I'm David and I left MAGA. Hey everyone, Rich
Comendie here, leaving MAGA at leavingmaga .org
with the Midas Touch Network. We got a brand
new testimonial for you today of a gentleman
who left MAGA. I'm going to bring him in. His
name is David Remington from the great state
of Oregon. David, first off, thank you for being
with us today. Let's get right into it. What
I want to know and viewers are going to want
to know is talk about what attracted you to the
MAGA community and the MAGA movement. And before
I have you answer that, let's just make it clear
for everyone that you did not vote for Trump
in 2024. No, I didn't vote for Trump in 2024.
All right. Thank you. I just want everyone to
know you voted for Kamala. You didn't vote for
Trump because. case someone says too little too
late you voted for you voted for kamala but talk
about what why you gravitated to the mega community
and the movement what was enticing and appealing
to you about it well like i grew up as like a
conservative i know that there's this whole like
like uh network of young conservative movements
like turning point usa and etc things like that
now. But when I was a little middle schooler
back, God knows when, like in maybe like the
Bush years, I was a young conservative and I
was constantly battling the teachers, constantly
trolling, all because of what I heard on like
right wing. talk radio because I was all into
all those personalities, Lars Larson, Michael
Savage. It was a kind of like counter culture
to me growing up in like the incredibly liberal
Portland, Oregon area. And I was just, I was
into this identity as a conservative at an early
age and my dad was very approving of it he's
the one who listened to me in the car with these
personalities and i just made it my identity
and it was so integral to me being a part of
that and what brought me to maga in 2016 and
something is that i still felt that i still felt
like Like the liberal culture around me was kind
of hostile and like I had these own set of beliefs
I had these own set of like identities and It
led me to do some things like join the military
Very like Like I always viewed like the people
around me as kind of like rule breakers. So like
I was very into obeying the law which is very
kind of like not so This so pertinent and and
like Portland but Like I Like I thought MAGA
was this fun, energetic movement that drawn me
to fight back against all the hostility, the
menacing, all of that. And it was just this fun
way to fight back against that. And in a way,
we saw Trump as a hero coming down to save us
like Portland conservatives. from this kind of
like scummy culture that I grew up in. And like,
I don't see like it that way now. I don't feel
like liberalism is like the enemy, but back then
it was my worldview and it attracted me to all
sorts of personalities like Andy Ngo and et cetera.
to where I was the anti -Portland guy, this guy
who was in Portland, and everything was just
counter to that. I just drew into all this Twitter
stuff, and Twitter itself is a big magnet for
me. So I was always on that site. I was always
into the latest controversy. I was always drawn
into it. I watched Trump tweet about North Korea
and stuff and all sorts of things throughout
my adult life, right? And this website, Twitter,
has been a big part of my going through the last
10 years. so you found thank you because you
found the the meaning the community i can particularly
relate to wanting to uh obliterate the established
political order and the status quo before 2015
and 16 i had voted for third parties many times
i was a political person but i looking back on
it i was quite ignorant and cynical and i think
the community that you and i found while i'm
not defending my time that i was in maga i think
seeking out a community that we all need a communal
existence that's a that's a relatively non -controversial
anodyne reason that i think a lot of people were
attracted to maga and so i what you're saying
is really resonating with us it's it's undoubtedly
going to resonate with others We've done testimonials
with who left MAGA. So talk about, okay, so you're
in the community now and you're deep in like
I was. What was life in MAGA like for you? Well,
so there was times where it was fun. So there
was times where I went to like rallies, was invited
to rallies. I didn't quite know what these rallies
necessarily meant. or why the left were so offended
by these rallies, how they were so repugnant
to them. I just thought, well, it's your right
to protest, so God will do it. And I went to
these things, and they were fun. And I met a
fellow. mega people. I got to wave like a Blue
Lives Matter flag. I got to wave a mega flag.
And it was just like, you know, we're just going
to this protest and we're gonna like build a
wall and we're gonna be just a part of this thing.
And it was like so enticing. However, there were
times where people were incredibly menacing to
me. For doing that and it was quite scary because
if you know anything about Portland politics
well, it's it's like Trump says this is where
people kill people and Like it's it's not like
the Liberals are bad. It's you don't want like
in my opinion now looking at it back then like
there's a there's a false sort of like false
equivalency to these people and some of the things
I was about you know and sort of like a judgment
but the the reality was is that it was very we
were in a very hostile culture Like I was a college
Republican in Portland, Oregon, and I kind of
felt like being an ant under a magnifying glass.
So it's just like there's just so much hostility,
so much antagonism. And even during the pandemic,
it was like this where I wasn't too like opinionated.
Like I just had like an opinion about masks.
in this college life group that's just totally
non -political, like college life group. And
they like harassed me. I probably could have
like sued them for this harassment. And I didn't
because they're just college students. But like
the thing is, is like they use really dehumanizing
language. You're a subhuman. You suck. You're
a terrible person. We're not going to give you
a platform. We're not going to treat you like
a human being. And I just felt this like hostility.
But here's the thing. Here's the thing where
I changed is the literacy of it all. The literacy.
What does this mean? What am I for? What am I
about? What am I supporting? And I just see this
literacy. as like a false equivalence. So yes,
I was treated poorly. Yes, I was harassed. Yes,
I was doxxed by Antifa or all these kind of like
left wing far left groups. But what was I for?
What was I about? What made them so angry? And
I just became more apparent that I was wearing
a skin suit of something that I wasn't necessarily.
in my soul of souls about right so that's that's
that's where i feel like the you know there's
the there's the feeling of like i felt these
perpetual states of desperation and despair and
and panic and paranoia in in maga you know and
you just you've talked about liberalism i've
been saying this ad nauseam for many many months
now that there is no prevailing ideology in maga
the closest to an ideology is a conviction that
liberalism and liberal democracy are the source
they're the sources of all of our personal and
national ills i didn't think of it that way.
I don't think people in MAGA now think about
it that way. Maybe, David, it wasn't precisely
how you might have thought about it at the time,
but looking back on it, that's what we thought
about liberalism and liberal democracy. Those
were the causes of everything that was wrong
in our lives and in our country. So you've got
that camaraderie that's in MAGA, just like I
had. Talk about when that started to change for
you. What were some specific events, do you recall
when they were, where your doubts started to
commence and you started to have uncertainty
and you started to question your belief system?
Well, part of it was going to these rallies,
right? I'd buddy up with these rallies. I'd be
waving these flags. I'd be presenting a political
stance. And like something terrible would happen
to me, like say the Antifa doxxed me and my friends.
And what I would actually do is actually read
their like, what they actually said. And this
is the literacy about it. So what made them so
angry? Well, maybe like I'm not the most egregious
like mega guy, but like other people. who were
doxxed like some of them were like people who
went to charlottesville or some of them were
like really far right and what were they about
am i about that that's not what i thought when
i joined mega i was having a good time i was
fighting like joe biden or hillary clinton or
like hillary clinton with the fly in her mouth
or some Some sort of funny thing like that. I
was I was having a good time and like you know
and like things didn't seem Things didn't seem
so like Like in my opinion like I didn't think
I was Too like asking too much like I just wanted
to make some laws like like illegal aliens That
that's already a crime, right? That's why they're
called illegal aliens. In my mind, that's not
asking a lot. But considering the way, like,
MAGA dehumanizes them, it's kind of asking for
a lot more than what I thought it was. Do you
feel like, David, you know, you identify as conservative
and here... Midas Touch Network you know we welcome
we're pro -democracy we welcome all views what
do you what would you say to someone who might
say well MAGA is conservative do you think that
it reflects in your view does MAGA reflect conservatism
as you understand that you grew up in well here's
the thing is like I have a very conservative
like background a very conservative family We
were always kind of like a satellite in Oregon.
But there are Republicans who live in this area.
And my dad raised me with these values. And what
I've noticed with him, my dad, who's very MAGA,
very kind of like thing, and it's one of the
things we connected with in the past. But when
I was just a young, like, middle school person,
our conservatism was way different than the conservative,
the MAGA conservative today. It's just, it's
like, it's almost like bizarre because my dad
would talk about how the liberals didn't want
you to use Roundup and, like, how, like, the
liberals just. are so like so holistic and they
go to whole foods and this kind of like strange
culture but now that's what my dad is about it's
kind of strange he's like like he's like rfk
is gonna get rid of coca -cola and i'm like how
how is this real it's it it's it's so bizarre
to me to see like like conservatives and like
being like literate and what a conservative is
seeing like republicans back then be republicans
and see all these kind of like democrats ascend
to power like tootsie gabbard um or tulsi gabbard
i don't know how to pronounce that name or like
rfk or elon musk or even donald trump right like
like suddenly like these conservatives are the
rhinos and it's just totally like reverse it's
totally like almost like an insult like what
was i about back then was was i just a fool and
like suddenly like these are the rnos it's it's
completely backwards it's completely like it's
just it's it's it's almost like an insult to
what i was about back then it was well you i
was going to say you changed your mind you know
and You know, I did, others who left MAGA did.
There are going to be, I believe, many others
who are, even if they're not MAGA but are Trump
voters, who are going to have buyer's remorse.
You know, we've done so many videos about that
here at Minus Touch, and there's more to come
because there are just going to be more and more
who are going to regret their votes. So let me
ask you this as we come to near closing here.
Why do you feel it's important to speak out?
Why did you want to publicly tell your story
here? Well, I like, I feel like I'm not judging
MAGA. I'm cut from that cloth, right? I'm cut
from that cloth. And so like, like being like
a Republican, being like a MAGA, being like a
college Republican. and somebody who feels like
a political minority in, say, a blue state, or
they have, like, a culture shock if they go to
the military and do military stuff. You know,
there's plenty of people out there who are like
me, and, like, they feel they get enthralled
with, like, this kind of, like, counter -Democrat
kind of, like... counter liberalism liberal democracy
kind of thing and they feel like an attachment
to that and they get drawn into like reactionary
politics as like someone who it just falls into
this pipeline and they just become more radical
and excel like you don't like As much as you
think you're fighting someone else, you're just
hurting yourself. And I feel like I've hurt other
people. I've hurt myself. I've made enemies out
of people who probably aren't bad people at all.
I made enemies out of people who I could probably
get along with. And I've just made a bunch of
enemies throughout my life. And I just feel somewhat
regret. And so reaching out to somebody who may
be like me and be, you know, like connected into
this, these kind of like cultures like MAGA.
Yes, I do like washing machines that are not
green energy or whatever. But like, you know,
like I just feel like. that's who I was targeted
for being who I was, a young male fighting the
gender war, fighting the culture war, fighting
like the Republican Democrat war. And like instead
of being like a warrior or being like a hateful
kind of like hurtful person, you know, a lot
of this battle is kind of like internal. because
it could it could even like affect your health
because like suddenly like you're not eating
right or you're like believing in all these kind
of like counter things or you're making like
decisions like not going to college not reading
a book not doing things because of what you're
told you are as like a man right you are as like
a young man who is enthralled in this like war
this battle and like you know like what what
are principles what are like something of value
something you could carry with yourself like
i'm just like i'm just like taking care of myself
and i want other people to take care of themselves
too and i just feel targeted as like who i am
well you you know you overcame it and you're
right that maga is a very politically traumatic
experience i i just i want to in closing here
i just i want to give first of all i want to
give you credit for exhibiting all of the bravery
and intrepidity needed to tell your story publicly.
You know, even going a little bit against your
own family takes courage to do that. And I want
to welcome you to the Leaving MAGA community.
I want to welcome you to the Midas Touch Network
community as well. And we always like to close.
all of our conversations with a positive affirmation.
I'd like to do it with you, David. I'm rich,
and I left MAGA. We've got David Remington here
from the great state of Oregon. David, thank
you so much for being with us. Really appreciate
it. Thank you so much. Bye -bye. Hey, everyone.
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