Former MAGA Supporters Reveal What Finally Made Them Dump Trump

The country ― and the global financial market ― is reeling from a week of whiplash tariff policy changes from the White House.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced on social media that he’s issuing a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs to most nations, while raising U.S. tariff charges on China to 125%.

The move comes after Trump initially announced his “liberation day” tariffs on April 2, sending the stock market into a downward spiral and leaving many a MAGA supporter shaken. A poll by Reuters and Ipsos found that nearly 25% of Republicans opposed Trump’s tariffs, which the president said were meant to restore U.S. manufacturing to its glory days.

“This is not what we voted for,” said hedge fund billionaire and vocal Trump supporter Bill Ackman on X over the weekend, echoing the sentiments of many rattled Trump supporters.

While tariffs have long been cornerstone of Trump’s economic policy, the market instability triggered by the president’s action could lead some to jump off the Trump train. That may be especially true for fiscal conservatives who held their noses while voting for Trump in the election, in the hopes that he’d be as stable in his approach to the economy as he was during his first term. (Then again, after the market surged in the wake of the tariff reversal, some supporters ― Ackman included ― painted Trump out to be an economic mastermind.)

Other supporters jumped off the Trump train long ago. Recently, we spoke to some of them, asking them how he gained their support to begin with, and what he did to lose it. Here’s what they had to say. (Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.)

“I am a registered Republican who actively campaigned for and voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024. I have always supported him because of his MAGA ideals. He seemed to be honest and made good on his promises to the American people during his first term. I thought he would get us out of some of the bad circumstances we as a nation have fallen into under other presidents.

Two days after I celebrated him taking office in 2025, he cut my position within the federal government. I am a 21-year federal employee who took a position last year in the Office of Equity Assurance at the VA (Veterans Affairs). In that capacity, we were working to assist underserved veteran populations within the U.S. and its territories: rural and tribal veterans, women veterans, minorities, senior veterans, homeless vets. We were working to figure out what disparities these groups face because of where they live, and trying to offer them a more equal chance at obtaining VA benefits. Sadly, we were deemed to be DEI, and Trump signed an executive order following his inauguration which eliminated all DEI offices within the federal government. His EO technically ended our positions, but because of our tenure, veterans status, longevity, and performance status within VA, our senior leadership was planning to reassign each of us to other areas of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) ― but Elon Musk and DOGE cancelled those reassignment plans and terminated us via Reduction in Force (RIF).

I’ve been pretty bitter ever since. I will be moving towards becoming an Independent from now on.” ― Denise, a 58-year-old from Northern Virginia

“When I supported him, I was still under 18. Back then, it was mostly because supporting him was socially popular in my area, with my family, my friends, and my community. I wasn’t educated on politics and kind of bought into the narrative that he was a successful businessman who would do great things for America. I did identify as a Republican at the time, but I don’t anymore; now, I consider myself a Social Democrat.

The final straw for me was January 6. Up until that point, I wasn’t totally convinced his policies were bad ― on paper, some things still sounded like they could work. But the extreme division in the country, which was especially clear on that day, made it obvious to me that he would never be able to implement any policy effectively. A leader who divides the country that deeply just isn’t capable of creating positive, lasting change on a national level.” ― Dean Withers, a 20-year-old from Colorado

“I’ve voted GOP since 1984, my first time voting. I stopped in 2020. The last straw? Trump’s misogyny. His racism. National security advisers and generals and chiefs of staff told us, ‘Don’t vote for this guy, don’t support this guy’ — one of whom, Mark Milley, a Marine and a man’s man, has said Trump is the most dangerous person he’s ever met. Mad Dog Mattis said pretty much the same thing. Rex Tillerson, Mark Esper … this goes on and on.

Then there’s his grifting. What kind of president sells bibles, gold shoes and a $100,000 watch (that will likely never be on the market or delivered), but you can buy it through Bitcoin? That means you’re making a $100,000 donation to Trump that can’t be traced. That is the ultimate grift. His daughter and son-in-law received billions from the Saudis. His convictions, his indictments, January 6 — he encouraged a rabid insurrection and then, in real time, refused to do anything to stop it, and told us he would pardon those who did it. What kind of world is this?

My wife teaches middle school math and she says that Donald Trump could not get a job at her school, not as a teacher, or a substitute or the person serving food in the cafeteria line. And yet, almost half of our country still supports him. They’re willing to have a lower standard for the president than they would have for their own elementary or middle school staff. He’s a horrible influence. Why did I turn away from Trump? Why would anybody stick with him?” ― Danny, a 62-year-old from Texas

“The only year I voted for him was 2016. I supported him as his opposition was atrocious in comparison. He didn’t have a political record to look back on, so as far as that was concerned he was squeaky clean. I also liked the idea of getting someone in office who was not a politician. I am not a Republican or a Democrat.

Trump’s order to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms to ban bump stocks in light of the Las Vegas shooting was what convinced me not to vote for him again. I can not in good conscious cast a vote for someone who infringes on the constitution. (Editor’s note: In 2024, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s federal ban on bump stocks.)

My advice to anyone that is feeling disillusioned, it is absolutely OK to change your mind. In fact, I’d say it’s healthy to change your mind.” ― Cameron from Michigan

“I supported him in 2016 and 2020 because I was a cynical, disenchanted voter who felt that our established political order needed to be obliterated and started anew; Trump, I thought, was the ideal candidate. Before Trump, I was neither a Republican nor Democrat, and often voted third-party.

It was in the summer of 2021 when I began to question my allegiance to Trump, the MAGA movement and my governor, Ron DeSantis. Trump’s mismanagement of COVID, 2020 election lies, and acceptance of avoidable deaths, suffering and violence were lines of demarcation I could not cross. The final straw, and what started my leaving-MAGA odyssey, was the Republican response to the Uvalde school massacre. Four months later, I published a mea culpa, renouncing my MAGA activism and punditry.

It was difficult to leave MAGA because you’re leaving behind a community and second family. Though it’s painful to realize that so much of what I had believed— and that I politically advocated for — was incorrect. What I’d tell others is, we voted for Trump for what we thought were the right reasons, but it is never too late to change one’s mind; doing so is not a weakness – it’s a show of evolution, growth and maturation.” ― Rich Logis, a 48-year-old from South Florida, and the creator of the website Leaving MAGA

“I voted for Trump in 2016 as a Republican, though today I consider myself independent. No, that’s not code for ‘closeted Republican.’ Back then, he appealed to me because he came off as bold, funny and unfiltered. He projected a kind of strength that conservatives had long wanted but rarely saw: someone who punched back, who didn’t let the media or opponents box him in. And if you were frustrated like I was ― bitter, even ― about being misrepresented or accused of bad faith by liberal peers, it felt cathartic. Trump embodied the resentment many of us felt, whether we admitted it or not.

Around 2018, I deleted Facebook and took a break from politics altogether. I started reading books like ‘Grace Revolution’ by Joseph Prince ― which emphasizes grace over condemnation and offered a path toward self-acceptance and transformation. I learned that we are not simply the sum of our political affiliations, just as we are not the sum of our worst selves.

But as I changed, I also noticed something unsettling: the rhetoric I once cheered on — from Trump, from conservative media — mirrored the harsh, graceless voices in my own head. The self-righteous grandstanding of your typical FOX or OAN host clashed with my newfound humility. I realized that it wasn’t just the polarized environment that made me feel bad — the worst offenders of dehumanization were coming from ‘my side.’ Instead of working through their flaws in public, Trump and MAGA used their self-righteous anger and power as a shield to deflect accountability and project strength where there was often insecurity.

I started to see right through it. MAGA ideology, I realized, was less about protecting people or making America great again and more about controlling the narrative ― driven by shame, fear, and dominance. It was Pharisaical, and it stood in stark contrast to Christ, who sat with outcasts and lifted them up rather than crushing them under law. It clashed with the humility and grace expected of people we universally acclaim as good.” ― Matthew, Texas, 33

“I’m a former journalist. My views are pretty mixed: I have strong views that reflect both Republican and Democratic leanings, yet there is no major party for that. I am married to a Republican and he and I have many discussions about the world, the state of our nation and who leads it. I think this election I chose Trump because I did not feel Kamala was ready. I think it was a job she would have had to grow into, and how long would it take?

I’m so sorry I did not vote for Harris. My vote went ultimately to what feels like a South African chainsaw artist who has no regards to sensitive populations like little kids on federal lunch programs and young adults trying to get educations.” ― Susan from Illinois

“I voted for Trump in the 2016 election. At the time I was a Republican and diehard Trump supporter who was very active online and interpersonally promoting his ideas and platform.

I supported Trump all along during his first term up until the pandemic. That’s when he lost me, and it was a relatively simple thing. I was initially fairly disappointed by how his administration handled the pandemic lockdowns compared to places like Canada and Europe, which were doing a much better job of handling COVID, something I took seriously. The singular event which cracked my perception of Trump was when he was discussing COVID-19 and said he wanted to bring light inside the body to kill the virus. That idea was so utterly stupid, so profoundly ignorant, so laughably bad that it immediately shook my perception of him, and cast doubt on everything else, too.” ― Mark from the Midwest

“In 2020, at the age of 18, I cast my vote for Donald Trump. As a freshman in college, I had not yet fully engaged with politics. At that time, I did not support his candidacy and hoped for a president who would advocate for universal healthcare. However, many of my friends ― particularly those who shared my Christian faith ― encouraged me to support the Republican candidate and vote in alignment with my parents’ political views. That was what we were ‘supposed’ to do.

Not long after, I chose to pursue a degree in social work, where I earned my bachelor’s by working with marginalized communities, including single mothers, survivors of sexual assault, at-risk youth, and individuals with disabilities. This experience led me to deeply regret supporting a candidate who failed to recognize the intrinsic value and dignity of these individuals, and whose policies often seemed to disregard their fundamental right to equality and respect.

Reflecting on my faith, I was reminded of the biblical teachings in the Book of James, which emphasize the importance of caring for the most vulnerable in society, including orphans and widows. Since then, I have earned a master’s degree in Clinical Social Work, become a foster mother, provided therapy to incarcerated individuals, volunteered with homeless populations, and advocated for universal healthcare. Over time, I became increasingly disillusioned with Trump’s rhetoric and policies, particularly his lack of regard for basic human rights — such as access to food, water, shelter, and healthcare — as well as his mockery of individuals with disabilities. In 2024, I cast my vote for Kamala Harris. Although she did not win, I have no regrets about my vote. I remain hopeful that one day, America will truly live up to its ideals of liberty and justice for all.” ― Emma