Note: Though I typically write fully annotated pieces based (as much as possible) on facts and statistics, this commentary is partially anecdotal and should be taken in that context, though I will try to include citations and source material wherever possible.
I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the current political divide in the United States, because in my admittedly short 40 years, only maybe 30 of which have I had any sense of political goings on, I’ve seen that divide explode into outright animosity. I’ve seen families disown each other. I’ve seen friends break ties. Obviously, my chronological frame of reference is quite small, but I can’t remember a time in my early life where that was the case, at least not on such a large scale.
Growing up in a conservative household, I definitely remember times where my folks disagreed with the actions of a liberal president, but the discussions were never hostile. They were never dismissive. Even their reason for voting for George W. Bush for his second term was, in their view, a simple calculus of pragmatism: “you don’t change presidents in the middle of a war,” my father told me. It seemed like reasonable logic to me at the time. They did not speak ill of Gore, except for thinking he was too much an environmentalist. They simply disagreed with him and were happy to exercise their constitutional rights to say so. They did not lambaste or disown their friends and peers who voted the other way. And thank God! We lived in the bluest state, after all. In fact, when it was my turn, they always told me, “Vote for what you believe in. It’s nobody’s business how you vote.”
Maybe this was the safe bubble that was my household, but this certainly doesn’t feel like our reality anymore. Even as I was undergoing my own shift in political perspective around the age of 16/17, my folks never wavered in their insistence that I be my own man, do my own research, and form my own perspective. My conservativism was already a little shaky over Bush’s bumbling speech patterns and hilarious gaffs, but I could mostly laugh those things off because I actually had faith that even if the president was making calls I didn’t agree with, I believed that he was making those decisions with the best interests of the country at heart. My view was mostly changing because of that very same war that reinforced my parents’ choice to vote for Bush. As I watched friends shipping off to fight the war, as it became evident that the war wasn’t going to be a Desert Storm-like military operation and would instead have no foreseeable end date, as I watched evidence come in that there were not, in fact, WMDs in Iraq, I formed my own opinion. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t agree.
Still, even as people were protesting the war, I didn’t feel the divide I feel today. Sure, even in the small mountain town I grew up in, there were protests and counter protests, but the biggest moment of conflict that I remember was actually one that completed my political transformation. On one side of a busy intersection, a group of people were protesting the war. On the other side, another group was waving American flags and shouting to support the troops. Both sides seemed perfectly reasonable to me; I didn’t even really see them as being in conflict—indeed, you can be against war and supportive of our soldiers. What stood out for me is when one of the pro-troop protestors, a conservative family friend with a child deployed in Iraq, walked across the street and draped his American flag over an anti-war sign held by the other protestors. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked to see our flag, which I had always been taught to be a symbol of American freedoms, be literally used as the tool to cover free speech. That was even more shocking to me than the irony of that man not recognizing that ending the war would be the best possible way to support and protect his son.
Even this anecdote, however, feels like small potatoes to what’s been going on in the United States in my more recent memory. So where did things change?
(Aaaaand here’s where I’m likely to lose any conservative readers who made it this far.)
I believe that this changed when Donald Trump became a contender to succeed Barack Obama. Maybe even before, as he really seems to have entered the political scene as far back as 2012. Trump was a wildcard, and a lot of people liked it. He said what he wanted. He talked big. He didn’t give a crap about being politically correct. He presented as a person who would tell you the truth whether it helped him or not (though he’s as likely to spread disinformation as truth). In short, he became the first social media president, ruling by Twitter, and, in my opinion, using the platform to actively divide Americans.
I grew up watching politicians disagree but able to come together. I’d seen them speak out against each other, then praise each other as dissenting, yet true Americans. I saw this in every concession speech I’d ever watched. I saw it in acceptance speeches and States of the Union Addresses by presidents of both parties. Yes, I’d seen politicians attack each other on the campaign trail my whole life; then they’d bow out gracefully when the end came. Until Trump, I’d never seen them attack the American people directly (or refuse to bow out when the end came). I know they had in the past. Earl Warren, for example, declared that Japanese Americans were the enemy of the state, which led to their unlawful arrests and internment at American concentration camps. This ploy was extremely effective for Warren’s political aspirations, ultimately earning him three terms as California’s governor and then a seat on the US Supreme Court. Clearly, giving us a common enemy within our own population breeds just the kind of fear some politicians need to get the vote. Having an “enemy within” is also likely to be one that remains a target long after wars against foreign enemies have been fought.
So, yes, I know this tactic existed before Donald Trump began doing the same thing. Twitter, however, has allowed Trump to effectively “trump” those who came before him. Twitter and other social media platforms have put his words into the hands of every single person, instantly and without filter.
With tweets, Donald Trump is the dad who weaponizes his kids during a divorce. He’s the kind of dad who pits the children against mommy so they choose him for full custody. And if you read his tweets and listen to his news interviews, quite a few Americans are the “mommy” he wants us to blame, hate, and fear for the imperfections, inconveniences, and injustices we face in our own lives. Indeed, he’s a master at telling you who’s to blame for how shitty your life is. In fact, even today it seems like almost a day can’t go by that he doesn’t post some rambling diatribe about how terrible and stupid some random American is. Shockingly, he attacks people in nearly half his over 80,000 tweets (I’ve shared some of my favorites below). Pretty amazing if you think about it.
Trump has used his platform to divide us. He has used it to make your fellow Americans your enemy, when not so long ago, it felt like we could at least have civil conversations. We could watch movies like Air Force One and cheer that the president and his family were rescued, not caring what party he might have been leading. We could watch a Superman movie and not bitch about it being “woke” for portraying a decent dude. My conservative parents could enjoy films like An American President or Dave, not caring that they were clearly liberal presidents. We could go to a racing event without an entire stadium chanting “Fuck Joe Biden,” and a VP could attend a play without being booed. In short, we didn’t have to subscribe to some myopic set of beliefs to be considered true American patriots.
The problem is that Trump has effectively convinced many Americans that you cannot be a patriot and disagree with him. In fact, being on the other side of him means you are an enemy of the state. Don’t believe me? He said exactly that.
“I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the big — and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.” – Donald J Trump.
I suppose the political attacks made against “the other side” while on the campaign trail are fair enough. However, a sitting president should not continue the vitriol. After all, he’s the president of all Americans, not just conservatives. He certainly doesn’t treat us all the same. Via social media, he continues to attack Americans, especially anyone who disagrees with him or does not support him. His posts are often rambling and give off sociopathic, old man ranting vibes. They also continue to divide with the message “Democrat=enemy, Republican=good.” Because to Trump, some of us are the redheaded stepchild of America, and he wants us to know it. Some of us are the enemy within.
___
Affectionately Signed,
Recovering Conservative & The Enemy Within, Jerrel T Reece
For those curious, below I’ve shared some of my “favorite” Trump tweets. They are just a tiny sample of why I see Trump in the way I do. Sources: https://www.thetrumparchive.com/ & https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/topic/social/?platform=all&sort=date&sort_order=desc&page=1
August 8, 2025 @ 1:07 AM ET
“Failed former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, of Georgia, is a total loser. Was never able to get anything done, all he ever did was complain. We didn’t want him in the Republican Party any longer, so I’m told he became a Democrat. Good riddance Geoff. You don’t even have a chance!!!”
August 4, 2025 @ 10:25 AM ET
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the “HOTTEST” ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are “flying off the shelves.” Go get ‘em Sydney! On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil. Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad. Shouldn’t they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST. Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
August 2, 2025 @ 6:31 PM ET
“THE DEMOCRATS ARE EXTORTIONISTS WHO ALMOST DESTROYED OUR COUNTRY. NOW WE ARE BACK, AND THE USA IS THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
July 25, 2025 @ 7:43 PM ET
“FIREAID” IS A TOTAL DISASTER. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER DEMOCRAT INSPIRED SCAM. 100 MILLION DOLLARS IS MISSING. WAS SUPPOSED TO TO GO TO THE LOS ANGELES FIRE VICTIMS, FIRES THAT, WITH PROPER MANAGEMENT, WOULD NEVER HAVE EVEN HAPPENED. GOVERNOR NEWSCUM REFUSED TO RELEASE BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT WOULD HAVE MADE! I HAVE SINCE OVERRULED HIM, AND IT IS NOW RELEASED. All FEDERAL HOUSING PERMITS HAVE ALSO BEEN APPROVED, THE CITY IS YEARS LATE. GET THE FIRE VICTIMS THEIR APPROVALS TO REBUILD, AND DO IT NOW!”
It’s no wonder his followers hate democrats and California. I think that Biden was correctly criticized for calling Trump supporters “garbage.” That works both ways.
Oct 11th 2024 – 2:27:56 PM EST
“AMERICA IS BEING INVADED—END THE OCCUPATION, LIBERATE AMERICA”
Over and over and over, he associated immigration with an invasion, sewing the seeds of hatred that are now growing into a strong forest of violence and rights violations against both legal and undocumented immigrants. His rhetoric was very good at convincing many Americans that all undocumented immigrants are also violent gang members. In reality, undocumented immigrants commit crimes at a rate that’s less than half of that of American citizens.
That didn’t stop Trump from capitalizing on the story of a girl who was killed by an undocumented alien and actively striving to paint that incident as the norm. That horrible tragedy, however, is not the norm. More children are murdered by American citizens than by any other demographic.
However, his words have effectively dehumanized an entire group of people, making it far more palatable to deny them constitutional rights and to incarcerate them in concentration camps, just as we did to Japanese Americans six decades ago.
And he’s as likely as not to spread dis-information.
Oct 29th 2024 – 1:45:38 PM EST
“Kamala is now running billboards near the Border advertising FREE Legal Services for Illegal Alien Criminals. When I win, the billboards are coming down, and the Migrant Gangs are going home!”
However, such billboards were nothing new at the time, and the services provided. The billboard in question here read “Your brother (uncle, neighbor, father, mother, friend, partner) in immigration custody has rights. We’re here to help.” It includes a logo and website link to DHS’s Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO). But the OIDO was established by Congress in 2019 under the Trump administration.
Oct 11th 2024 – 7:01:30 PM EST
“Kamala Harris and the Department of Justice have once again launched an unconstitutional and illegal attack on America’s Democracy. This time, Kamala Harris, who is losing in the Polls, is trying to flood our Elections with NON-CITIZENS – These votes are ILLEGAL”
He actively undermined Americans’ faith in the voting systems of the United States, saying over and over that noncitizens were voting at record rates. In reality, noncitizen voting has proven to be exceedingly rare. A recent audit of Georgia voters found that not a single noncitizen had cast a ballot in the state going back 25 years. A similar study in Arizona found “In the jurisdictions we studied, very few noncitizens voted in the 2016 election. Across 42 jurisdictions, election officials who oversaw the tabulation of 23.5 million votes in the 2016 general election referred only an estimated 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen voting for further investigation or prosecution. In other words, improper noncitizen votes accounted for 0.0001 percent of the 2016 votes in those jurisdictions.” Trump’s claims about voter fraud in the form of noncitizen voting is a common scare tactic that has little bearing on truth.
Oct 11th 2011 – 10:06:09 AM EST
“A guy named @BobBeckel on FOX, their resident liberal, was not born with much of a brain.”
Even very early in his political career, Trump was laying the foundation for breeding an environment hostile to liberals.
Oct 17th 2011 – 1:43:43 PM EST
“Why is @BarackObama always campaigning or on vacation?”
&
Nov 22nd 2011 – 12:09:10 PM EST
“Yesterday @BarackObama actually spent a full day in Washington. He didn’t campaign, fund raise or play golf. Shocking.”
&
Jun 13th 2012 – 10:39:07 AM EST
“Biden @VP Spends $1 Million Annually for Weekend Trips”
Ironic considering Trump has spent roughly 25% of his second term (so far) golfing, costing the American taxpayers over $70m.
Nov 6th 2012 – 11:29:33 PM EST
“We can’t let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided!”
He even laid the groundwork in 2012 for what would become an actual invasion of the capitol building when he lost his second run for president.
Nov 8th 2011 – 3:54:26 PM EST
“Our deficits are caused by runaway spending, not inadequate taxing. Washington does not have a revenue problem.”
So the obvious answer is to spend millions on golden ballrooms. Got it.
But even in a torrent of nonsense, sometimes he says things I wholeheartedly agree with:
Nov 6th 2012 – 11:45:09 PM EST
“The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.”
Agreed, bro. Since you have control of all three branches of government, maybe you can do something about it.
Jerrel T. Reece 