MAGA Americans explain why they’ve turned on ‘clown’ Trump

A man wears a cap in support of US President Donald Trump at a watch party for Republican US Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during US midterm elections in Dallas, Texas, US, November 3, 2026. REUTERS

Sarah Longwell, publisher of the anti-Trump conservative outlet, The Bulwark, is a champ at corralling Trump-voting political focus groups for surveys. So far this year, Longwell’s in-depth interviews have painted an accurate picture of the midterm devastation that Republicans should have seen coming.

Her latest surveys out of deep-red Mississippi, however, suggest the king of the party, President Donald Trump, has been demoted by MAGA to the position of court jester.

“I have such a poor opinion now of Trump due to – I mean … ‘He's a clown,’ said one Trump voter who was angry enough to swing toward the state’s Democratic candidate in deep red Mississippi. “And I know Cindy Hyde-Smith just all of her billboards were of her hugging Trump. And so that was the main reason that I went with Colom instead. I don't remember who it was that said it, but she's definitely gotten rich since she's been up there. And she's only out for herself and what matters most to her. And so I'm hoping this guy will be different.”

Another white woman speaking to Longwell said she was a strong Republican who had actually “voted for Cindy Hyde Smith the first time years ago,” but she could not abide voting for her again because Hyde-Smith “is Trump's yes-person.”

Other Trump voters said they were revolting because of the taint of corruption currently suffusing the White House and the impossible wealth the Trump family has amassed in just two years thanks to their ability to exploit the White House.

“I know that he's got, he has family members that are tied to Kalshi and Polymarket (where Donald Trump Jr. served on Polymarket's advisory board). It's very, very self-serving,” said one former Trumper.

“He seems to be, you know, a full-fledged narcissist,” remarked another Trump voter who has since turned on the president — as well as his Republican Party by pointedly voting Democrat. “I think it's also affecting him in that because he knows he can't be president again, he's just doing whatever he wants to do. It seems like he's making a lot of money off of being president.”

“And also look at all of his family members,” she continued. “I mean, the son-in-law, Jared Kushner. And I know one of his sons, Donald Trump Jr., got remarried and there was all this controversy about the [money] that was being spent. And so, yeah, I'm just not happy with him at all.”

“You may not go into office corrupt, but unfortunately, the odds of you do end up corrupt,” said another Trump voter who rebelled against Trump by supporting Colom -- despite still being in “love” with other notable Republican figures. “I love Marco Rubio. I love Harold Ford Jr., out of Memphis. I mean, I love Jim Jordan, but they're probably the only three good guys out of it. I mean, even Congressman Harold Ford says there's so much corruption in Washington, D.C. that you can cut it with a with a dull butter knife.”

But all that corruption has a face on it, and it appears to be the guy in the White House. So much so that many of the Trump voters who turned on the GOP this month did it specifically to check his corruption.

“I do hope that with the Democrats taking over, that means they'll keep him in check better,” said one woman.

“Do I think Trump's a great person? Hell no,” replied another former Trumper. “I know he's a self-righteous, narcissistic, whatever. We all know who he is at this point, and we all supported him for a while. We've seen this show.”

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