Founding Father Benjamin Franklin said, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” Yet, it sometimes appears that if a MAGA Patriot questions President Trump, he or she is considered an “infidel” and verbally pushed off the Trump Train.
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On some issues, I stand with the president from start to finish. On others, I might not completely agree but appreciate the reason for his position and accept it. But there are times when I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s actions.
I am still MAGA.
I am still an America First Patriot.
I am still riding on the Trump Train.
Fellow MAGAs should accept dissent from the president because we are Trump supporters, not members of a cult. However, it happens that if a MAGA Patriot so much as whispers any disagreement with President Trump, that person will be angrily rebuffed and sent a detailed list of Trump’s achievements.
Focusing on past achievements and ignoring current issues reminds me of something I did when I was 6.
I helped my mom clean the house, fold the laundry, and take care of my baby brother. She repeatedly praised me, saying I was her little helper and doing a great job.
That afternoon, Mom went onto the stoop and bent down to put empty milk bottles into the container for the next day’s pickup. (Yes, milk used to be delivered.) While she was bending down, I ran up to her, jumping on her back for a ride. Thanks to my momentum, she flipped over and lost consciousness for a few minutes. My dad and several neighbors carried her into the house. “What the hell got into you, Robin?!” my normally serene father yelled.
A short while later, a truck came down the street playing cheerful music while pulling a small ride. All the kids asked their parents for a dime to go on the merry-go-round.
I went into my parents’ bedroom where Mom was still recovering from the fall and said, “Except for jumping on Mom’s back, I was a very good girl today by helping Mom clean the house, fold the laundry, and take care of my brother. Can I have a dime for the ride?”
I will let you guess my dad’s response.
That memory comes back whenever I post or say anything negative about a decision President Trump has made. For instance, related to Iran. Fellow MAGAs get upset, wanting to stifle disagreement and instead focus on the president’s long list of achievements.
Of course, President Trump deserves a standing ovation for his multitude of accomplishments, but admiration does not require silence. Supporting the president does not remove my right to question or disagree with something he is doing or saying.
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I’ve earned that right since I boarded the Trump Train in June 2015, when Donald Trump confidently rode down the Trump Tower escalator to announce he would run for President of the United States of America. Calling my mother, an apolitical lifelong Democrat, I informed her that Donald Trump would be elected our next president. Mom thought I was nuts. (Not the first time.)
Each month at my Republican club’s meeting, I posted flyers with photos of the 17 candidates who had declared for office. Among them, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush!, Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and former Arkansas Governor (and Pastor) Mike Huckabee. Members put their initials next to the candidate they supported.
Through the remainder of 2015 and into early 2016, my initials were usually the only ones on the Trump flyer. Most members remained split between Dr. Ben Carson and Senator Ted Cruz.
Slowly, those initials changed. Candidates dropped out after primaries or debates. Suddenly, I had lots of company on the Trump Train! As momentum grew, I organized or participated in rallies, attended events, and started wearing Trump attire.
Trump 45 offered Patriots an exciting, sometimes frustrating, but always glorious train ride. Then the fraudulent pause for a docile old man whom history will only remember as the dash between 45 and 47. (I started my weekly national newsletter, Patriot Neighbors, in 2020, the same year I started contributing articles to American Thinker.)
By President Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, the Trump Train was overflowing with Americans supporting a man who shares our commonsense conservative values. For two more years (especially if we hold Congress) and with the right Republican nominee in 2028, this great Trump Train ride will continue.
MAGA Patriots who respectfully question, debate, or criticize Trump policy should be welcomed, not chastised, because a wealth of different views benefits all of us. As Founding Father Thomas Jefferson said, “No government should be without critics. If its intentions are good, then it has nothing to fear from criticism.” Or, as Ronald Reagan said, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is an 80% friend, not a 20% enemy.”
Image created using AI.
Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at [email protected].
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