"I Would Divorce Him, But He Has Cancer": People Who Dated Or Married Trump Supporters Are Sharing Their Stories, And It's Heartbreaking
We all know that politics has divided the country, but it's done plenty of damage to relationships, too — with couples fighting over a major difference in morals and values.
Here are stories from members of the BuzzFeed Community who dated or married conservative significant others:
1."My husband was one of the nicest guys on the planet when I married him 25 years ago. I saw him get brainwashed with all this MAGA BS through the years, and it has changed him — for the worse. He makes the most vile comments about people and won’t listen to anything contrary to the party line. It doesn’t matter if you prove to him something is disinformation. He always has an excuse. Honestly, I’ve lost all respect for him. We’ve instilled a 'no politics' rule, but he often breaks it, and we end up arguing. I’m wondering if it will finally sink in when inflation keeps rising, our taxes go up, and we lose our Social Security."
—Anonymous
2."I got married to a Trump lover. Knew it at the time but figured it would work. It didn't. I saw that her morals were the same as Trump's, and she lacked integrity. We are getting a divorce."
—Anonymous
3."My ex-boyfriend and I had a good relationship until September 2024 when the elections started picking up. I was OK with the different political views and his 'reasons' to vote for him. When he asked why I would never vote for Trump, I said, 'To start with, I am a woman.' He then started to change and became distant. He tried to sell me some conspiracy theories, and one day, he said he wanted to start going to church."
"Fast-forward to Nov. 5, he went MIA. Later that day, he pushed my buttons to the point that we broke up. Two days later, I caught him in bed with his ex-girlfriend from four years ago. So, yeah, not even trying to stereotype, but I guess toxic men vote for toxic men."
—Anonymous
4."My husband is an avid Trump supporter, and I am anti-Trump. I would like politics to stay out of our marriage, but this is a difficult issue for me. I am Mexican American, and my husband is white. Needless to say, Trump's rhetoric about immigrants has deeply affected me. I see how it has impacted the community I grew up in, and it’s heartbreaking. I have tried to explain to my husband the effects of Trump’s policies on brown immigrants. Trump spreads hate and division among Americans, but my husband does not see it that way."
"I find it very unsettling that my husband is blind to this. Is it white privilege that allows him to look beyond the racism and hate being spread in this country? Now, I have to avoid all discussions about politics with him. I don’t want politics to ruin my marriage, but it’s difficult to accept that our core values aren’t aligned."
—Anonymous
5."My man is a Republican, and I believe in human rights. Sometimes, we have heated arguments. VERY heated. He believes everything the right news says and thinks I'm stupid when I point out very real consequences. We had to go to therapy when Trump won the first time. Now, we usually agree to disagree or simply do not talk about it. Sometimes that works; sometimes it doesn't. He once quoted Carville's 'It's the economy, stupid.'"
"Now I tell him he voted for a conman who is not only NOT focusing on lowering household costs (which he ran on) but is actually making things worse. Still, I'm just a 'liberal bleeding heart.'"
—Anonymous
6."When I met my boyfriend in 2014, one of the first things I told him was I hate conspiracy theories. He said he didn't like them either, but through the years, it became clear that he was a believer (including the Sandy Hook ones). Then, he went MAGA. We ended up arguing about issues way too much, and by January 2021, I was so done!"
—Anonymous
7."I married someone who had different political beliefs than me. His father was an elected official in Florida who was a staunch Republican, and I was from a liberal family in academia. At our wedding, everyone chuckled about how different our families were to one another. For many years, we agreed to disagree, but over the 14 years, our fundamental differences began to break down our bond and marriage."
"Who we are at our core is what guides us in our decision-making, like how we raise our children. When two people have different ideas of how that should look, it then begins to erode the relationship. Although we had a lot of respect for one another, our core beliefs ultimately took us in different directions. We divorced after 14 years of marriage."
—Anonymous
8."Someone I love very much broke up with me because of my anti-Trump belief. I have lost a love, and I have a very broken heart; he knew how I felt before he met me. My family also has a sick love for Trump. I will stand in my pain and truth forever if I have to — Trump is of the DEVIL!!!!!!!"
—Anonymous
9."My husband is a Trump voter, and there are times I just can’t love him in the same way anymore due to what MAGA stands for. He thought the January insurrection was just a peaceful protest when I was watching the violence on TV live! It really has me depressed as I don’t want to be around someone who supports these Trumpians anymore."
"I even told him that the pope didn’t like what was happening on immigration and asked how he could reconcile his strong Catholic faith with what MAGA and Trump are doing. That got his attention, but he wouldn’t answer the question."
—Anonymous
10."When I met my husband 42 years ago, he was a diehard Democratic Socialist and worked for the unions. But about 10 years ago, somehow something changed, and he has become a MAGA man: uber-conservative and watches Fox News all day, every day. We never discuss politics. I volunteer with the Democratic Party, and he volunteers with the Republicans. Once in a while, one of us slips and says something political, and we have a huge argument. I am disappointed and angry at him."
"Some days are harder than others, and I've had to get therapy. My friends can't believe I live with this, but I have to compartmentalize and think of all his many other good points to deal with his belief system, which I abhor. That's become my life."
—Anonymous
11."Had we been mid-Trump when we dated, I would have never married him. Honestly, I don’t know what to do. Right now, we just don’t discuss it. No news on when I’m in the house. It’s beyond stressful."
—Anonymous
12."My wife drank the Trump Kool-Aid. She used to be more accepting of people and their lifestyles. I love her, but sometimes when she starts talking about some conspiracies, I can't help but think, 'What happened to the fun, smart, loving, empathetic woman I married?' I no longer trust her judgment on things that I would have in the past. I just want these MAGA morons to disappear so I can have my fun, loving wife back."
—Anonymous
13."I’m married to a Trump supporter whose family is historically bigoted. I try to bring up my concerns about the alarming state of affairs and atrocities being openly committed on our own people and other people around the world. It just results in anger, rejection, and the accusation that I 'obsess' over what amounts to 'fake news.' Me having bipolar disorder is often used against me as a way to suggest it is what causes me to be overly concerned. It feels like I’m isolated in the sad truth of things while so many others appear to choose to remain in the dark — or worse, applaud the destruction of our society."
—Anonymous
14."Yes, I dated someone and moved in with him and realized I made a mistake afterward because of his MAGA beliefs. We had dated in high school but went our separate ways in college; 37 years later, after my divorce, I contacted him and we were so happy to be reunited. We took several trips and moved in together a few months later. As time went on, I realized we just had so many political differences it would not work. I was heartbroken because I still loved him. We moved out after eight months, but I still couldn’t forget him. Months later, we finally broke up again and are still broken up. I am very sad it didn’t work out."
—Anonymous
15."My spouse and his family are MAGA. When I go to his brother's house, I have to walk through all the Trump banners. It’s sickening. My husband tries to convince me Trump is great, I’m being fed lies, etc. I’ve had years of this crap. We have been married 40 years. I would divorce him, but he has cancer."
—Anonymous
16."I had been with him for 17 years. The first Trump presidency was rough, but I stuck it out. I woke up the morning after the most recent election and decided enough was enough. I couldn't survive another four years of hearing about 'stupid libs.' Immediately started making arrangements to move out, and I broke up with him by dinnertime. Best decision I could ever have made."
—Anonymous
17.And finally, "My husband voted for Trump. I’m a federal government employee and have devoted 28 years of my life to promoting and protecting public health (cancer research, food outbreaks, adulterated drugs, etc.). My colleagues and I anticipate getting fired not by our agency but by someone outside the agency who thinks we should be terminated. How is that 'Making American Great Again?'"
"Our new agency slogan is 'Make America Healthy Again.' How do you suppose we do that when no one is left to do the work? The best scientists got fired, and the best candidate does not want to apply for a now-dysfunctional federal agency. I told my husband he is responsible for our family. He and my in-laws believe Trump can’t do anything wrong."
—Anonymous
Have you ever dated someone with different political views? If so, what happened? Share your story in the comments below or in this anonymous Google form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
