Right before the election I got a pedicure for the last time of the season- I don’t bother with pedis in the winter.
While I was there, people were naturally discussing the candidates and what they thought/hoped would be the outcome. The owner of the nail salon weighed in and said he didn’t understand why most of the town was voting for Harris- he was on team Trump. He said he thought he would be good for the country, especially the economy. He was all smiles at the prospect of a Trump win. I just shook my head.
Fast forward to yesterday when I got my second pedicure this spring- I picked a really pretty blue/grey color which I’m loving. But I digress.
On my way out, I ran into the owner who I hadn’t seen since the end of October. I told him that I was a writer and that I was interested in hearing his thoughts about *CF Trump (and no, I didn’t say convicted felon when I broached the topic.) I wanted to know if he thought the President was doing a good job.
He immediately said that he regretted voting for him. Of course I asked why. He said that people were spending less money at his nail salon and seemed nervous about the economy. I mentioned that after my pedicure I used to get a little chair massage while I waited for my toes to dry. And although I haven’t given up getting my toes done, I have given up on those massages which, although delightful, are certainly nonessential.
He said that he now thought Trump was really bad for the country and that he didn’t care about small businesses- only giving tax breaks to large corporations and rich people. He added that he felt he hadn’t known enough about Harris. Because I was wearing my journalist hat I refrained from pointing out that we DID know enough about Trump and how awful he was/is.
He shared that his children were disappointed in how he voted. And he seemed very dejected. He told me that he had a lot of employees and didn’t know what would happen. I thanked him for his honesty and later mulled over what he had told me.
I personally know a few other people who regret their decision to vote for Trump for a variety of reasons. The tariffs, Israel, his cabinet picks, his cuts to essential programs, Musk, his disregard for the Constitution, etc. There’s a whole lot to hate about him and what he is doing.
I realize that a few people do not a scientific study make. But if I know a few and you know a few, it’s most likely indicative of the bigger picture. There will always be a fringe group that, even if Trump unleashed a nuclear bomb and destroyed the planet, would defend him. Even as we all went kerflooey. But the more rational ones are catching on.
I really thought that the nail salon owner’s regret would make me feel gleeful. But surprisingly it didn’t. I actually felt sorry for him. He had been fooled. The pound of flesh we are exacting from former Trumpers is not worth the price we’ve had to pay.
I only hope that people who finally understand what they voted for will stand with us now. They are not the enemy. Not anymore.
This is not a time for “I told you so.” Okay, we can think it because after all, we are only human. And Trump had shown us exactly who he is time and time again. But we also need to listen, just as I listened to the disillusioned nail salon owner. And hope that together we can find a way out of this mess.
I think it must be very tough to realize that you were so badly misled by someone, that you were so needy and vulnerable that you were manipulated, that you fell for someone who told you lies you wanted so badly to believe were truth. However, those folks also ignored the blatant name calling and ugly behavior and language, and let themselves be stirred and accepted the hatred and bigotry …that’s the conundrum. How do you forgive a Nazi? I find myself increasingly challenged to be civil to them.
Sadly there is no way out of this. We will be lucky to ever have a free election again. The fix is in. They have control of every branch of government and it will only get worse. I don’t have any hope for this country or its future I’m sorry to say. I pray we all make it through or rise up together.