A Trump Supporter Finally Changed His Mind

Every day it seems like there's a new story about a formerly gung-ho Trump supporter suddenly coming to the conclusion that perhaps the new president doesn't have their best interests at heart. Most recently, CNN profiled Kraig Moss, a man who sold his business' equipment during campaign season so he could attend and sing songs at 45 Trump rallies across the country. But now, the man known as the "Trump Troubadour" doesn't support the president anymore, begging the question, "What took you so long?"

What was it that finally changed his mind? Well, Trumpcare and its plan to leave the decision to cover addiction treatment under Medicaid up to the states.

Tragically, Moss lost his son, Rob, to an overdose in 2014, one of 47,055 people to die of an overdose in the U.S. that year. Moss says his support for Trump was rooted in the then-candidate's promises to increase access to treatment for Americans struggling with addiction. And, as CNN reported, Moss believes that his son having insurance could have saved his life.

But when Moss learned of Trumpcare, he felt betrayed. He says he no longer supports Trump and regrets the financial risks he took to support the president's election. "Now I don't believe he was true in his word when he was speaking," he told CNN's Erin Burnett. "I think he was looking for votes, to be honest with you."

Moss' story is a sad one, and the pain in his voice is palpable as he talks about his disillusionment with the person he once believed in so much, the person who told him straight to his face, "I know what you went through." And he's not alone in feeling this way.

On March 18, CBS News told the story of Linda Preast, a Trump voter who was disappointed by the president's proposed funding cuts to Meals on Wheels, a service she relies on. Meanwhile, there's Trumpgrets, an entire Tumblr dedicated to tweets from people who regret voting for Trump. And while some of these stories are definitely tragic, it's hard for me to conjure up much sympathy for folks who now wish they hadn't supported Trump.

When it comes to Moss, I can understand why Trump's promise to address opiate addiction was appealing. But considering he attended 45 Trump rallies, I can't understand why other things the president said didn't turn him, or all of Trump's other supporters, off.

Did they miss the part in Trump's speeches when he characterized immigrants as criminals, or were they in the crowd cheering along? Were they off the grid when Trump said undocumented Mexican immigrants in the U.S. are "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists," or did they listen to that comment without batting an eye? Did they never hear the audio of Trump's "locker room talk" in which the now-president bragged about how easy it is for him to sexually assault women?

Or did they decide those weren't reasons enough to rescind their support? How much of Trump's racist and sexist rhetoric did they hear first-hand before they ultimately decided that they would give that man their vote?

Almost certainly, media outlets will bring even more stories of disillusioned Trump supporters to light, especially as the story around Trumpcare and the Trump campaign's ties to Russia develop. And while such news stories may be meant to inspire pity, I'm not completely moved. The next time you read about someone who voted for Trump who is now disappointed at being screwed over by his enacted and proposed policies, remember that they were still OK with the president when he was talking about screwing over women, people of color, Muslims, refugees, and immigrants.

As for disillusioned Trump supporters, I'm glad they've seen the light. But now the responsibility of fighting back against his policies, and examining their former political stance, weighs even heavier on their shoulders.