• Viral badge

This Cult Survivor Is Going Viral For Saying We Have Trump Supporters All Wrong, And The Internet Is Oddly Intrigued

"What you're asking them to do is the hardest thing they will ever have to do."

Hot Topic
🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics

I often write about Trump voters who express how Donald Trump is losing their support. People in the comments are often surprised because MAGA voters are sometimes referred to as a cult due to their loyalty to Trump. That's what prompted a discussion in the r/MarchAgainstNazis subreddit.

Person partially obscured, wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap, with a visible expression

The subreddit's moderator shared this video by TikTok user @friendlyhoneybadg5, who compared their experience growing up in and leaving a cult to the behavior they've noticed from Trump supporters who seem to no longer be supporting him as much.

The creator asked her followers to share the video because "we need this information."

"Because I was raised in a cult, and other people on here [TikTok] talk about cults, I somehow thought that everybody on here was cult-literate," she said.

TikTok: @friendlyhoneybadg5 / Via tiktok.com

"Y'all are not cult-literate, and I can tell by my comments [under my videos]."

Person speaking directly to the camera about cults, with the text "BECAUSE CULTS LEAVE" visible at the bottom
Hot Topic
Let's chat about all things Politics
See our Politics Discussions

"Many of you think that your MAGA friends, family, coworkers, or whoever are gonna call you up one day and say, ‘Yo, I was wrong. I was wrong about Trump.' That is almost never ever going to happen. Because cults leave in silence. It’s a quiet quitting."

Person with long hair and bangs looking at the camera with text overlay "RIGHT THERE" at the bottom

"They are freaked out now. They said they feel duped. They feel like they made the wrong choice, and you will say, ‘Well, we told them.’ You never told the cult a thing, because cults cannot hear you."

Person gesturing with enthusiasm, mid-speech, text reads "GO YEAH YOU."

"And while you want to say, ‘Well, just walk away.’ How many people in your life, even including you, have been in a bad relationship, [and] everybody could see it?"

Person speaking directly to the camera with the text "LOCK STEP" at the bottom of the image

"What you're asking them to do is the hardest thing they will ever have to do. Leaving a cult is the hardest thing a human can do, because humans’ biggest fear is being conned."

Person with long hair speaking energetically, wearing a casual top, with text overlay: "You can't they."

"The assumptions you make about how they operate are so far off base that we need to start talking about this and how to possibly break through to them, because everybody’s way off on this... So please understand. There will be no grand announcement when MAGA leaves. But they are leaving, and they’re gonna do it quietly."

Person with long hair looks directly at camera, appearing thoughtful. Text on image reads "ONLINE CRITIQUING." TikTok username present

In response to @friendlyhoneybadg5's video, many people shared some of their experiences or opinions of the behavior they've noticed from the MAGA voters in their lives. Here are a few of them:

1. "I’m actually seeing every bit of this. The red hats in my life have gotten quiet and less proud. They don’t bitterly defend against my complaints. They even discuss things they don’t like without naming who is responsible. My workplace will be crushed by this. We will not be around in six months, but they’re still just blaming the tariffs without saying why we have the tariffs."

Person wearing a hat with the slogan "Make America Great Again" visible at the front

2. "And not one will ever apologize and admit their mistake."

u/Fortunateoldguy

3. "They do not hear us, but it's not like they can't be reached. She says they're leaving. What we have to do is talk to them like you talk to the woman in an abusive relationship if you want her to get out safely. You listen and you ask questions that are not judgmental. They can't hear you, but they CAN hear themselves."

"You need to be patient and make yourself safe for them to express doubts, and then you ask questions to help them explain to themselves what's really going on. And then you help them prepare, seriously, for all the horrible consequences that will come from doing the right thing. Don't rub it in, don't brush off the pain. Help them prepare."

u/breathingproject

4. "There is a simple way to handle this: Fuck 'em. I'm done."

u/unknownpoltroon

5. "I've come to the realization that the only way out of this is to just accept them back if you can. Don't demand they eat crow or admit anything at all. It sucks and it's unsatisfying, but it's the way."

A group of people in casual attire at an indoor event; one person wears a red hat with a slogan

6. "I have a big problem with the 'quiet quitting' aspect of this. There needs to be some sort of accountability or acknowledgement of just how much damage so many people did to this country by voting for a convicted felon. We can't just sweep this kind of treason under the rug. Lack of education and compassion about the atrocities of the past is partly what has brought us here."

u/ApprehensiveRent4323

7. "Yeah, I railed and railed against Trump. Now, his downfall is my fault somehow. I'm just never getting my family back. Great."

u/Eshmail

8. "Boy, this is one of those rare moments where the internet served me something 1,000% relevant to my actual life. Literally in the middle of a text conversation with my 'criminal migrants caused the measles outbreak' red hat mother about when we’ll bring the grandkids to see them next. Yeah, if or when she comes to her senses, she’s gonna be embarrassed and quiet about it."

Person on a roadside wears a "Make America Great Again" cap and peace sign sunglasses with stars and stripes

9. "Repeat it again for those in the back. They. Do. Not. Hear. Us. We've told Republicans that this would happen many, many times, but they do not hear us. They will not hear us. They refuse to hear us. They will NEVER hear us. Their egos will not allow it. Even if we give them evidence, even if we point out to them what is going on in front of them, even if we scream it in their face, they will never hear us. It is pointless to help them."

u/fantasy-capsule

10. "This is so, so fucking spot on. The MAGAs in my life are starting, albeit minuscule, to get it. And it’s hard to not be like, 'I fucking told you so.'"

u/sharkb44

11. "I agree with a lot of what this video says, but the idea that we could 'break through' to these people in sufficient numbers to be meaningful is just nonsense to me."

"There might be the odd person here and there who is willing to put down the shovel and just walk away from their personal lord and savior, Donald Trump, but they will be the extreme minority. They’ll be homeless, starving, and begging to vote for his third unconstitutional term. These people are beyond help."

u/CounterSanity

12. "They'll still vote for the GOP that supports the same, if not similar, policies."

Person holding a hat with "MAGA" text, speaking at a press event

13. "No. They. Won't. Fifty years and counting, and they've only doubled down the entire time. NEVER trust a MAGA-t. Ever. Never give them a break. They have to prove by ACTIONS that they have learned anything. We owe them nothing. Not one damn thing."

u/Cultural-Answer-321

14. "Not a lot of talk around here, but a whole lotta MAGA/Trump flags have quickly gone mysteriously missing."

u/Acceptable-Bat-9577


Text reads: "Send this to someone who's likely experiencing something similar to #14."

15. "It all goes back to the old saying: 'It's easier to con someone than it is to convince them that they've been conned.'"

u/Ferda_666_

16. "I’ve tried to correct my mom a handful of times now about this one misinformed conspiracy theory she was told. I cited facts, links with sources, nothing complicated. Every time she looks at me and seemingly listens, and I hope that this time it’ll stick, only to recite the same conspiracy again the next time, as if I’ve never fact-checked her."

"This lady has a point. It’s like they have to wake up themselves. And I feel like they see us the same way."

u/SaberStrat

17. "I'll believe it when/if I see it during the next election."

Two public figures in suits standing side by side, surrounded by people indoors, engaged in conversation

18. "As someone who knows ex-cult members, you won't know they left until after they found another one."

u/misterguyyy

19. "The thing about refusing to admit when you’ve been conned is spot on. I know Trumpers in real life who know deep down they’ve been played and won’t outright admit it."

A person gestures energetically on a street, wearing a cap and a T-shirt with the text "I Ain't Made in China."

20. "Logic and reasoning will never change a person who is making decisions based on emotions."

u/Charakada

21. "Yeah, this is the worst version of the internet ever. It's all echo chambers. And as they're leaving the cult, they'll be replaced by bots because something has to fill that void. I plan on leaving social media altogether in May."

Person holding a large cutout of a man's face in front of a staircase

Have you noticed any of the behavior that @friendlyhoneybadg5 outlined? Let us know in the comments, or fill out the form below to remain anonymous. Your response could be featured in a future post.

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.

We see you lurking 👀
Join a Politics conversation instead
See the Discussions