Let’s not shy away from saying it: Trump voters have betrayed America. They’ve witnessed the incompetence, the insurrection, and the staggering loss of over a million lives during the pandemic, the sex crimes, the felonies, the corruption and the chaos - with the promise of more divisiveness and destruction - and the chose to give the most unqualified, greed-centered, waste of human DNA ever to inflict itself on a struggling nation the power to continue unraveling the Constitution. These are not just pejoratives, they’re verifiable facts that lead us to another troubling question about those who set us on this path. Why do they hate America and their fellow citizens so much?
Trump Voters Betrayed Democracy
By backing the convicted felon con man, these voters have put their stamp of approval on lawlessness, selfishness, division, violence and chaos over the democratic principles they pretend to value. The pardoning of the January 6 insurrectionists is not just an affront to law enforcement; it’s a direct assault on our democratic system. Nothing is more fundamental to the “American way” than the act of peacefully transferring power from one legally-elected administration to the next. Along with the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol, those who voted for Trump in this past election signaled their disdain for that basic tradition but every other pilar upon which our system rests. Free and fair elections, separation of powers, rule of law, political compromise, equal voting rights, freedom of the press, cooperation and respect now only exist when Democrats are in power - and that’s just fine for the 31.55% of eligible voters who deliberately greased our slide into fascism and betrayed every American who ever made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure these values endure for future generations.
Trump Supporters Betrayed Officer Fanone
Officer Michael Fanone, a former Capitol Police officer who heroically defended democracy during the January 6 insurrection, has articulated a profound sense of betrayal felt by many Americans. In a interview on CNN, he stated, “I have been betrayed by my country. And I've been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump. Whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming.”
He lamented the fact that “six individuals who insulted me, as I did my job on January 6th, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free.”
Disgraceful Republican “leaders” whose jobs require a oath to uphold the Constitution, have instead chosen to debase themselves at the altar of self-serving sycophancy to the very instigator of the attack.
Fanone and his fellow officers fought to protect these cowardly fascist enablers from the mob that vile day, and Republicans “thank” them by aiding their convicted felon con man standard bearer escape the consequences of the treason the entire world bore witness to. Republican gaslighting began promptly in the aftermath, and the insults kept coming. Here’s just a small list:
Booing and jeering: Some Republican legislators booed and jeered at former Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell when they visited the Pennsylvania House floor.
Walkouts: Several Republican members walked off the floor or turned their backs when the officers were being recognized.
Verbal insults: At least one Republican was heard shouting that the officers were "cowards".
Lack of applause: While Democrats stood and applauded the officers, a significant number of Republicans remained seated.
Opposing honors: In March 2021, 12 House Republicans voted against a resolution to award Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police and DC police who protected them during the attack.
Downplaying the attack: Some Republicans have shifted their stance over time, moving from condemning the attack to downplaying its significance or criticizing Democrats for "politicizing" the event.
Removing reminders: As of January 2025, reminders of the January 6 attack have been fading in the Capitol, with scars on the walls repaired and other physical evidence removed.
If that list doesn’t infuriate you, then you’re either an insurrectionist, an enemy of America or a Republican. Pardoning the insurrectionists is just one more insult visited on the officers who put their bodies on the line that day to protect democracy - and worthless Republican carcases - from the mob sent by a lifelong documented con man to kill them. Those who voted for Trump granted him the power to inflict this ultimate indignity on the courageous men and women who defended all those who believe in the promise of America that day.
As he said in his CNN interview, Fanone's outrage extends beyond personal grievances; it extends to his loved ones as well. He stated, “My family, my children, and myself are less safe today because of Donald Trump and his supporters.”
This is the fear and fractured community spirit all Trump voters gave their full and clear-eyed stamp of approval.
By enabling a leader who incited violence and sought to undermine the democratic process, these voters have contributed to a culture of impunity that pleases American’s enemies, emboldens domestic threats and diminishes societal trust in the rule of law - and we know that tearing the country apart at the seams is just one necessary step on the slide to permanent authoritarianism.
Tearing down our nation depends upon tearing us apart. As officer Fanone noted in his CNN interview, Trump has been very successful in making Americans as small and selfish as he is.
“This is who we are as a nation. This is what we have become. And it has been further exacerbated by Donald Trump. As I've said many times before. We are self-centered. We are violent, and we are indifferent to the suffering of our neighbors.” Fanone sadly noted.
As we face the horrible realities of the next four years, it’s crucial for all Americans to recognize the gravity of what those who voted for this inflicted on us - and give them the shameful credit for it all.
Mother Nature designed human beings to be interdependent. Unless one is a sociopath, psychopath, or a greed-centered malignant narcissist, we inherently possess the ability to feel empathy for others. Empathy fosters connection and understanding, allowing us to build stronger relationships and support one another in our shared human experience. This includes the sense of shame we may experience if we harm someone, which is a valuable emotion that helps us coexist and thrive within our communities.
It’s crucial to hold Trump voters—and even those who chose not to vote—accountable for every disgraceful, harmful, divisive, and democracy-destroying policy they supported. We must acknowledge their role until the day arrives when those who backed the convicted felon and con man will only speak of it in shamed whispers. That day is long overdue, but it will come. Hopefully, when it does, there will still be something left upon which we can rebuild. However, if his supporters had any sense of shame at all, they wouldn’t have cast their votes for a coup-plotting traitor like Trump in the first place.
As we stare into the oncoming train of next four years under this unfit con man, it's imperative that we don’t shy away from giving credit to those who put is in this position. Officer Fanone’s heart-wrenching words echo our collective anguish and anger, reminding us that our safety, our rights, and the integrity of our nation are at stake. We must stick together, rejecting complacency and indifference, reclaiming the truth, and unapologetically defend the core principles that define America. We either rise to the occasion, or the “Grand Experiment in Liberal Democracy” is done.
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