Stories of how Trump’s MAGA movement destroyed families: “I would never be able to look at him the same again”

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. While the holiday has a long history, the idyllic celebration we trace its roots to is that of the Pilgrims sitting down with the members of the Wampanoag tribe in 1621.

However, Thanksgiving as we know it today was established in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln whilst the United States was in the middle of its Civil War. Making it a national holiday was the work of Sarah Josepha Hale, also known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving”, who had pushed over the course of 17 years for a day that would bring all Americans together as she watched it being pulled apart.

America is once again dealing with growing division which was supercharged when Donald Trump came down his faux gold escalator in 2015. Since then he has been an outsized divisive figure not only in American politics but also to the social fabric of the nation driving, in some cases, a wedge between family members.

Some of them say that the damage done is irreparable. Here are some of the stories that were shared with BuzzFeed.

How the cult of Trump has torn families apart

Many of the people that shared their stories with BuzzFeed could point to a single moment when they had to break off relations with their loved one.

A teacher explained to the outlet that their brother accused them of “indoctrinating” the children in their classroom. He told the person that were his kids in that person’s classroom, he’d pull them out and put them in private school.

Another person’s family threaten their life when they wouldn’t give into demands to vote for Trump. They’ve cut off contact with all family members except for two.

One explained that they were “disgusted” when their ex-husband said he “understood why people did what they did on Jan. 6… And I knew right then was I would never be able to look at him the same again."

The final straw for another, whose daughter has autism, came when their in-laws voted for Trump, knowing his administration would include RFK Jr and others who use “pseudoscience and conspiracy theories to paint a disgusting and false picture of people with neurodivergence and disabilities.”

Others said that it was the accumulation of their loved ones sharing Trump and MAGA madness. “It was the cumulative, exhausting immensity and impenetrable Trump Bubble that one day quietly turned us away. Poof! Gone!” explained one.

Another shared that they have tried again and again to get their oldest son to “discuss facts versus the countless false or very exaggerated claims Trump makes daily.” But it’s been to no avail. “He simply echoes the social media sound bites.”

“I love my oldest son dearly,” that person explained, adding, “but until this nightmare of a presidency is finally over, and we can begin to restore what our country was before this cult madness, we simply cannot communicate.”

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