OPINION: Is there anything Trump could do to lose your support?

Dear Trump Supporters,

Is there literally anything at all that Trump could do to lose your support? Anything too vile, stupid, or cruel to rationalize or make an excuse for?

What if he was convicted of sexual assault or found guilty of fraud? What if he insulted America’s soldiers, including those who died in service? What if he heaped praise on communist dictators while denouncing fellow Americans ... as communists What if he sent lifesaving COVID-19 tests to Vladimir Putin even as he downplayed the pandemic that was killing hundreds of Americans daily? What if he mocked a handicapped person or defended white nationalists? What if he cheated on his wife with a porn star and then paid to cover it up?

What if he summoned his supporters to launch a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building in order to overturn a legitimate election? And what if that attack led to six deaths and 174 injured police officers, which Trump then called “a day of love”? And what if he also pressured election officials to “find votes” for him and tried to submit fake slates of electors and pressured his vice president to ignore the Constitution and deliver him a victory despite losing the election?

What if Trump were to show undeniable evidence of mental deterioration yet refused to release his medical records or take a mental aptitude test? What if his speeches were so incoherent, rambling, lie-filled and bizarre that his opponents encouraged people to watch them to reduce his support? What if linguistic analysis showed that he only speaks at a fourth-grade level?

What if he opened a rally by discussing a professional golfer’s genitalia? What if he ripped off his supporters with tacky trading cards, a failing social media company, a crypto scam, gaudy sneakers, or a $60 “God Bless the USA” Bible that’s actually made in China for $3?

What if he blew off the planned questioning at a townhall event to instead stand on stage awkwardly swaying to the least-danceable music imaginable for 39 minutes?

Because he already did all of this — and so much more — and you know it. And you don’t care, even though you’d lose your minds if Biden or Harris did any one of these things. Which leads me to wonder what, if anything, you do still care about.

Would he lose your support if he started promising to lower taxes on the wealthy and corporations even more and to pay for that tax cut by raising prices on the poor and middle class?

Because he’s doing that too.

He has proposed a 10% tariff on all imports and up to a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports. He presents this as a tax on foreign countries (which is not a thing), but it’s really nothing but an import tax paid by American importers, who pass on the cost to retailers, who then pass it on to consumers like us.

Imagine paying 10% more for every product you buy that’s not made in America. Now imagine paying 60% more for every product you buy that’s made in China. And now imagine that you’re paying all this extra to fund a tax break for Elon Musk. That’s the Trump economic plan in a nutshell.

Would Trump lose your support if he threatened to replace the civil service with loyalists who’d do his bidding without question? How about if he vowed to use the military against his political opponents or against American citizens for protesting peacefully? What if he were planning for detention camps and mass deportations? What about censoring media outlets that criticize him in direct violation of the First Amendment?

Because those are his campaign promises — and if that’s not a fascist agenda, what is?

We all want America to be great. But it won’t happen as long as half the country continues worshipping someone whose essence is deception, division and lust for power. You see him as your salvation, but you’ve surely noticed that everything in this country has gotten more divided, angry and hopeless since the day Trump descended his golden escalator. Your motives and frustration with the system were justified, but you made an enormous mistake in who you chose to lead you. Now’s your chance to make things right.

Because there’s only one real question for Trump supporters in this election: Which do you love more — Trump or America?

Urie is a lifelong Idahoan and graduate of the University of Idaho. He lives in Moscow with his wife and two children. You can find his writing online at Medium (hopeanyway.medium.com) or Substack (hopeanyway.substack.com). Or, you can email him at ryanthomasurie@gmail.com.