How Trumpism Corrupted One of My Closest Friendships
No matter how much I try to evade, political rhetoric seeps into every conversation
My friend was a force of sanity in this crazy world. But now, it seems like she picks a fight every time we talk.
The reason? The lead-up and aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. If you’re a liberal American with Donald Trump-loving friends, you may have noticed this inevitable shift since Biden defeated him back in November. Even when you deliberately avoid talking about politics, it worms its way into every conversation.
Since college, my friend has identified as an Independent, but I’m pretty sure she voted for Trump twice. She’s never admitted it, but she drops enough clues for me to do the math.
We’ve been friends for most of my life, but we never really talked about politics until the end of 2016, in a taxi on the other side of the world. A cab driver in Tasmania asked us what we thought about Trump, and I unloaded.
