leslie Juvin-Acker, J.D.
Leslie Juvin-Acker, J.D., an experienced life coach and former celebrity advisor, offers unique insights into managing relationships in polarized political climates. With her expertise in emotional intelligence, legal education, and navigating systemic challenges, Leslie helps others find resilience and healing in the face of divisive rhetoric and strained relationships.
The 2024 Election: Driving A Wider Wedge in An Already Divided America
The 2024 election was close. Very close. In fact, only a few more million people voted for Trump than Harris. 73,622,657 (Harris) to 76,325,065 (Trump) (31% of the voting population and 22% of adults over 18). Results show that the country is divided into two politcal factions: those who find it acceptable to elect a felon and rapist to the highest office in America and those who do not.
Since 2016, MAGA supporters, through their behavior, rhetoric, and agenda, reveal their essential character to be a party of identity politics: violence against gays and transgender individuals, suppression of women’s bodily autonomy, fear and hatred of poor immigrants and refugees, and the erosion of the due process of law through openly threatening to punish political opponents via political witch trials and use of weaponized force. What started as an endless diatribe of nonsensical tweets became a violent attempted overthrow of a free election and transfer of power and now a country divided on moral grounds.
You know things are bad when even Mitch McConnel says the ‘MAGA movement is completely wrong’ and Reagan ‘wouldn’t recognize’ Trump’s GOP.
MAGA Politics and Family Conflicts
Dealing with MAGA voters has been a lesson in patience. My brothers went to the Capitol to protest the election of Biden, minds full of Q-Anon conspiracy theories. Terrified that they'd get swept up in armed conflict, I remember calling my mom and begging her to tell them to leave because I knew they’d be on a federal watch list for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, they left right before the storming of the Capitol.
My brother said to me, “I denounce transgenders,” right before he insulted my character on social media. My mom (a Filipina immigrant) said, during an exchange about immigration policy, that I would become “a crooked lawyer like all lawyers.” I’ve had to balance this attack on my character with comments such as, “I can’t wait to tell my sisters that my daughter is a lawyer.” I've taken all of this in stride, but I can't forget these abusive exchanges. It just makes me feel that the expression is true: everybody hates a lawyer until they need one.
The more I tried to educate and inform my family about legal history, politics, and simply the facts, the more I realized that there was no debate and no education — I was to shut up or endure insults and verbal violence. Just like Trump and Vance - they don't want to be fact checked. Challenging their MAGA shaped worldview was seen as my personality flaw.
Friends Facing Verbal Abuse from MAGA Supporters
I’m not the only person who has had to deal with verbally abusive MAGA supporters. My girlfriends shared similar stories. When they tried to share facts with their families, their families would scream, “Fake news!” This hysterical denunciation of reality was argued as the “mainstream media’s” propaganda of the liberal agenda. I have spent hours commiserating with friends who have lost their families due to politics.
The hardest thing is, like myself, these individuals’ family members are immigrants, minorities, and beneficiaries of civil rights protections. Civil rights protections have enhanced our lives in every way, protecting us from discrimination and giving us access to capital, housing, employment, and education like never before. The propaganda war, doubled down by radical religious ideologies, has consumed our family members. It has eroded our ability to have a conversation where critical thinking is not only impossible but not allowed.
Enduring Social Relationships with Trump Supporters Who Stand Firm in MAGA Politics
Since 2016, MAGA politics voters have become more and more vocal about their support of Trump. Revelations of Trump's sexual violence, corruption, ineptitude, political attacks, civil rights violations, and stoking the attack on the Capitol don’t seem to bother them at all. I watched their Instagram posts and stories over the years: conspiracy theories, Fox News propaganda, podcaster stories. And when I challenged them on their sources, asking if they had read primary sources such as legislation, the answer was always no. Their sources were always opinions and hearsay.
The closer the second election came, the more outrageous their social media posting became. The content became more violent and aggressive. More and more conspiracy theories, false information, and rumors from podcasters and YouTubers. The pattern was: consume, repost, repeat. It was so out there that I realized that there is no getting through to them. I realized, during a final conversation with a MAGA voter, that the obsession with conspiracy theories always took over the conversation: we didn’t land on the moon, Diddy and his sex abuser friends are at the center of the Democratic Party, the earth is flat, and all sorts of nonsense. And, wrapped around that, how hard life is: the economy, illegal immigrants taking benefits from tax-paying Americans, and the impossibility of achieving the American Dream.
Social Media: The Dumpsite of Maga Politics
Having a social media account is one half creative marketing and the other half is dealing with unhinged online trolls. Online bullying is now a normal part of life because the President of the United States is an online troll himself. It’s socially acceptable to be a bully. Creating safe communities is difficult on platforms when you have to be open to the public. Instead of salons of intelligent, shared conversation where parties share the same passions, interests, and goals and enjoy spirited debate, we have a public square where mentally unstable people can hide behind private profiles and spew their violent vitriol without consequence.
Social media played a huge role in both elections of Donald Trump. Platforms failed to protect innocent social media content creators from bullies emboldened by Trump and his entourage. They make money off engagement. It’s a dirty, violent space where good people are just trying to connect and make a living.
Feeling Misunderstood and Disconnected from MAGA Supporters
A friend of mine, Eddie Vincent, made a movie called Road To Terzetto. In the movie, one of the characters says to his brother along the lines of, “If he knew you, he would have loved you.” There was something about that line that summed up everything I had come to learn about my birth family and people like them who support Trump and MAGA politics.
Dealing with MAGA voters has been exhausting, but it has led me to one conclusion: they couldn’t love me because they didn’t know me. They couldn't relate to me because they don’t know me. They saw the version of me they benefited from. They saw the version of me they wanted to see. They didn’t see all the reasons why I would never vote for someone like Trump and how voting for the MAGA agenda would go against every single one of my experiences and virtues:
I am a mixed-race Asian-American.
I am a woman.
My dad is a veteran of two branches of the miliary. Veterans are not losers.
My mother was a child sex worker.
I grew up in working poverty.
I received Pell Grants.
I received scholarships from women's organizations.
I was sexually assaulted at work (a huge Republican endorsing company) and the violence was swept under the rug.
I grew up in a Habitat for Humanity house.
I am French.
I grew up in a home with a violent father.
I was verbally abused and neglected.
I am neurodivergent.
My husband is neurodivergent.
I spent significant time serving students with disabilities.
All of these things have made me sympathetic to the suffering of my fellow man and acutely aware of the impact civil rights and working-class rights have had in opening doors for me. I’m not self-made — I’m a product of a democratic society and the beneficiary of progress made by civil rights activists. I can’t tolerate abuse. I can’t tolerate violence. I can’t tolerate verbal abuse. I don’t have the personality that can identify with Trump and his associates. MAGA politics intends to undo everything that has made this country great: gender equity, equal opportunity, social programs, public education, disability protection, family and children protections, food stamps, vaccines, public university education, and so much more. At the end of the day, I am fully aware after ten years of dealing with MAGA voters that a MAGA voter will never take the time to understand me.
Exhaustion, Empowerment, and Moving Forward
I’m tired of having to figure out MAGA voters. I’m tired of the mental gymnastics of dealing with the hypocrisy and audacity of MAGA politics. I’m tired of looking at their posts filled with animosity for immigrants, the homeless, women, gays, and anyone who believes in civil rights and constitutionally protected rights. I’m tired of them sharing misinformation. I’m tired of them blaming immigrants. I’m tired of them abusing me and my friends. I'm tired of being lambasted with their opinions at social gatherings while I'm expected to be quiet to keep the peace. I'm tired of holding in my feelings and insights knowing that they'd be completely disregarded anyway. I'm tired of them telling me what Joe Rogan said this time. I'm tired of them taking advice and instructions from people who couldn't care less about them. I’m just tired of everything and everyone that has to do with MAGA politics.
The timing of moving to France couldn’t have happened at a better time.
My husband, Franck, said, “I just can’t look Trump voters in the eye. Their moral compass is whacked.” He said he can't socially engage with Trump voters anymore. He can no longer normalize the rationale of Trump voters. He s tired of the sane-washing. As a victim of sexual assault himself, voting for a rapist is unforgivable.
Our return to France, originally just a way to give our children a French experience, now feels like an escape.
During Trump’s first term, so many people in my social circle almost died or did die. So much violence against my trans and gay friends happened. As a family, we attended so many protests. We, as a family, experienced so much financial uncertainty because of his economics and government mismanagement.
Getting a law degree and knowing how to navigate the government and our lives has been a great source of empowerment. Thanks to my legal education, I've been able to steer my family into a wonderfully rich future.
I told my daughter, “You have to get a law degree. This election shows that there are criminals in the highest office of this nation who will do what they can to strip you of your rights and exploit you. You have to outsmart them.”
She said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Mommy. I’m already learning.”
I’ve learned a lot in the last eight years. But now, I’m tired. I have a feeling there are 73,622,656 people who feel tired of MAGA politics, too. I'm ready to go where nobody voted for Trump.
How has a decade of MAGA politics impacted you the most?
Strained family relationships
Lost friendships
Experiences or fears of violence and abuse
Mental health struggles
Empowering Matras For Turning Away From MAGA Politics
I am stronger than political division.
I choose peace over conflict.
My resilience grows with every challenge.
I am capable of creating harmony.
I empower myself through understanding.
I Want To Hear From You
How has a decade of MAGA politics affected your relationships, mental health, and daily life? Let me know in the comments.
Life The Good Life with Leslie Juvin-Acker: Embracing Emotional Intelligence, Intuition, and Social Justice for Lasting Fulfillment
Leslie Juvin-Acker, J.D., is a renowned expert in emotional intelligence, celebrated author, and intuitive life and career coach to top executives and celebrities. With a unique foundation in law, sociology, social justice, and a deep connection to spirit and intuition, Leslie brings a holistic perspective to life coaching. Her approach is not only shaped by an understanding of systemic issues and individual empowerment but is also guided by her ability to tap into intuition, providing clients with insights that help them connect more authentically to their own inner wisdom.
Leslie’s books and videos go beyond typical coaching by integrating practical tools for emotional intelligence, intuition, and spiritual awareness, with a strong focus on achieving balance, fulfillment, and resilience. With years of experience helping individuals transform their lives, she guides her clients to recognize and harness their full potential while encouraging a deeper understanding of the social structures that influence their journeys. Whether examining the impacts of corporate governance on individual well-being or advocating for inclusive, accessible education, Leslie’s work illuminates the powerful intersections of personal growth, social justice, and spiritual awareness.
Through her books, videos, and transformative speaking engagements, Leslie inspires audiences to break free from limiting beliefs, overcome social and emotional barriers, and cultivate lives of joy, success, and personal empowerment. Her insights are particularly valuable for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to improve their emotional well-being within a context that honors both the social landscape and their spiritual journey.
Invite Leslie Juvin-Acker to speak at your next event, and discover how her expertise in spirit, intuition, emotional intelligence, law, sociology, and social justice can elevate every aspect of your life, inspiring you to live a more authentic, purposeful, and spiritually attuned “Good Life.”
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