PRINTThe MAGA Exit Strategy: Why Trump’s Followers Can’t Leave—And How We Can Break His Spell and Bring Them Back Home
by Jason Egenberg
It’s easy—comforting, even—to believe that Trump’s most ardent supporters are simply political extremists, swept up in a wave of bad faith and worse ideas. That if we could just present them with the right facts, the right evidence, the right moral argument, they’d snap out of it.
But that’s not how identity works.
Because MAGA isn’t just a movement—it’s a personality.
It’s not about policy or governance. It never has been. It’s about belonging. It’s about the human need to feel seen, to feel important, to feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. And for millions of Americans, MAGA has filled that need.
MAGA as an Identity, Not Just a Political Choice
We talk about Trump’s base as if they’re just die-hard voters, but the reality is closer to religious conversion. He didn’t just sell them a political ideology; he sold them themselves.
You’re not just a Republican—you’re a patriot, a warrior in a battle for America’s soul.
You’re not just frustrated by the system—you’ve been betrayed by it, and Trump is the only one who sees the truth.
You’re not just supporting a politician—you’re defending your very identity against those who want to erase it.
This is why the usual tactics—fact-checking, debunking, arguing—fail. Because what you’re really asking someone to do is question their entire sense of self.
Admitting Trump is a fraud isn’t just about accepting that he’s lied to them. It’s about accepting that they were wrong to believe him. That their trust, their passion, their votes—all of it—was manipulated.
And that kind of realization? It doesn’t come easily.
Trump’s Role in Perpetuating the Identity Crisis
Trump isn’t just a politician—he’s a cult leader who thrives on keeping his followers trapped in an endless cycle of devotion and victimhood.
He feeds their identity crisis with carefully curated narratives designed to make defection impossible:
The Persecution Narrative: "They’re not after me, they’re after you." If Trump is being persecuted, then so are his followers. If he falls, they fall.
The ‘Fake News’ Defense: Any negative coverage isn’t just false—it’s an attack on Trump supporters personally.
The ‘Deep State’ Scapegoat: When Trump fails, it’s never his fault. There’s always some shadowy force conspiring against him—and by extension, against his supporters.
This psychological grip is why no amount of indictments, scandals, or failures shake his core base. Trump has made it clear: if they abandon him, they’re not just changing their minds—they’re betraying themselves.
Why MAGA Diehards Won’t Just Walk Away
Imagine spending years fighting for a cause, sacrificing relationships, reshaping your entire worldview—only to be confronted with the possibility that you were duped. That you’ve been defending a con man.
It’s not just difficult to face. It’s humiliating.
That’s why, when Trump gets indicted, when his businesses collapse, when his fraud is laid bare—his base doesn’t abandon him. They double down. Because when you’ve built your entire identity around something, the alternative isn’t just admitting defeat. It’s personal obliteration.
And so, when presented with irrefutable proof of Trump’s corruption, most don’t say, “I was wrong.” They say, “The system is rigged.”
When he gets caught in another lie, they don’t say, “He betrayed us.” They say, “The media is lying.”
It’s not about logic. It’s about survival.
The Deeper Threat: A Radicalized Faction That Won’t Let Go
One of the most dangerous miscalculations we can make is assuming that Trump’s exit from the political stage will cause MAGA to dissolve. While many of his supporters may be swayed by reality over time, a hardcore faction remains beyond reach—one that has been fully radicalized and will never let go.
This is where the “Lost Cause” comparison stops being a historical analogy and becomes a dire warning. If Trumpism isn’t actively dismantled, it won’t simply fade away—it will evolve. It could solidify into something even more entrenched, a permanent grievance movement that outlives Trump himself.
We’ve seen this before. The Confederate ideology didn’t die with the Civil War—it metastasized into Jim Crow, segregation, and a white supremacist order that lasted for generations. The same risk exists here. If the most radicalized MAGA believers are left unchecked, if we fail to disrupt the narratives that fuel their extremism, Trumpism could mutate into something even more dangerous—an enduring, festering force of authoritarian resentment.
That’s why confronting this crisis isn’t just about countering Trump. It’s about dismantling the conditions that allow movements like this to take root and ensuring that the next demagogue doesn’t find an even more radicalized base waiting for them.
The Off-Ramp: Why We Need to Give MAGA Voters a Way Out
So how do you pull someone out of a political identity that’s become their entire personality?
You give them somewhere else to go.
Right now, there’s no off-ramp for MAGA believers—only a cliff. They’re told that abandoning Trump means becoming a loser, a traitor, a brainwashed liberal who was wrong all along. And no one wants to see themselves that way.
If we want to reclaim these voters—if we want to pull America back from the brink—we have to stop forcing them to choose between Trump or total humiliation.
That means:
1. Stop Shaming, Start Listening
Calling people fascists, racists, and Nazis only cements their loyalty to Trump. It makes him their only safe harbor in a world that hates them. Instead of demonizing, we need to create spaces where people feel safe enough to change their minds.
This isn’t about excusing their behavior—it’s about understanding what keeps them trapped.
2. Give Them a New Narrative
Instead of saying, “You were fooled,” frame it as, “You were lied to.” Shift the blame onto Trump and his enablers, not the people who trusted him. Make it clear that leaving Trump isn’t a betrayal of their values—it’s the ultimate defense of them.
A smart example? Liz Cheney’s messaging. She doesn’t attack rank-and-file Trump voters—she tells them they’ve been deceived by Trump and his enablers. That distinction matters.
3. Offer an Alternative Identity
If someone walks away from MAGA, they need a new community to walk into. Something that preserves their sense of patriotism, their desire for change, their need for belonging—without the extremism and delusion.
This is where political leaders, media figures, and grassroots organizations need to step up. What’s the alternative? A revitalized moderate conservative movement? A non-partisan pro-democracy movement? If we want people to leave MAGA, we need to give them a compelling destination.
Case Study: A MAGA Defector’s Story
Take David Weissman, a former MAGA diehard who transformed into a vocal critic of Trumpism. Weissman was a self-proclaimed Trump warrior, battling liberals on Twitter and defending every move Trump made. But as he began to interact with people who treated him with respect instead of mockery, his walls came down.
It wasn’t an immediate shift. He didn’t wake up one day and renounce Trump. It was gradual—conversations that chipped away at the narrative he had built his identity around.
And most importantly? He found a new community. Other former MAGA supporters. Progressives who welcomed him instead of shaming him. A new identity that didn’t require him to cling to Trump.
That’s the model.
What Happens If We Don’t Fix This?
If we fail to provide an off-ramp, MAGA won’t just fade away—it will harden into a permanent extremist faction.
If Trumpism isn’t actively dismantled, we’re not just looking at another four years of chaos—we’re looking at a future where MAGA becomes America’s new lost cause, a grievance-driven movement that outlives Trump himself.
We’ve already seen what happens when political extremism festers. The January 6th attack was a warning, not an isolated event. The next coup attempt won’t be as sloppy—and the more people feel backed into a corner, the more dangerous they become.
Reclaiming America Starts with Reclaiming Americans
We can’t save democracy by writing off half the country. We can’t beat Trumpism just by defeating Trump.