So how did you deal with your family, friends who are Trump supporters or just voted for him, because he was GOP?

[88Comrade2000]

I was born in Bangladesh but came to the U.S. when I was 7-8 months old and I have been a citizen since I was 9, 1977. 

I was raised in Beckley, West Virginia; where my parents still live.  So, I am from Trump Central.

 

At lot of people I grew up with, are diehard Trumpsters.  I'd say a good portion of my dad's patients are Trump supporters.  I have some former co-workers from my days in Columbus, OH who are diehard GOPers and they also voted for Trump.   Fortunately, I don't have any family members, that I know of that voted for Trump.

 

So how did you deal with your family or friends who are Trump supporters or just voted for him, because he was GOP?

 

[Jumbo]

I share some of my preferred cognitive adjustment techniques with them. 

 

 

 

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Pray for them.   I have a lot of GOP friends who voted for him because they actually saw him as a lesser evil than Hillary.  (Who was going to take away their guns, provide mandatory free abortions for everybody, raise taxes on everybody, open the borders to everybody, and stop fighting ISIS. And the damn emails. Those damn emails.)

 

Most of them have come around to the opinion that maybe Trump wasn't the lesser of 2 evils.  But they still hate Hillary with every fiber of their being.  

 

The Hate Hillary thing was a GOP effort starting in about 1992, so it's been alive for 25 years.  Tough to overcome that.

 

I tend to just not talk politics with people who are not able to have a conversation.  I'm happy to talk politics with anybody, whatever their view, as long as there's content.  

 

For example, I can't talk about gun control with somebody who's basic argument is, "they can have it when they pry it from my cold dead hand."  That discussion goes nowhere.  However, if they are willing to debate on merit, the discussions can be a lot of fun, as long as nobody gets their feelings hurt.

 

No opinion is right, and none is wrong.  Unless Nazi.  That's wrong.  

[twa]

2 minutes ago, Jumbo said:

I share some of my preferred cognitive adjustment techniques with them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought that was just a hobby?

[LadySkinsFan]

My friends and Democrats so aren't Trump voters/supporters. 

 

I have an aunt and uncle who are in their 80s, and I don't talk politics with them. My uncle is a Limbaugh fan, even traveled to NY when he had his TV show. 

 

My nephew is a Trump supporter and most likely voter. I don't talk politics with him either. My daughter is FB friends with him and she says there's all kind of racist stuff on his page. Sad.

[dchogs]

i grew up in a conservative/GOP household.  After my wife and I voted in October, we did a quick head count of who our family members would vote for... out of 20 some people-- all of whom I love and think are at least reasonably intelligent-- half voted for Trump.  Of those, both of my parents and my sister/BIL voted for Trump.  Mainly, they'd vote for anyone with a R, but it was also a "no way in hell Hillary's gonna get my vote" vote.  My dad, recently retired, spends a lot of time on FB and shares a ton of what I would call "legitimately fake" news websites.

 

So, I don't bring anything up.  I've specifically asked to be left off of chain emails that he knows I would disagree with (like stupid liburl jokes).  The only time I say anything is when they are propagating lies they hear on foxnews and rush and hannity, etc.

 

It's tough.  I love them, but when they do not do anything to disavow the terrible things that Trump does, it does make me hold them in lower regard. 

[Fresh8686]

If you STILL support trump after all this, you're out of my life. You're morally bankrupt and I can't trust you.

I have enough great relationships with people of moral fiber, that I don't need to keep you around, whether family or not. No one gets a pass when it comes to character.

These lines aren't anything new for me personally. I've already cut my brother out of my life years ago, for being an abusive spouse and destructive person in general whose incapable of taking responsibility for himself.

[Llevron]

I know exactly one - but I work with him. And since I work with him I decided it was best not to bring it up. He also has ling cancer and is currently unable to get health care. I would not be able to avoid mentioning the irony of voting for a man that is actively trying to let him die, so I really have to not talk to him about it. 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I think it's pretty clear that the base is still 100% behind him.  And that will never waiver. They could see him paying Putin in gold coins, hear him thanking him for the election win while wearing Nazi gear and give him a pass as they blame the media.  I have yet to talk with one Trump supporter, either hard core of "lesser of two evils" who has backed down one bit from their support.  And that never stops amazing me.

 

 

[Renegade7]

One of my closest friends I had to unfriend him and he blocked both my cell numbers it got so bad.  I haven't sent him another friend request because I don't want to deal with his feed, but he's unblocked my numbers and now we go fishing together and stuff (all good now).  It was interesting how after a couple months we both agreed that the whole temperature of the country was boiling the mercury and kinda just kept it moving.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

4 minutes ago, Darrell Green Fan said:

I think it's pretty clear that the base is still 100% behind him.  And that will never waiver. They could see him paying Putin in gold coins, hear him thanking him for the election win while wearing Nazi gear and give him a pass as they blame the media.  I have yet to talk with one Trump supporter, either hard core of "lesser of two evils" who has backed down one bit from their support.  And that never stops amazing me.

 

 

 

As the World turns, they'll always be stupid in it. 

 

Hail. 

[Warhead36]

I don't. There is no rationalizing with crazy people.

[Darrell Green Fan]

2 minutes ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

 

As the World turns, they'll always be stupid in it. 

 

Hail. 

 

That's the thing, they are not all stupid. This man has control over their minds, the damndest thing I have ever witnessed.  He can literally do no wrong in their eyes and every single bit of bad news is fake news and a media out to get him.  Even when we hear the words come out of his mouth. 

 

Simply amazing.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Pretty much like this

[Llevron]

Its programming guys. Years on years of GOP programming. You almost cant even be mad at these people for feeling the way they do. Social media is just the next form of it, which is why they bought the rights to your internet history. 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

As for family and my wife, none voted for Trump, so there is no dealing with it.  As for my friends (I know of two), who are close friends, one is a die hard republican and will never vote for a democrat EVER and despises Hillary and basically just voted for the republican candidate and it happened to be Trump in the end (he was big on Pence in the beginning).  The other, just hated HC and voted for the republican candidate.

 

I rarely talk politics with anyone outside of my wife and parents anyhow, so there is no situation where I have to deal with either of them.  On the rare occasion it is brought up, I nip it in the bud and refuse to talk politics, granted it's not so much them defending him by any means, but just talking current events (e.g. North Korea, Healthcare, etc.). 

 

So basically just ignoring anything politics and refusing to talk about it.  They never push any issues or agendas, preach, defend, etc.  They didn't even like Trump either,  they just let their hatred for HC take over and voted republican.

 

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

3 minutes ago, Dont Taze Me Bro said:

As for family and my wife, none voted for Trump, so there is no dealing with it.  As for my friends (I know of two), who are close friends, one is a die hard republican and will never vote for a democrat EVER and despises Hillary and basically just voted for the republican candidate and it happened to be Trump in the end (he was big on Pence in the beginning).  The other, just hated HC and voted for the republican candidate.

 

I rarely talk politics with anyone outside of my wife and parents anyhow, so there is no situation where I have to deal with either of them.  On the rare occasion it is brought up, I nip it in the bud and refuse to talk politics, granted it's not so much them defending him by any means, but just talking current events (e.g. North Korea, Healthcare, etc.). 

 

So basically just ignoring anything politics and refusing to talk about it.  They never push any issues or agendas, preach, defend, etc.  

 

 

 

I think a lot of us have done this in person. Now online, that's a different story. But when I get together with old high school friends who  I argue with online we all agree not to discuss. 

[Bang]

I live in Southern Maryland and work in St. Mary's County.. deepest red area in Maryland. So, there's a LOT of Trump support here, and several who I work with.
Those folks you can't get away from and we do engage, but lghtly. After all, we're a news organization, so we do talk current events.

I do have a couple of good friends who are supporters. 

One of them and i agreed long ago that we don't agree on some things. Other than that, i like her a lot, she's a nice person with a nice family. I like her husband, and her sons are good upstanding young men. One's a merchant marine, the other holds down a high GPA as he makes his way thru college.  I consider her a good friend. She and i can laugh and talk about anything else. Occasionally we dance around on the line, but it never goes too far. She's of the "hold my nose" and pull the lever because he's the GOP candidate group.

Likewise with my friend Rob.. nicest guy you'd ever meet,, and he and I are very much opposite, not just politically, but in a lot of areas. He's very religious, I am decidedly not, for example. But we focus on those things we enjoy about each other and that keeps the air clear.

Rob and I can even talk about current events and keep it completely civil even in distinct disagreement, and even can agree on some things with each other. With Rob and I, we realize we've got the same goals in mind, but differ widely on how to go about achieving them. I actually enjoy talking with him about these things because he has some clear ideas from the truly conservative viewpoint, and not this fringe fanaticism that is associated nowadays.

Neither of these people would ever support what happened last weekend. And both of them would also agree trump fumbled, even if they would be defensive. But then they'd go back to what it is they support, and it's largely economic.

If i thought either of them did have those feelings we saw on display in Charlottesville, I'd call them out on it right away and it would certainly be a problem.

But, neither one of them are Trump trumpeters, so to speak. No mass memes, no constant anger and such.
You know... Grown ups.

 

~Bang

 

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I've cut off a fair number of childhood friends and relatives. Most of the friends I've made from college forward are further to the Left than I am.

[AsburySkinsFan]

1 minute ago, Lombardi's_kid_brother said:

I've cut off a fair number of childhood friends and relatives. Most of the friends I've made from college forward are further to the Left than I am.

See?! College ruins people!

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Just now, Darrell Green Fan said:

 

I think a lot of us have done this in person. Now online, that's a different story. But when I get together with old high school friends who  I agree with online we all agree not to discuss. 

 

If it's just random "high school friends" that I have on Facebook (and haven't seen in 25+ years) then I'd delete them if they were one of those idiots defending everything he did.  There are some on there that voted for Trump but haven't heard a peep out of since the election.  One or two post articles, but they post articles on both sides, so I either just skip by them or take them off my news feed so I don't have to look at it.  

 

It's such a small percentage of my total friends (both ones I hang out with on a regular basis and those I've known from HS and are friends on FB with) that voted for Trump anyhow, maybe 5% (10 out of 200) with only 2 of them being ones I hang with at times.  Since I don't talk politics with them (in person or online), it's not a problem. 

[DogofWar1]

I just stay out of the way.  The family I interact with most doesn't like Trump, the ones who do I just avoid politics.  We all figured out where we all stood during the then-debacle-that-was the Bush administration, so no need to rehash political questions.  It's just not worth the effort to try now.  Either they came around on their own or they won't if they still like him.  No point in potentially ruining relationships.

 

Really the only indirect interaction I have is when one of them posts some wacko right article on FB.  I look at the article, and if it's a non-opinion article that is stating false facts, I report it and move on, and no one is the wiser.

[Darrell Green Fan]

 

5 minutes ago, Dont Taze Me Bro said:

 

If it's just random "high school friends" that I have on Facebook (and haven't seen in 25+ years) then I'd delete them if it got over the top.  There are some on there that voted for Trump but you haven't heard a peep out of since the election.  One or two post articles, but they post articles on both sides, so I either just skip by them or take them off my news feed so I don't have to look at it.  

 

It's such a small percentage of my total friends (both ones I hang out with on a regular basis and those I've known from HS and are friends on FB with) that voted for Trump anyhow, maybe 5% with only 2 of them being ones I hang with at times.  Since I don't talk politics with them (in person or online), it's not a problem. 

 

 

If I can't argue Trump with former classmates then that's a world I want no part of. 

 

 

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Just now, Darrell Green Fan said:

 

 

 

If I can't argue Trump with former classmates then that's a world I want no part of. 

 

 

 

I'm just glad that the people I interact with either in person or online (old HS friends/classmates) for the most part (roughly 95%) share the same beliefs and values and didn't vote for him.  And the other 5%, outside of 2 people, I could part ways with in a flash should they ever start spam posting pro-trump/anti-democrat junk online.  

 

I've managed to cull my friends list on Facebook prior to (and during) this past election and got rid of those types of people.  

[Riggo-toni]

My grandfather was a Republican Senator for 24 years, and my uncle for 18...and I don't know of anyone in my family who voted for Trump, despite decades of being staunch Republicans.

 

I have a very close friend, former college roommate, who was an anybody but Hillary so I'm voting for Trump guy. He's very intelligent - fluent in several languages and is a corporate lawyer, but is a deeply religious family man, and seems more interested than anything in getting more conservative justices on the SCOTUS. Nowadays when we talk, it's mostly just about music and stuff. I haven't spoken to him in the last week - we live on opposite sides of the country - but I would imagine/hope he'd be disgusted by events, although he does think CNN is just liberal news and I don't know exactly how Faux News has been projecting this stuff.