So, with formal impeachment proceedings taking place last week, I felt it was fitting to talk about something that’s been on my mind for years now, and what I’m sure nearly every person in American has thought about this week. Instead of sticking with the common narratives we all see on our Facebook feeds, I wanted to get a bit micro and keep it personal like this blog has been so far, and rather than talk about what the impeachment means for the president, the nation, or whether it was right or wrong, I want to talk more about the subjective impact it’s had on relationships with family/friends/coworkers, starting with my own.

DISCLAIMER: Many of you already likely know where I stand politically and depending on what side you’re on, you’re probably already setting your dispositions at this point of the page. But before doing that, for my friends on the right, I care about you just the same and you’re really the ones I’d love to hear from in the comments or a DM. I hope this can provide some perspective into what your left-leaning friends are feeling, but more importantly, I want your contrasting perspectives.

For my friends on the left, I’m curious if you’ve felt the same and how you’ve dealt with it.

Thanks in advance!

I think many people my age would agree that starting a little over three years ago when Trump began to gain popularity in the primary race, and we were first introduced to him as a politician, was the first time that we saw where people in our life stood with him, and many of us have not been able to brush it under the rug as “just politics” the way we were used to. Maybe that’s just what happens in your late 20s and you begin to care more about the political climate, or perhaps it’s just an unprecedented polarization due to who’s in office. That much I’m unsure. But it’s clear to me that these aren’t the same political debates of 4, 8, or 12 years ago. For some reason or another, these feel personal.

How many times in the last three years have you seen a post or heard a remark from a friend supporting (or condemning) the president and thought, “How could they possibly think that??”

For me, three years ago my follow-up thought to that was, “Eh, they’re just in support of him being a Republican and his conservative stance on the issues, and I respect that some people have different opinions because they’re simply standing by their party.” But after a few years and countless tweets, speeches, rallies, public response to tragedy, interviews, etc. that’s changed. Now it’s more like, “Ok, your message isn’t about simply supporting the head of the Republican party anymore. Your message is about the love you have for him, no matter if his actions or words are left/right/middle.” And this is where I’ve felt it impacts me differently. Because nearly everything he’s done or said has seemed to me so hateful and wrong, this is where it really stings.

Over the last three years, I’ve seen and heard about the experiences some friends have had with people close to them (family members, life-long friends, etc.) who are big supporters of this administration and the President himself, and how some of them couldn’t believe when they found out. They’ve been unable to have civil conversations at the dinner table, are having a hard time comprehending why (especially if they have similar upbringings or always had a lot in common prior 2016), and, most critically, are unsure if their opinion of that person is changing, and if it’s right for it to change or not. And – assuming I’m not alone in this – that’s where some real internal conflict is stemming from for those of us who have a hard time understanding why our friends feel so completely opposite of the way we do.

“How could someone I’ve been best friends with most of myself (or for some of you, a sibling), not see this as clearly as I do?”

Personally, how can these people I’m close to – some of whom I love dearly, I know are good people, highly intelligent, incredibly kind and caring (essentially everything that is the polar opposite of what I think of the President) – have such unwavering and unconditional admiration and adoration for someone who I feel is so utterly foul, immoral, and lacking of a single bit of human decency?

But politics aside, how can two seemingly morally equal people be so divided on what appears to be a simple debate of basic morals?

But what I cannot understand is the support and affection for Donald Trump as an individual, and what he stands for personally. It actually hurts my heart to see good people follow him. So, for the sake of my opinions of those people in my life who stand by him, I desperately want to understand – I need to understand – and I hope sooner or later I will. 🙏