I was MAGA. I hopped on board before the 2016 election. Back then, I disagreed with Trump on the experimental and dangerous vaccines; his belief in the "red flag" gun laws; and his statement that "we should take the guns and worry about due process later" (paraphrased) comment. Red flags to be sure but I liked most of his other declared ideals and policies.
I voted for him again in 2020 and truly believe that the election was legitimately stolen. I believe that lots of fraud took place that gave Biden the edge. Facts about Hunter Biden were hidden while lies about Trump were elevated. Ballot boxes were being stuffed by leftist activists. It was a stolen election.
I voted for him again in 2024 because he seemed to have a more sincere message than before. I figured that he'd been so horribly persecuted by the Democrats and their lawfare tactics that he was really going to fight and that we'd really see a draining of the Swamp. I was happy when he, Bondi, Patel, and Bongino all (in unison) declared that they would open the Epstein files and seek justice for the Epstein victims. I was also extremely happy when DOGE went to work. Wow ... we were finally going to get our government back and reclaim all of those stolen or misused tax dollars. I was also looking forward to peace and bringing our troops home. I thought for sure we'd try and convict Hillary, Comey, Clapper, Brennan, etc. All of these things were pleasing to my America First, Conservative, Nationalist heart. My level of hope hadn't been that high in decades.
DOGE started out really strong but sort of started going away at about the same time Trump signed a $3 Trillion spending bill raising our national debt to nearly $40 Trillion. WHAT? I was a bit shocked but gave Trump the benefit of the doubt and a pass. But then came the day my jaw dropped when Trump claimed that Epstein and Maxwell were "hoaxes." How could two child traffickers be hoaxes? Would traffickers be arrested if there weren't at least a few victims of their crimes? Were the victims "hoaxes" as well? Was there really someone named Jeffry Epstein and did he really commit a heinous crime or was it all a lie? I was pretty bewildered. And, I can't forget the bombing of Iran when they hadn't done anything worthy of being bombed.
Then came that fateful day when I felt that deep stab in the back. It was the day that Trump called anyone seeking justice for the Epstein victims "weaklings" followed by his declaration that he "no longer needed" our support. I was literally stunned. I just sat in my chair and realized that I (we) had been conned and lied to. I was literally in emotional turmoil. I went from deep disappointment to shame for allowing myself to be duped to anger to fury in a matter of ten minutes. I literally felt the blood flush my face.
That was the day I left the "MAGA" "hoax" and turned to the "America First" team. Well, actually, I had always been "America First" but I, like everyone else, thought that "MAGA" and "America First" were synonyms. How wrong I was.
