A man holds a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) USA 2026 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, in Grapevine, Texas, U.S., March 28, 2026
Tuesday, amidst news of President Donald Trump’s catastrophic handling of the war on Iran, conservatives are expressing outrage not only about his actions, but about the fact that they voted for him in the first place. While the war has many MAGA supporters angry, one leading voice on the right took to X to voice dismay about something that may be less consequential, but is emblematic of the problems many have with the Trump administration: his rampant narcissism.
“So so ashamed and embarrassed to have voted three times for this person,” wrote Scott McConnell, co-founder of the American Conservative, over a post by Eric Trump bragging about the renaming of a Palm Beach airport after the president.
While such sentiments are often dismissed by Trump loyalists as coming from false conservatives, that accusation cannot be leveled against McConnell, who has spent a lifetime working with leading figures and publications on the political right.
Admissions like McConnell’s have become increasingly common in recent months.
“I have never been more embarrassed to have been a Trump supporter for the last 10 years than I am right now,” posted MAGA journalist Eric Spracklen. “I lost countless friends and alienated myself socially in the process. Politics has ruled everything around me. I thought he was different. I really did. I was wrong.”
Or as MMA fighter Jake Shields put it, “As someone who voted for him in the first two elections I apologize and it's extremely embarrassing.”
Similar admissions have even come from the most diehard MAGA influencers, with the Patriotic Blonde founder Breck Worsham revealing, “I voted for Trump 3 times. I worked on two of his campaigns to help get him elected. I am directly responsible for much of what is happening now. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't. I am truly sorry.”
According to attorney George Conway, who voted for Trump in 2016 and whose former spouse Kellyanne Conway served in the first Trump administration, “We are going to see an accelerating tide of these admissions and conversions as the coming weeks and months pass.”
Speaking as a disillusioned Trump supporter himself, Conway says those who have been against Trump all along should avoid criticizing those who leave MAGA and instead welcome them into the opposition.
“The survival of our nation as a constitutional republic depends in no small part on such grace,” he concludes.