"I Am Not A Nazi, Transphobe Fascist": Conservatives Who Are Not MAGA Shared What People Get Wrong About Them

During these highly polarized governmental times, it mightiness beryllium casual to divided Americans into liberals vs. MAGA, but determination are really immoderate Republicans retired determination who bash not enactment Donald Trump.

So, we recently asked anti-Trump conservatives successful the BuzzFeed Community what radical misunderstand astir them and what they privation much radical understood. Here's what they said:

1. "I would accidental I americium successful the mediate but thin much towards the Republican broadside of things. I would not caput raising taxes for things similar escaped healthcare oregon schooling, but determination is nary transparency with our taxes. I judge my taxation dollars are not going towards those programs — they are going successful the pockets of crooked politicians oregon towards authorities programs that are truthful lax with rules and restrictions that radical who really request the assistance are not getting it. I americium precise pro-gun and pro-second amendment rights, but I besides hold we should person stricter intelligence wellness and registration for guns."

"America was built connected being a melting cookware of people, but I bash not hold with amerciable immigrants. You participate a state the ineligible and close and close way. But I definite arsenic hellhole bash not hold with however Trump and his radical are handling it. I americium terrified to adjacent talk up successful today's satellite astir having blimpish values due to the fact that I americium automatically assumed to beryllium a racist, anti-gay, achromatic supremacist — erstwhile that is precise acold from the truth. Do I similar today's Democrats and however they grip things? No way! But they are the lesser of the 2 evils astatine this point."

—32, female, Virginia

2. "The quality betwixt blimpish and MAGA is precise simply 1 word: respect. Respect for however policies are implemented. Respect for the opposing constituent of view. Respect for unfastened dialogue. Respect for each and not conscionable us."

—Illinois

3. "I’m a blimpish centrist and find MAGA abhorrent. Liberals (in my ain family) don’t recognize however I tin beryllium blimpish but not MAGA. I privation them to cognize I tin person a presumption of constricted government, lawmaking, and incrementalism to code nine without the MAGA governmental messaging that I don’t subscribe to. I anticipation MAGA volition beryllium gone soon, and we get backmost to the ideology of Romney and different mean Republican centrists."

—50, male, Illinois

4. "I grew up Republican. Didn’t similar everything astir the party, but it wasn’t arsenic utmost arsenic it is today. I was utilized to GOP presidents who were astatine slightest articulate and acted presidential. This rotting pumpkin is simply a disgrace to the quality race. His full archetypal term, I felt ashamed to adjacent beryllium successful the aforesaid enactment (FYI, I didn’t ballot for the guy!), but January 6th was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I instantly went retired and switched parties, nary regrets. I look astatine these unsighted followers oregon the radical helium surrounds himself with, and I can’t judge what has happened to this country."

"I effort not to ticker the quality due to the fact that I don’t privation to adjacent perceive his name. I enactment with a fewer MAGA maniacs who emotion him, but present that their utilities are going up and they can’t spend things similar food, gas, oregon medicine, they are starting to spot the light. January 20, 2029 seems truthful acold away, but I'm looking guardant to it!"

—51, male, Boston, Massachusetts

5. "I'm a conservative. I hold with immoderate of what the existent medication is doing, but not each of it. What radical get incorrect is that I don't ticker Fox News. I americium not a Nazi, transphobe fascist. I americium consenting to person civilian conversations with radical who don't hold with me. I americium besides not truthful stuck successful my opinions that I americium unwilling to alteration erstwhile it comes to definite topics."

—cleverturkey53

6. "I'm an OG Never-Trumper. I've been a fiscal blimpish funny successful stability, security, and prosperity since the mid-'80s. It is plain that Donald Trump tin present nary of those things. What I privation radical understood is that it is precisely my committedness to American values and the imaginativeness of the Founders that made maine instantly and wholly cull Trump and MAGA. Daily, I shingle my caput astatine the gross overreach and hubris MAGAts have. There is astir nary facet of beingness they don't question to control, contempt their conceit that they unsocial are the defenders of freedom."

"My Catholicism is grounded successful respect for the dignity of each persons and compassion for the slightest among us. This is straight astatine likelihood with the loud, cruel, laughably situational Christianity claimed by galore successful Trump's movement. My conservatism — my inclination to conserve our rights, constrain the state, and unafraid an enduring planetary bid — is the other of these cruel main characters and their hordes of unserious, cringey NPCs."

—57, female, Iowa

7. "I person nary animosity towards the LGBTQ+ assemblage and person respect for each governmental views. I deliberation that the extremist near and close are problematic, and we should each beryllium capable to sermon our disagreements respectfully!"

—19, female, Massachusetts

8. "I dislike President Trump arsenic a idiosyncratic and would ne'er ballot for him due to the fact that of his character. I privation to spot much fiscal restraint, and MAGA is not that. I americium socially acold much wide than MAGA, and I disagree vehemently with the racist and sexist parts of MAGA, but I'm not a progressive. And the Epstein files are a superior interest to me."

"Non-MAGA Republicans are not closet Democrats and are not closet progressives. We don't hold with wherever the Democratic Party is going. Our enactment is abandoning us, but that doesn't mean the different enactment is embracing us."

—54, male, New York

9. "I registered to ballot Republican erstwhile I was capable to, 48 years ago. When Trump ran for bureau successful 2015, I registered arsenic an Independent and said I would ne'er ballot for a antheral similar him. MAGA is simply a strategy helium stole from Nixon and made his ain unspeakable brand. Anyone too his billionaire buddies that deliberation Trump is going to marque their beingness amended needs to aftermath up and inquire themselves what helium has done for them. If you don’t judge me, inquire Tucker Carlson. Tucker has shown that radical tin aftermath up. Let the votes amusement successful November."

—oddcaptain232

10. "Trump does not correspond a person who tin amended anything."

—62, male, Virginia

11. "I americium 'conservative' successful the consciousness that I firmly judge 'if it ain't broke, don't hole it.' I americium besides 'liberal' successful the consciousness that I firmly judge 'if it bash beryllium broke, hole it TF NOW.' I don't similar alteration for change's sake, but I besides recognize that if we don't alteration and accommodate and evolve, we volition stagnate and autumn behind. That's what blimpish is expected to mean, not its modern right-wing neo-fascist governmental meaning. And that's what astir radical get wrong."

—46, male, Florida

12. And finally, "So galore radical automatically presume that thing close of halfway = MAGA. I thin blimpish but moderate, would ballot for a mean Democrat if the near decided not to contiguous a progressive candidate, and I person ne'er erstwhile formed a ballot for Donald Trump. I judge cheery radical should beryllium joined and happy. I judge termination should spell backmost to the '90s mode of 'safe, legal, and rare.' I deliberation radical should participate this state legally, but I besides bash not deliberation ICE should beryllium forcefully tearing families apart. I judge successful constricted government, idiosyncratic responsibility, and the regularisation of law."

"Mostly, I judge that galore of america tin get on overmuch amended than we already bash if we conscionable halt highlighting each of our differences and lumping radical unneurotic into groups based connected assumptions. And we should commencement TALKING to each other. We don't each request to beryllium enemies, but I consciousness similar successful this era, immoderate radical similar that."

—45, female, Chicago

What bash you deliberation astir each this? Share your thoughts successful the comments below.