Thread by @BlueWaveRises

I have just spent a week with a man I have met over 35 years ago, who is today a Trump supporter.

He & I were like brothers back then. We went on a short trip together & talked about America.

It was fascinating, I'll write a few highlights of our conversation below.
#resist

The first thing he asked me was whether or not I like Trump.

I wasn't interested in a pointless confrontation, so I instead returned the question to him.

He said he doed. I asked him why and he told me about his achievements. And THAT is when it got interesting. 2/?
#resist

He wasn't stating numbers/actions. He said things such as "jobs are back, America is safer, the economy is good, no more terrorism, no more illegal immgrants."

I could've debated him. But he was an opportunity for me to have non defensive responses to any questions. 3/?
#resist

I asked him "what did Trump do that brought the jobs back?" He said that Trump improved the laws and stopped immigrants from pouring in the country.

I asked him to tell me what laws actually changed. He was honest and said "I am not sure." 4/?
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I told him that anyone who improves the country deserves credit. But that I have yet to see any improvement caused by Trump. On the other hand, I do see new problems America didn't have before.

He was not happy to hear that. But it got interesting. 5/?
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He told me Trump ended the conflict in Syria and that he is making other countries finally paying their bills.

I asked him how he would react if China did to America what America is doing to China.... After all, we owe them 6 trillion! 6/?
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He said it was not the same. And I knew I would not change his mind.

I asked him if he's OK with children being put in cages at the border. At my surprize he said no. He said it's terrible.

I told him "So you support the man despite doing that?" He said "Yes." 7/?
#resist

I asked him "How many horrible acts would Trump have to do for you to stop supporting him?"

He told me "He'd have to do more wrong than good. At least he's different."

I told him "the people suffering from his actions far outweight any good you may perceive." 8/?
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He asked me how I knew that. I told him about my daughter who is LGBT. She experiences more and more discrimination and as a woman her rights are more and more at risk.

He was honest and said he doesn't agree with LGBT, but was still sorry she suffers. 9/?
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I spent the following days truly looking into those topics.

It gave me some insight in why they think what they think.

Republicans have always been a faith-based party. They manage partisanship the way they manage religious beliefs. Trump weaponized that mentality.
10/?
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The fact is, showing evidence of corruption to a Trump supporter is like trying to disprove a religion to a religious person.

It's more than denial, on their end it's received emotionaly as an attack. The roots of their beliefs isn't evidence, but a choice of faith. 11/?
#resist

You may ask, how do you debate or change the mind of someone who has already chosen they were right?

The answer is, you don't. This is why the divide is so big in our country. The faith-based administration Trump has made stopped the conversation of our nation.12/?
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The best way to progress from here is very complex.

But at the bottomline, it's about working on a more progressive society that doesn't involve faith-based politics.

The progressive majority should not stop progress for the behaviours & misplaced faith of the few. 13/?
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For the time being, we are not divided between Democrats & Republicans. We are divided between facts supporters & Trump supporters.

We have regressed under Trump and the day he finally leaves the White House is when the battle truly starts. Because we must rebuild. 14/?
#resist