A self-professed lifelong Republican called into C-Span to apologize for supporting Donald Trump, citing a racist post targeting Barack and Michelle Obama as the turning point. However, the author argues that such apologies, without genuine accountability and action, are insufficient and merely serve as a substitute for real change.
The article recounts the story of John from New Mexico, a lifelong Republican who called into C-Span’s Washington Journal to express profound regret and apologize for his support of Donald Trump. His change of heart was triggered by a racist image posted on Trump's Truth Social account, depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. John, who voted for Trump in all three elections, admitted he was 'sucked into the stupidity' and now views Trump as an 'embarrassment,' a liar, corrupt, and overtly racist, causing him to realize that 'things are worse than they were before.' The author, Jamil Smith, acknowledges John's apology but refuses to accept it, framing it as a political judgment rather than a personal slight. Smith argues that in American life, 'apology and regret have become substitutes for accountability.' He criticizes the tendency for remorse to emerge only when harm is undeniable or inconvenient, and that apologies often mark an end to a conversation when they should be the beginning of a reckoning. The article details the severe consequences of Trump's actions, including harassment of journalists, staggering self-enrichment, the hollowing out of climate policy, a struggling economy, and the scapegoating of immigrants. It also highlights the incalculable human toll from his mishandling of crises like Hurricane Maria and the Covid pandemic, and the dismantling of humanitarian aid. Smith points out that many voters, like Ben Shapiro, rationalize Trump's flaws as 'tolerable costs' rather than denying the harm. The author expresses frustration with politicians and commentators who avoid challenging Trump's voters for fear of offending them, suggesting this politeness 'curdles into absolution.' He notes a historical pattern of belated apologies for atrocities (slavery, Japanese American internment, Native American boarding schools) which, while acknowledging harm, often lack true repair. Even current Republican demands for Trump to apologize are deemed hollow without a commitment to real accountability. Ultimately, Smith concludes that the nation is trapped in a moral loop regarding race: harm, denial, then belated remorse without repair. He asserts that if regret does not compel responsibility and action, it amounts to 'moral convenience,' leaving power and consequences unchanged. True repentance for supporting Trump, he argues, requires more than just words.
