I don't like Donald Trump. I think that he is one of the scariest people in the United States, and the prospect of him becoming president terrifies me. Not everyone shares my point of view, however. Here are the seven phases of grief one goes through when realizing their friend is a Trump supporter.
1. Shock and Disbelief:
First comes the disbelief: You don't understand what is happening. You see a picture shared on Facebook by a friend that came from Donald Trump's official page. The friend seems to be supportive of the Republican candidate and, for the life of you, you can't understand why. You're friend has never appeared prejudice, but here they are, supporting someone who has spoken out against just about every minority possible. It's unbelievable and you can't understand it.
2. Denial:
Then comes the denial. Your friend doesn't really support Donald Trump. They don't really believe that there should be a Muslim ban or a wall built between the US and Mexico. They don't really believe in demeaning women. They don't really believe that Trump is a good man who will "make America great again". You try to forget what you saw on Facebook the best you can. After all, you no one really believes that Donald Trump is fit for public office, right?
3. Anger
When the truth can no longer be denied, you become angry. You become angry at your friend for believing all the lies that Trump spews. You're angry at your friend for supporting a man who demeans women every single day. But you're also angry at America. You're angry that there are people in America who think Trump be a good representation of the people and America's values. You're angry at America for treating this election like a joke and for allowing such a hateful man to become the presidential nominee for such a major party. You're just angry.
4. Bargaining:
Next comes the bargaining. You wish that your friend was able to see the light, understand the reality of the election and how important it is. You hope and pray that they will realize that Donald Trump isn't the right person. He isn't the right person to be president. He is not qualified for public office and will never be.
5. Guilt
The guilt comes when you feel like you should have done more. You feel like you let your friend down because you didn't talk about politics much and maybe if you had more, she wouldn't be supporting Trump. For some reason, you also feel the need to apologize to the public on behalf of your friend, because you know that supporting Donald Trump is a truly awful thing and someone should apologize.
6. Depression
The depression hits you like a wall because you just find it so sad that Americans can support a man who doesn't care about women's rights or refugees or immigrants. You're even sadder that your friend support such a man. But mostly what makes you the saddest is the fact that through this election you realize that America isn't what you thought it was if it allows someone like Donald Trump to run for president.
7. Acceptance and Hope
At the end of the day, though, comes the acceptance because you know that not everyone is going to share your same political beliefs and that's fine. Acceptance also happens because you realize that even though your friend supports Donald Trump, it doesn't mean that he is going to win and end up in the White House. After all, Hilary Clinton is shown as beating Trump in every political poll and Trump has lost the support of most of the biggest politicians in his party.
