Interacting With the Cult of Trump

I usually try to avoid too much direct interaction with the truly hardcore indoctrinated Trump fans.  I will discuss politics at length with someone who agrees with Trump on policy as long as they realize that he is just a politician. But there are those on the right that take it farther.  They elevate Trump to the level of Messiah, saving the country from the evils of George Soros and socialism.  There is no bit of logic that these folks will concede an inch to.  They toss out words like "evil" and offer to pray for your lost soul since you are obviously headed straight to hell.

Like I said I usually try to not interact with these people, but sometimes because the person in question is a relative I am torn about the idea of cutting off contact.  It can be infuriating hearing people you care about espousing these philosophies that are damaging our country.  So how do you strike a balance that keeps your sanity intact?

Try very hard not to get in a shouting match.  Their position is immovable and getting more adamant about yours doesn't do anything to change that.  Continue to calmly make your point as if you were talking to a reasonable person.  That doesn't mean you have to back down by any means, although if they actually make a point that makes some sense let them know.  They will not be the first to compromise but they may be more open to listening if they feel that you aren't trying to completely invalidate their whole life view.

Don't expect "Fact Checking" to make a difference.  They do not recognize the legitimacy of any source outside of their right wing bubble.  If it calls into question their predetermined beliefs it is "Fake News".  These people combine politics and religion in a strange hybrid philosophy that dehumanizes anyone outside of their world.  They honestly believe that God gave them Donald Trump and that capitalism is a moral imperative.  Keep your statements as factual and informative as you can, remember your ideas are quite foreign to someone who has only been viewing Fox News, thinking that it represents the reality of America.

Keep your world view positive.  Right wing politics is the politics of fear.  The whole reason they believe so strongly the way they do is because of fearmongering on the part of Republican leadership.  Offering up concepts that would change the world for the better eats away at their dismal view of the state of the world today.

The only real useful reason to discuss politics with someone in the "Cult of Trump" is, if you have an audience.  Your rational presentation of the truth may out influence their irrational conspiracy based lies.