Evermore frequently, I’m forced to question the character of a large swath of my fellow countrymen. To be fair, I was skeptical of people’s motives, beliefs, and traits far before Trump descended that elevator in 2015, but I was operating largely on a hunch and a series of mostly disconnected anecdotes, even if there were enough of them to signal a pattern and a reasonable sociological deduction.

But as soon as the tyrant fully and officially entered our political sphere – ending its fragile, yet stable, foundational moorings as we knew them forever – the empirical evidence has clearly demonstrated what I always assumed: people are just simply not good. I used to play with the argument about whether people were mostly good with bad intentions vs. mostly bad with good intentions, but now I firmly believe that people are mostly bad, and on occasion, they may have some tendency to do good for others – but only if they’re of the same ideological cloth. At least that’s what it has devolved to in this country.

While I think this is also true of those huddled at the left end of the political spectrum, they’re less predestined to wish harm and to default to violence than those at the far right end of the spectrum; many of those center-right have no problem looking away from the carnage and pretending it’s not happening or not as bad as it very clearly is. There is no shortage of criticisms for the political left and its adherents, trust me – they’re just not relevant today because they’re neither in power, nor are they the ones who are responsible for the heinous official acts of state violence we see today. Put the left back in power and I’ll gladly call them to task; as it stands, that opportunity may never come again.

Taking to the streets may not be enough, but what will be? Amidst the worst Constitutional crisis since the Civil War, I fear that we’re watching the end of our country splinter apart, day-by-day. (Image retrieved from here and comes courtesy of Joshua Santos.)

But I cannot fault anyone who voted for Trump in 2016 – I surely didn’t vote for him; to me, it was obvious he was/is a charlatan, a clown, and a criminal. His track record has demonstrated routinely that he has few morals and the character of a B-Grade Mob Boss – at least an A-Grade Mob Boss has the decency to not lie to your face. But I understand that much of the populace had become quite disaffected and disenchanted with politics in America; it really does seem like nothing really changes, regardless of who is in power, especially for those near the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum.

So, for them, and at that time, no fault, even if it’s unfathomable how someone could not see the evidence in front of their eyes about what was destined to come. To be clear, this is no defense of Hillary Clinton, only that despite what strong arguments can be made against her for any number of reasons, they simply don’t stack up against what Trump had done, was capable of, and likely to do – and has done while in power. I’ll even go a little further and grant some grace for those who voted for him in 2020, despite his bungling of so much of the early stages of the pandemic. But once you get to the interregnum period after he was defeated in 2020 and January 6th, as well as the vitriol he spewed from then on until his return to power, there just isn’t any forgiveness or benefit of the doubt left. At some point, you have to call a spade a spade; you have to cut your losses.

I also understand that Trump voters are not a monolith and shouldn’t be talked about or thought about as one. Not because it paints too broad a stroke per se, but because it is reductionist and leaves out nuance that is essential to understanding what we’re living through. There are many strains of Trump supporters, all with their own motivations, some more mischievous, disconcerting, criminalistic, and unimaginable than others, but this doesn’t make a wholesale dismissal of those supporters any less hard for me because, eventually, you have to accept what’s before your eyes, as hard as it is to see. But here I write that I don’t know how much longer I can make any concessions to anyone who stands by the most immoral man to hold his position since… ever?

Am I a “Never Trumper”? Most certainly. Do I have “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS)? I don’t think so, but I’m sure his legions of sycophants, enablers, and henchmen would think so. But to put a little nuance into whether I should be painted as such, let me provide a few examples to the contrary.

During his first term, I thought the Great American Outdoors Act was very valuable to increasing the workforce of our public lands and protecting those special and fragile places (of course, this was severely marred by what he did to Bears Ears National Monument and allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge); I think the Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which federalizes laws against cruelty to domestic animals was a much-needed and long overdue action; and the First Step Act, aimed at reforming federal prisons and reducing recidivism was pivotal, and could serve as a model for state prisons as well. There are a number of things I could name today that he has proposed (if not followed through on yet) that would be greatly beneficial to many Americans, such as limiting credit card interest rates to 10% because of his concerns with the weight of debt and the proliferation of “usury,” as well as that he wants to sign an executive order barring real estate conglomerates from buying up all the housing inventory and perpetuating a “nation of renters.” Many think it was overdue to reschedule marijuana. There have been other good ideas, too, I’m sure.

So, if I have TDS, then it’s an intermittent case of it. I think the reality of the situation is that a corrupt and incorrigible human in the highest seat of power in the world is still susceptible to the influence of a handful of people close to him who (thankfully) have better intentions for the country than he’s predisposed to. Unfortunately, most of those with influence over Trump only operate with nefarious intentions, something that can be clearly demonstrated from what’s happened in Minneapolis just during January of 2026 – i.e., we can set aside all of the other bullshit he’s done or tried to do (seize Greenland by force, blow up NATO, isolate our allies, use the DOJ as his personal law firm, pardon all of the J6 rioters, including those who attacked law enforcement, etc.) and just use this “case study” as evidence that (1) Trump is unfit for his duties, has no respect for the rule of law and Constitution, and is motivated by causing pain at scale on anyone who crosses him, disagrees with him, or looks differently than him; and (2) that those who work in these official roles with ICE and other gestapo federal agencies, as well as all the everyday citizens who either support these raids and destructions of neighborhoods and families, or turn a blind eye to it, are of the lowest possible character and should not be trusted or empathized with in any way. That’s tough to accept, but I think we’re there.

What makes this all the harder for me to state is the sad fact that several people I consider close to me fall into this category. And outside of their embrace of these actions and ideologies – when/if I’m able to fully set that aside – they remain some of the kindest and most thoughtful people I’ve ever known. It’s a very tough reality to sit with for me. Shortly after the murder of Renee Good, I spoke with one of them by phone, and he instantly went into spin – as graciously as I could, I shut it down by simply saying, “We’re not going to agree on this. Let’s move onto another topic.” I haven’t talked to this friend since the murder of Alex Pretti. Maybe in part because there hasn’t been a need to, but maybe also because I don’t want to watch this friend lose more of his grip on reality if he responds the way I, unfortunately, expect he might. Blind allegiance to the official position; propaganda at its worst.

If I can see the good in someone who I disagree with politically so vociferously, then I have to accept that (1) that person can come to see what’s really going on at some point, hopefully sooner than later; and (2) that I have to assume the mirror is inverted for his view of me, too. He knows I’m a good person; he values our friendship; he just doesn’t understand that I don’t see what he does. He, too, hopes I’ll acknowledge the error of my ways. Thing is, only one of us is right on this issue, and if I have to explain to you which one, then you’re just not paying attention.

I’d like to say there’s still time for you to come to your senses, and maybe there is. But I just don’t think enough people have any sense to begin with, let alone any desire to accept their role in making the unthinkable our day-to-day reality…

Marco Esquandoles
I Just Live Here