Losing faith in MAGA can happen over years. Or it can happen in a single afternoon.
Look at what happened to Thelma Louise, a Black MAGA influencer in Texas.
Thelma has a TikTok following of over 200K. She joined MAGA more than 2 years ago and helped elect Trump in 2024. She says the Republican Party welcomed her “with open arms.”
This week, she drove two hours to attend a Ken Paxton rally. While filming, staff approached her. They told her Paxton’s campaign manager was personally asking her to leave.
Thelma wasn’t doing anything disruptive. She was just existing – but she was existing as a Black woman in a white space, and Paxton’s team assumed she was a Democrat there to cause trouble.
Thelma was shocked by how they treated her. She’s still confused. How is it possible, in 2026, that they asked her to leave a political event because of her skin color?
She’s still looking for answers.
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I’m not going to put words in Thelma’s mouth. Thelma hasn’t said she’ll leave MAGA today or tomorrow. She’s still reeling from what happened.
But when the dust settles, I know she’ll reflect seriously on this experience.
And I hope others in MAGA reflect seriously on what this says about their movement.
Do you want to be part of a movement that is so segregated that the mere presence of a Black woman attracts ire and suspicion?
I certainly don’t. And I believe more and more don’t want to, either.
Thelma’s story is all too common. People in MAGA believe that MAGA’s racism, sexism, anti-immigrant rhetoric, ableism, anti-LGBT policies, etc., are going to apply to others — but not to them.
They may believe that MAGA’s rhetoric is simply inflammatory talk, and not meaningful. Or they may believe this talk applies only to a small group, one that doesn’t include upstanding citizens like them.
But the truth is, racism, sexism, and other “isms” aren’t logical. They don’t “punish” deserving people while sparing others.
Co-signing prejudice against some is co-signing prejudice against all.
That’s what Thelma learned the hard way this week – and it’s what so many former Trump voters have learned the hard way since 2024, 2020, and 2016.
It’s okay to learn and grow. At Leaving MAGA, we encourage it. More MAGA supporters need to hear this message today.
Thanks for being with us on this odyssey,
Rich
Founder, Leaving MAGA
