It is time

This piece was written by one of my cousins, who works in education but dabbles in politics. He's sharp enough to be a pundit or a politician himself. I think this is the third piece of his that I have published here. I won't name him out of courtesy, but I would sure like to.

Here we are. It's 2026, and America finds itself at a critical moment in our history, a time where there are no more excuses for people remaining under Trump's spell.

I have been trying to avoid posts on politics because I believe they are mostly useless. And I hate using my feed to give the man an ounce of attention, but it is time for every American to make EXTREMELY CLEAR where they stand.

(If you don't like politics on your timeline, I hear you, but you can just keep scrolling. I invite comments and challenges, but any attempt to police MY own page will be deleted.)

The best time to reject Trump was when he came down the escalator, but there have been countless off-ramps since then.

When he bragged about sexually assaulting women, it was time.

When he was held liable for sexual abuse, it was time.

When he mocked a disabled person, it was time.

When he incited a riot after losing a fair election and called the terrorists "patriots," it was time.

When he coarsened political discourse by name calling and childish insults, it was time.

When he dehumanized immigrants, it was time.

When he mocked John McCain and said, "I like people who weren't captured," it was time.

When he called on the Proud Boys, it was time.

When he adopted the language of white nationalists, it was time.

There have been a thousand other points for people to leave the cult.

Epstein, Greenland, Minnesota....It's hard to keep up with all of the opportunities to leave Trumpism, and thankfully, we are starting to see an exodus.

But there are holdouts, the "conservatives" who are willfully blind.

For years, these conservatives who migrated to Trump's cult claimed the moral high ground. They wrapped themselves in "family values," patriotism, Christian faith, and national security.

And, while I OFTEN disagreed with their views, I did think there were certain values to which they were committed.

But the moment those values demanded consistency, courage, or sacrifice, they were discarded. What remains is not conservatism, it is mindless and relentless allegiance to a madman.

Let’s start with family values. The phrase has been weaponized for decades to shame others and project a self-righteous moral superiority.

But those family values were readily abandoned when they fell in love with Trump. After all, Trump is a serial adulterer and a man who appears more interested in protecting sexual predators than their victims. He publicly humiliates women and brags about sexual assault. When millions of “family values” voters looked at that and said, "Hell yeah! This is fine," they forfeited the right to lecture ANYONE about morality. If your values are so easily shed to gain political power, they are not values. They are simply part of a malleable "brand" that morphs itself to continue justifying the worship of a single man.

Then there is patriotism, perhaps the most abused word in modern American life. Patriotism is not blind loyalty to a leader. It is loyalty to democratic principles, the Constitution, and the PEOPLE who ARE America.

When Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack on our U.S. Capitol, attempted to subvert democracy by overturning an election he lost, and openly praised authoritarians who imprison journalists and crush dissent, the Trump flags continued to wave. His followers rationalized. They minimized. They cheered. That is not patriotism. That is submission to a wannabe dictator dressed up in red, white, and blue. My grandfathers didn't fight in two different world wars for that.

And conservatives have traditionally pushed us into meaningless wars because they supposedly valued "American strength and security." Trump loyalists believe he projects American strength. In reality, he is erratic, thin-skinned, and easily manipulated by flattery. He is undermining NATO, flouting international law, alienating allies, and treating intelligence professionals as enemies if they dare contradict him. He claims to have no checks on his own power other than his own morality. That is, perhaps, the most Anti-American statement a POTUS has ever made.

Trump isn't strong. He is petty and weak. True strength requires discipline, intelligence, honesty, courage, consistency, and competence. Trump offers none of that. What Trump offers, and his followers accept, is chaos and incompetence marketed as toughness (see Pete Hegseth).

And then there is Christianity, perhaps the most cynically exploited of all. Trump embodies nearly every trait Christianity warns against: pride, greed, dishonesty, cruelty, and contempt for the vulnerable. Yet evangelical leaders line up to bless him, and millions of self-identified Christians followed suit. Why? Apparently because power matters more than principle. Jesus preached humility, mercy, and love of neighbor. Trump preaches grievance, domination, and revenge. If that contradiction doesn’t trouble you, then Christianity is a just costume you wear, not a set of principles you understand or are committed to.

The pattern has become unmistakable.

Law and order until the law applies to Trump ( a 34x felon).

Free speech until someone criticizes Trump.

Personal responsibility until it's time to release the Epstein files or for Trump to be held accountable.

Trump NEVER admitting fault while being eager to scapegoat and demonize immigrants, teachers, journalists, or anyone who dares to stand up to him.

Wearing Christianity as a badge while you cheer on greed, narcissism, and hate.

Trumpism is hollow. It has revealed the true nature of so many on the American right who have abandoned their fake projected values in favor of loyalty to a conman.

Trump exploits the worst of America. He understand our fears, our hatreds, our ignorance, and our tribalism, and he exploited it all. Rather than heal, he divides. Rather than tell the truth, he deceives without a conscience in pursuit of his own self-interests. Like every charlatan, he knows precisely how to wrap himself up to sell his bullshit.

In the process, he has revealed how shallow these "conservative values" were for so many people. He gave permission for millions to abandon decency, replace ethics with resentment, and mistake cruelty for courage. His followers accepted that permission eagerly.

So this is not about policy disagreements, although there are plenty. It is about character. A movement that excuses lies, glorifies spite, and attacks democracy itself has no moral standing no matter how often it invokes God, family, or the flag.

Real values are demanding. They constrain our behavior. They force us to reject leaders who fail to live up to those values. For them to mean ANYTHING, they can't be so easily set aside.

This should have been obvious long ago. But, in 2026, there simply are no more excuses.

You know.

You see clearly who he is.

And folks who continue co-signing him and his insanity will forever be on the wrong side of history.

I pray for an awakening because a nation that hollows out its own values to prop up a man so devoid of ANY will not stand.