Over the weekend in Washington, D.C., in front of nearly 1,000 people, I was shocked and honored when Principles First presented me with its 2026 Profile in Courage Award!
I share this award with the entire team at Leaving MAGA, and all those brave enough to have followed their values and left Donald Trump behind for the good of our country.
I was struck by something the presenter said: courage rarely comes with rewards. “More often,” she added, “courage looks like standing alone, telling an uncomfortable truth, and accepting the cost that follows.”
It’s true. There was a cost to publicly walking away from a movement that once defined my identity. But I don’t regret it for a minute. I am proud of my choice to help others find a way out, and I’d make that same choice again every single time.
But here’s what I’ve learned: the more visible this work becomes, the more people reach out to us — quietly questioning, not sure where to turn. Right now, we don’t have the resources to reach all of them. That’s where you come in.
Today, I was proud to be able to bring my story to a national audience on MS NOW with Katy Tur. We’ll share that clip with you when we have it. The fact is that the more people who know about Leaving MAGA and the work we do — which we could not do without you — the more they want to know.
Meanwhile, the response to my newly-released memoir, One Betrayal Too Many: Why I Left MAGA, has been huge! It’s driving much-needed conversation.
One Betrayal Too Many: Why I Left MAGA, is now ranked #1 in Political Reference, #1 in Political Psychology, and #2 in Social Activist Biographies on Amazon.
And that’s thanks to you! The more Leaving MAGA supporters who buy this book, the higher it will rank in Amazon’s algorithm — meaning more people who’ve never heard of Leaving MAGA will see it, read it, and put it into the hands of someone they love who’s still inside the movement.
I don’t let myself off the hook in this book. It opens with an apology for the seven years I spent as a MAGA activist, spreading disinformation and fear. What comes after that apology is a blueprint for how people can leave MAGA without losing their dignity, their identity, or their community.
That is the work Leaving MAGA does every day. We go directly to voters who are quietly questioning Trump but don’t yet know where to turn. We are there when they are ready. We connect people who got out with people who are ready to get out, through storytelling, community, and nationwide outreach.
None of this happens without you.
We’re reaching people who never thought they’d question MAGA. We’re having conversations that weren’t possible a year ago — and it’s all thanks to you and your belief that we can turn our country around. With your support, we’ll keep showing up for the people who need us. For those who can no longer tolerate the betrayals.
Thanks for being with us on this odyssey,
Rich
