As Trump sticks it to MAGA voters, should we feel sorry for them? | Opinion

There were six of us Manahan kids, born in a 10-year span, like a good Irish Catholic clan — and the sons and daughter of Dave and Patricia were equal parts kind, mischievous and downright diabolical.

One day, my sister Denise, roughly 4 years old, spotted older brother Paul with a candy bar.

“Where did you get that?” she asked.

“From the wall socket,” he said. “If you kiss the socket, it gives you a candy bar, just like the candy machine at the supermarket.”

More than 60 years later, my sister’s hair still hasn’t straightened. She went crying to my parents, her lips still tingling, and explained what happened.

“Well,” my father said, “if you’re stupid enough to kiss a socket …”

That family tale came to mind when I began seeing Trump supporters sobbing online about losing their jobs and a good chunk of their retirement funds in the market meltdown, and angrily storming Republican congressional town halls to demand an explanation. Their message basically is:

• You were supposed to hurt those other [Black, Latino, Indian, Asian, Jewish, LGBTQ+, immigrant, liberal] people, not me; and/or
• I just wanted cheaper gas and affordable eggs.

They kissed the Donald Trump socket, expecting a candy bar. Today, they’re just as shocked as Denise was.

And now, one of the moral dilemmas facing those of us who warned them this would happen is whether to root for their pain, even though it will mean collateral damage to those who opposed Trump and fought and voted for democracy and sanity.

To be honest, I probably have more of a reason to be spiteful and petty: Because of my political writing, my email since last spring has been filled with nasty comments and threats from the MAGA army.

It comes with the job, but still some have promised to drag me out of my house “when the civil war starts,” and … a) hang me as a traitor; b) violate me sexually; or c) throw me into a cell at Gitmo and allow my cellmate, who’s always named Bubba for some reason, to violate me for them.

Along with F-bombs, they have called me the F-word (gay slur), the C-word (female genitalia), N-word lover, and a variety of other tasteless and racist insults, which they believe is just, you know, freedom of speech in the Elon Musk/Twitter/non-PC/unwoke/MAGA universe ruled by Trump.

On Twitter recently, someone called me the F-word and C-word — in the same meme. I guess that’s what’s meant by DOGE efficiency.

One guy asked me if I were Pete Buttigieg’s lover — using his company email. When I responded that it probably wasn’t a good idea to risk his job like that, he insisted he was hacked. When I told him that his company’s IT staff would be able to prove he hadn’t been hacked, while also resurrecting all of the deleted emails that contained similar homophobic insults that he likely sent to other journalists, he thanked me for the counsel and for not escalating it to his bosses.

Haven’t heard from him since.

When Trump won, the MAGA army filled my email with even more insults and obscenity-laced touchdown dances.

To some, I explained that they had only screwed themselves. And — just like I told New Jersey voters that they would come to see Chris Christie for the political opportunist he is — polling shows I’m being proven correct again. With Christie, it took seven years. With Trump 2.0, about four weeks.

A string of recent polls show Trump is underwater in his approval rating, handling of the economy and helping the middle class. And Trump voters say he’s hurting them.

I’m a 66-year-old (white) guy with some money in the bank, a couple of well-funded retirement plans — thanks, in part, to The Star-Ledger’s 401(k) and generous matching funds — a house at the beach, and, when the time comes, two Social Security checks and a small pension check.

While Trump is doing his best to torpedo my pending retirement by tanking the market, I’ve been a pretty compulsive saver.

Contrary to what most Trump supporters believe, I make more than $40,000 a year and I’m not writing this in my underwear in my parents’ basement while NJ Advance Media struggles to stay afloat. Our company is doing well, actually — and a small part of that is due to our popular political reporting, which is attracting readers by the tens of millions — yes, tens of millions — each month from coast to coast.

My kids don’t work for the government, they’re not in the military, and none of us relies on public assistance.

In other words, I’m pretty much bulletproof to Trump.

I’m not part of the 1%, but I’m doing OK, so go ahead and cut my federal taxes, restore SALT and improve my bottom line — while MAGA people write me emails mocking my liberalism and how they showed me, by golly.

Meanwhile, more and more of them in red states are getting screwed economically, socially, educationally — you name it — by the Tesla Chainsaw Massacre.

Oh, another rural hospital just shut down? Gee, that’s awful. Federal education funds about to be cut to Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma and other red states where kids already rank at the bottom? Yeah, you showed ‘em!

You’re a veteran who was fine with Trump calling service members “suckers and losers,” and you ignored warnings from U.S. military leaders and voted for him anyway — only to lose your job in the federal government? Live and learn.

Your unvaccinated kid has measles? A family member’s experimental cancer treatment is on hold? Bird flu has you worried? Who, in the name of RFK Jr., could’ve seen that coming?

You say Trump is going to whack Medicare, which pays a lot of red-state medical bills? Hey, just declare bankruptcy and start over. Trump will show you how.

It’s amazing to watch many MAGA people cheer on their own demise and vote against their economic interests — while hated “elite” liberals like me reap benefits we never wanted and gladly would trade for a return to normalcy and democracy.

Last week, one reader wrote to me that, sure, Trump “is a crazy man ... who’s just winging it,” but he voted for him anyway. Another told me that tariffs are a ridiculous policy that will cause widespread pain, but he hopes Trump will pass one to benefit his crops. Other MAGA farmers? They’re on their own, he says.

If you enjoy watching MAGA members and Trump voters get theirs, there’s a Reddit group, LeopardsAteMyFace, that provides examples.

Through it all, I’m also reminded of Sister Gertrude, who taught religion at the Catholic grammar school I attended: As she tried to instill consciences in kids, she often spoke about the angel on one shoulder and the devil on other.

The angel is telling me to be kind, to remember the lessons of inclusion, forgiveness and love, and to continue to fight for the truth, social justice and my fellow man ... all of my fellow man.

The devil is telling me: Screw them. Trump voters were told what was going to happen and they pulled a lever for the guy anyway — many while gleefully celebrating the campaign’s racism and lies about Project 2025. Others were angry at the world, so they ignored Trump’s countless lies, Covid deaths, insurrection and crime.

Many MAGA faithful and other Republicans who voted for Trump are crying now after kissing the socket. How should the rest of us feel about that?

I’m sure the MAGA army will tell me in a flood of emails.

Kevin Manahan is the Sports director for NJ.com and The Star-Ledger. The editor of NJ.com’s national political coverage, Manahan served on The Star-Ledger Editorial Board more than a decade ago.

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