The wicked idolatry of "all or nothing"
I am proud to be both a heretic and a blasphemer to the extremes of both sides, and I will continue to practice blasphemy and heresy.
By far the worst thing about Donald Trump's impact on the American politics and culture is not the man himself, but the wicked idolatry of the "all or nothing" cult mentality surrounding him by many people on both sides. Trump is either 100% good or he is 100% evil, with no room for nuance or independent thought.
As I said before, I refused to vote for Trump in 2024. I am nonetheless thankful he won the election instead of Kamala Harris. This is a comment I got on Facebook regarding that statement:
Saying that you don’t regret not voting for Trump but are happy he won instead of Harris, shows that you really wanted Trump to win. You might as well say you are a communist but vote for Reagan.
No, this is not me being double minded. Harris was a terrible candidate who, among other things, abused her authority as attorney general to persecute investigative journalists for covering up corruption. I fully expected her to take that assault on civil rights national had she won. Trump is more good than bad on policy. As much as I loathe his personal character, we are absolutely better off on policy grounds than we would have been with Harris. As Ben Shapiro likes to say, two things can be true at once: Trump is a wicked man but Harris is worse. This is not complicated or difficult to understand.
Even arguing that we should respect the office brings thunderous damnation from the Left. I was called every obscene name you can imagine and condemned as a "Nazi" and a "fascist" for saying we should respect the President on Meta Threads. The "all or nothing" idolatry extends to Trump's supporters. When I criticized Trump's effeminate childishness and personal vindictiveness on Gab, I was called a "loser" crying "soy tears," a "faggot" and some obscene names I will not repeat here. There was no attempt to coherently argue why I was wrong.
Donald Trump is not Satan, but neither is he Jesus Christ. Trump has implemented more good policy than bad. History will regard him as arguably the most important President in protecting human rights thanks to appointing three of the five justices that overturned the abominable Roe v. Wade decision. Trump repealed oppressive regulations implemented by Deep State bureaucrats and protected consumer choice. Trump still has major problems with his character, primarily his total lack of self-control and his habit of being viciously personally vindictive.
It does not have to be "all or nothing." We actually can think for ourselves and judge Trump's actions, policies and personal character and find things that are destructive and praiseworthy. Recognizing the bad of Trump makes me a blasphemer and a heretic to one side, while recognizing the good aspects of Trump makes me anathema to the other. But I will not worship your "god" and I will not join your cult. I will continue to be a blasphemer and a heretic.