Editor’s Note: Throughout this post, respondents use anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, and racist language. We felt it was important to reflect these responses as written but acknowledge this is incorrect and harmful language.
We recently asked people in the BuzzFeed Community who voted for Donald Trump a question first posed in the r/AskPolitics subreddit: What could Donald Trump do to lose your support? The responses we received and that people shared in the Ask Politics subreddit were sobering. Here are a few of them:
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1. “Continue disregarding the laws of this country. We elected a president, not a king.”
2. “If Trump didn’t follow through with his promises to deport ALL illegal migrants, eliminate DEI, purge the FBI, and ban transgenders, he would lose my support.”
3. “Trump lost my support on Inauguration Day when he could not move the country forward by providing optimism, positivity, and hopefulness to the United States. Trump presented as a threat right away, and I know voting for him was a big, big mistake.”
4. “I am from West Virginia, and his recent freeze of federal programs hurt my family and many friends. He has lost my support already.”
5. “The only thing he could do to make me unhappy with him is if he would start putting liberal policies back in place. I love, love, love what he is doing right now!”
6. “We voted for border security. We didn’t vote for my husband to lose his government career and benefits for which he has worked so hard.”
“This possibility is looming over countless families right now. We don’t know what our financial future holds. My husband dedicated the better part of his life to this country, first in the military and now working for the government. I have watched as he busted his ass every single day for this job. Our story is like many others, yet they [the Trump administration] see them as budget line items.
We are not a fucking line item. We are real people with families who need to put food on the table just like everyone else. We have done nothing but support this country. To be disregarded and tossed out to save a buck is sickening. I support Trump on many things, but I won’t support him on this. He has already lost my support.”
7. “I am one year away from retirement age, which is 65. I worry that he will reduce social security benefits before I reach retirement age, putting me in a predicament of having to continue to work until 67 or even 70.”
8. “If he magically morphed into Joe Biden.”
9. “Tank the economy because he’s too arrogant, or drag us into a war because he can’t keep his mouth shut.”
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10. “He has already lost my support for attacking federal workers who are veterans.”
11. “If he went woke, I would stop supporting him. That’s it.”
12. “I have supported him in all elections and have never completely agreed with his border policies. I think some illegal immigrants pose a threat, but it’s hard to convince a native Floridian with a mom who’s Panamanian that all illegal immigrants pose a threat. I think he is using it as a scare tactic for people who live in the Midwest or in suburbs that possibly lack diversity.”
“There are millions of reasons why I like him. Mainly his business mind and toughness. I know many immigrants currently contribute to making America great. I would stop supporting him if I sensed his deportation tactics were creating hate toward Hispanics or inciting violence.
I hope we are not kicking out intelligent and qualified people who are disregarded just because they speak Spanish or are brown. It’s hard to know or understand who is getting deported and why, and it seems like most Republicans don’t care.”
13. “Keeping Musk around!”
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14. “If he bad-mouthed JD Vance, he would lose my support. He would lose my support if he tried to get a third term. However, he’s better than the other options, in my opinion.”
“There are fair arguments for and against both sides of the aisle. At least he’s kept his promises, regardless of how bad or good they were. That’s more than what most politicians could say.”
15. “I would have to stop supporting President Trump if he did something inexcusable like ease up on the importance of deporting individuals regardless of age/sex or giving preferential treatment to any individual based on their sex/race/identity. Also, allowing children to be sexually exploited by teaching them about sexuality or sexual preferences.”
16. “If he starts imposing even larger tariffs without building up our gas and oil supply. So, instead of prices going down, they go up to 2021–2022 levels (which is what it seems like he’s doing).”
17. “If he takes away grants that assist underprivileged people, such as SNAP, Meals On Wheels, Head Start, and veteran services. My heart breaks just thinking my vote may have contributed to this.”
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18. “If he does anything other than increase social security. Any cuts would be a reason to vote for impeachment.”
19. “I am a one-issue voter: border control.”
“If you want to raise the minimum wage, I am all for it. If you wish to promote contraceptives to girls, go for it. If you want to provide better healthcare to the struggling middle class, go for that!
But when services are taken from US citizens because other people are allowed free and unfettered access to our borders and social services, which are all very meager, then we have to draw the line.”
Fact Check: People in the US illegally are ineligible to receive assistance from federal programs like Medicare and Social Security despite financially contributing to both if they work.
20. “He would have to restrict or want to restrict gun rights more than his opponent.”
“Gun laws are THE political issue for me. In my opinion, gun control doesn’t work (Chicago, for example). It only disarms law-abiding citizens who should have them for personal defense or to rebel against a tyrannical government.”
Fact check: Illinois has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country, and its violence rate is just below the national average.
21. “If he doesn’t follow through on tax cuts for lower and middle-income workers, I’ll be extremely disappointed.”
Fact Check: Trump’s proposed tax cuts have consistently promised to benefit higher-income taxpayers and, in turn, hurt lower- and middle-income taxpayers.
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22. “Get the US involved in another endless, pointless war.”
23. “My Trump-supporting mom said that if he lifted sanctions on Russia, she would vote Democrat next election.”
24. “Fail to deport millions of migrants, legal and illegal.”
“I voted for him in 2016, and he failed to do that; it was just campaign rhetoric. So I didn’t vote for him in 2020 or 2024.”
25. “He’s made some very bold and explicit claims on superfluous things like the JFK files and more serious topics like the deportation of illegal immigrants who have also committed violent crimes. Also, he promised not to put federal restrictions on abortion rights. I’d like to see some pretty quick and intentional actions taken on these issues in his first few months in office.”
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26. “Tax unrealized capital gains, regulate AI so only big tech can do it, regulate crypto into oblivion.”
27. And finally, “If he fails to secure the borders or deport people who are here illegally.”
“If he raises taxes and pushes policies that reduce fuel or power production in the US, causing higher fuel prices.”
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Responses have been edited for length/clarity.