A longtime supporter of Donald Trump called into C-SPAN on Saturday to express his profound regret over backing the former president. The caller, identified as Thomas from Hawaii, admitted feeling brainwashed and drew a stark historical parallel.
Caller's Confession
During C-SPAN's 'Washington Journal,' Thomas told host Taylor Popielarz, 'Now I understand how somebody like Adolf Hitler was able to brainwash millions of people. I never thought I’d see that again in my lifetime. But it’s happened, right? I thought we got past that, but we don’t learn from history.'
Thomas, who voted for Trump three times, began his message by saying, 'It’s hard for me to say this, but I think if I can open up about it in public that it might help others.' He admitted wanting to believe Trump was 'the real deal' despite having doubts due to Trump's business history.
Regret and Realization
'But now I regret my support for him, and I should’ve known better,' Thomas explained. He described Trump as 'a con man, a liar, doesn’t keep his promises. He’s in office all for himself, and he doesn’t even try to hide his corruption anymore.'
Thomas criticized the 'right-wing propaganda-for-profit, disinformation media industrial complex' for influencing voters. He said it was 'hard' and took him 'a while' to express such sentiments, as he had been committed to believing in Trump.
Cumulative Disillusionment
When asked about a specific turning point, Thomas said it wasn't one event but a 'cumulative process' that became 'so blatant now.' He recalled Trump's promises to lower prices on day one and fix everything, which never materialized.
Thomas urged Americans to hold Trump accountable by voting for 'as many Democrats, whether you like ’em or not, just to get some balance back into our system of checks and balances.'
