Rich Logis
I first viewed “The Brainwashing of My Dad” in early 2022. At this point, though I had already begun questioning my MAGA allegiance, I was still MAGA—but had ceased watching Fox in early 2021. This important, intimate and poignant documentary affirms that permanently tuning out Fox is the correct choice.
My Story
I was an early Trump supporter, and MAGA activist. I did pro bono work that would usually be paid, such as writing part of the call script for the Trump campaign. I was a frequent public speaker at MAGA and Trump events. I made volunteer phone calls. I helped voters find their polling places.
I was a true believer in MAGA. During Trump's presidency, I was an in-demand pundit for conservative media tailored to MAGA; my works and writings appeared on sites and radio shows listened to, or read by, millions of Americans: Fox News, The Federalist, RealClealPolitics and elsewhere.
And I was wrong about all of it. I refer to the very difficult journey of leaving MAGA as my "Year of Heaven and Hell"—starting in Summer 2021, and, finally, ending in Summer 2022.
During this year, I expanded my information and opinion sources, listened to my very loud conscience and wrestled with the possibility that my emotional, moral, spiritual and financial investments in MAGA were a mistake. I concluded that I was remorseful, and am now seeking to make amends.
FL Governor Ron DeSantis was the catalyst for me; in Summer 2022, when he went from COVID vaccine advocate, to extreme undermining of the vaccine, it was as if I ran into a brick wall. Around the same time, I better educated myself on the groups and forces that led to the January 6 insurrection; I had thought that these organizations were fringe hobbyists.
What I discovered, however, was: not only were they mainstream within the MAGA voter base, they were well-coordinated, well-funded—and, perhaps, worst of all—had the blessing of the most powerful person in the world.
I came to two lines of demarcation: the MAGA acceptance of avoidable deaths and suffering; and the MAGA justification and defense of politically motivated violence, as well as a coup d'état against We the People, our Constitution and our democracy. Remember: the GOP's official position on the insurrection is that it was "legitimate political discourse."
For the record, I never believed the COVID vaccine was harmful; and never believed the 2020 Presidential election was stolen.
I'm confident there are more MAGA voters, than we realize, who have quietly quit; or, are in the nascent stages of remorse. In addition to working to persuade people to leave MAGA, I'll also empower those who leave to publicly tell their stories. For these (and other reasons), I will soon launch an organization called Leaving MAGA.
Our Mission Statement is:
“Persuade people to leave MAGA. Empower those who leave to tell their stories, and guide them on how to converse with friends and families in MAGA. Develop movement leaders to help others leave.”
I am as close to certain as one can be that a second Trump presidency will irreparably damage our democracy. I am here to help Americans leave MAGA.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my story, and my work of helping others to leave MAGA. When I published my mea culpas for supporting Trump and MAGA, I didn't think anyone would care. I am grateful that I was also wrong about that.