Summary Former Trump supporter admits he fell for it (Youtube) youtu.be
2,945 words - YouTube video - View YouTube video
Speaker 0 We are continuing our conversations with former Donald Trump supporters from different parts of the country. And today, we'll be speaking with Kyle Sweetser, who's a former Trump supporter from Alabama. Kyle, great to talk to you. I mean, listen, just generally, what attracted you to Trump to begin with? You donated previously.
Speaker 0 You voted for him twice. What appealed to you about him?
Speaker 1 Well, I voted Republican my whole life, you know, since I could vote, basically. So that's 1 thing, you know, and I'm from Alabama. So you're kinda drawn into that anyways. But him talking about getting rid of regulations, like, the 2 to 1 thing he was talking about that resonated with me, you know, where I work in construction and just some of the things that you have to deal with are extreme. Oddly enough a lot of those things that the federal government doesn't have a lot to do with, but like I said, you know, it just kinda he resonated with with me there, resonated with the economy, focus on small business, at least in his rhetoric, and the tough talk, you know, and the the the change of pace that he presented.
Speaker 0 The regulation thing is interesting, and you kind of got to where I was going, which was you said you realized a lot of that stuff doesn't really have to do with the federal government. Just just to illustrate this, what's an example of a construction regulation in Alabama that you don't like?
Speaker 1 So I don't like, really it's absolutely fine now. You know?
Speaker 0 Oh, it's fine. So, actually, it's it's okay now.
Speaker 1 Yeah. And so I had a different the problem is I had a different opinion while I was younger.
Speaker 0 I see.
Speaker 1 I had the opinion that a lot of people have that this stuff just gets in the way, you know, that it's pointless, etcetera. But as I've gotten older, I've seen the need for, the regulations at least that we have, and and we really don't have too stringent of regulations. The stuff that was kinda off putting to me wasn't any wasn't something that I was dreadfully never worked with. Like for instance, I think under Obama they were trying to make it to where you couldn't dig a pond or something on your property. Just weird little weird things there.
Speaker 1 And then there was another thing where they were trying to push where you couldn't if you had property on, like, a river or something, you couldn't build a new pier. So those kind of things just because I was aware of it because I was in construction, didn't work in those things. Yep. You know, to me, I felt like we shouldn't go any further with the regulations that we have. But like I said, a lot of people complain, they moan about them, they moan about the inspectors, you know, but now as I've gotten older when I see the inspectors miss things sometimes and I, you know, I just I know that we need need those regulations so.
Speaker 1 But like I said it was more about like the like the just the weird things with a pond on your property whether or not you could dig a pond from the federal government thinking back on that and then like I said the pure thing. I live on the Gulf Coast, so that's kind of important for people here.
Speaker 0 Alright. That's fair. Yeah. I've got friends in, in Pensacola, and I know a lot of them live on the water. And these these are issues of concern.
Speaker 0 And and I guess part of it is interesting of is are these even are these state regulations or are these things that the federal government deals with? But okay. So that that was part of the original appeal. What made you say this is as far as I go? 2020 is as far as I go, and I'm not voting Trump in 2024.
Speaker 1 Okay. Well, I think I was a little, it was easier for me to transition away from Trump because I was affected by his deal, Harris. So, you know, I got to see things go up after 2018 with steel. And, Trump promised to build or open 6 new steel mills, didn't do it, to offset those tariff costs. So not only did he, you know, put those tariffs in place, which wasn't ever something I really thought about in the past, but like I said, I got to kind of feel it before everyone else.
Speaker 1 So from 2018 to 2020, we had a lot of products more than double in price, to us. And, oddly enough, people really didn't complain. After COVID, we got all that money dumped into our economy. People still didn't complain. Prices were still going up.
Speaker 1 Once the money that was handed out, you know, kinda dried out, you you kinda started to see people talk about inflation. And I saw it happen years before it was really acknowledged the way that it was acknowledged, at least down here. And so I didn't really say much until, you know, you have people say, oh, this is higher, and and then you tell them, hey. This is it's be it's because of Biden. It's higher.
Speaker 1 No. This went up. This particular product went up under Trump. But it's just weird that they turn that political switch, the the rhetoric on, and people just, you know, change their tune so fast. So, anyways, that's how it started.
Speaker 0 So the tariffs, let's talk about that a little bit. I mean, so so what what we heard from Trump was the tariffs will punish China. Of course, anyone who understands how tariffs works or tariffs work realizes the American company buying the steel pays the tariff. And then what ends up happening is it increases the costs to those doing construction in the U. S.
Speaker 0 And then those costs are passed down, the goal is, well, it'll make domestic steel comparatively more affordable, but that ignores that the supply chains don't adjust overnight to these tariffs. It takes time. And as you're pointing out, Kyle, during this interim period, it just meant everything was more expensive for the construction companies. I think I'm on. Am I understanding that correctly?
Speaker 1 Yeah. Yeah. That that's for the most part, correct. Like I said, we we adapted. We went up with price increases, but we were actually the cheapest.
Speaker 1 And and I believe we still are on most most products. So that gave us the room that we needed, to kinda take a little bit of a beating, or not not really take a a beating but cover the cost. But we we take a beating all the time, it seems, like I said with our prices, but we were able to adapt better than some other people. And, you know, there were actually a couple of companies after 2018, that that the way they manage their companies with metal builders. And, it was 1 garage door.
Speaker 1 I'm not gonna mention them but or name specifically, but, you know, they I I'm assuming they rely on the next job to pay on the previous job. And those tariffs, they quote things out and start getting things in and the price goes up. And it just got, you know, a couple people, down here. So I got to see that happen, and and that had me to where I was holding my nose when I voted for Trump again. And and and I'll say this too.
Speaker 1 I admit 100% that I was wrong. I was 100% wrong about Trump. I was 100% wrong. And I think the biggest problem with trying to get people away from Trump is that they have to acknowledge that they were wrong, and people do not like doing that. Speaker 1:
Speaker 0 Well, 1 of the really interesting things about that is, as I've said before, not that every Trump supporter was in a cult when they were supporting Trump, but there's a very interesting analogy towards getting people out of cults or extreme religious sects, which is you can't just beat them over the head with facts. You have to make them feel comfortable saying, I'm having some doubts, or I was wrong. You can't immediately go and judge them and insult them for the mistake that they made. You need it to be an environment where they're going to be comfortable reflecting on their views, And it seems that that's exactly the point that you're making.
Speaker 1 Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 0 When it comes to 2024, you could, if I understand correctly, you're voting Biden. Is that right?
Speaker 1 That's correct.
Speaker 0 Okay. You could vote 3rd party. You could stay home. It's Alabama. Trump's going to win unless something very strange happens and a meteor happens to only affect the Republicans in Alabama.
Speaker 0 Right? I mean, this is the system we have. Why are you choosing to do that and vote Biden rather than say, I don't like Trump. I'm just gonna stay home. It's Alabama.
Speaker 0 What's driving your choice?
Speaker 1 Well, you gotta start somewhere, and, I think it's a matter of principle or whatever for me. I I it just feels very important to me, basically to practice what I preach.
Speaker 0 Mhmm.
Speaker 1 And what I've been trying to do is reach out and find other people that are in other places, that are on that line, where I can maybe help them understand, that that, the feelings I feel that I know they feel. You know, it's okay to to say, hey. This I was wrong. I was wrong about Trump. You know, so, it's a point of taking this interview as well.
Speaker 0 Speaker 1: When it comes to, like, your social views, I'm guessing you're still a conservative guy, right? Like, it's it's not like every view has changed because of Trump. Am I right? Like, I don't know what your view on abortion is for you.
Speaker 1 Speaker 3: I'll say I'm pretty center, when it comes to social things. But, when it comes to the national debt, you know, I'm I'm to the right solidly, which, you know, now that I'm learning these things, I kinda opened my eyes and looking at these past presidents. I'm looking at their history, and it would be nice if they actually, you know, handle the debt. So that's 1 thing, you know, fiscally conservative, conservative on foreign policy. That was actually the straw that broke camel's back in 2022 when I started.
Speaker 1 I actually didn't have a Twitter. I didn't really engage politically at all Mhmm. On the Internet. And so I got Twitter when Elon Musk got oddly enough. And, I, I started to kinda see what I heard about about the misinformation, disinformation, and, you know, with the Ukraine war stuff.
Speaker 1 You gotta check on it, And and it was just ridiculous things. But the sad part about it is that, you know, these ridiculous things are shared. And and before they're fact checked, before they're gone, before there's a note on it, you already have, in some cases, a 1000000 people that have seen it and a large portion of those people, they're gonna form an opinion and that's it. Mhmm. You know, based on that disinformation or misinformation.
Speaker 1 So, you know, that was that was 1 of the things that really brought me around.
Speaker 0 When you tell other people in Alabama who still plan to to vote for Donald Trump that you've had this change of heart, how do they react?
Speaker 1 Mhmm. So usually pretty pretty good. So most people react, pretty good. I try to keep things as professional as possible. I have of friends that that I bug the heck out of.
Speaker 1 It's only because I love them. Right. You know? But I just send them just, like, this endless stuff. Like, hey.
Speaker 1 Look at this. Look at this. You know? And I know I'm sure it gets on their nerves, but, sometimes I get some pushback there, and that's only from people that that, I'm not really able to to win over in conversation, but, most of the people I talk to, they either agree with me, which they might go around and vote for Trump, you know, they might just agree with me to agree with me, which a lot of people do that. But, most people are pretty receptive to it.
Speaker 1 Now I've had and I don't wanna reveal too much, but, you know, I work all over the place and I've had been on job sites and since Trump, I've had people say crazy anti Semitic stuff that I've never heard that. I've heard other things, but I've never heard that in Alabama. You know? And so you have the increase of that, and then those other things that they say, just kinda under their breath or whatever. And, you know, it's kinda scary what Trump has done to people.
Speaker 1 I've had, during COVID, you know, pulled up to a job and I had a guy reach through the window and try to pull 1 of our guys' mask off of the space because the guy was just being polite and started, like, screaming and acting crazy. I mean, I've seen it. That's 1 of the many many things that I've seen since Trump, but that was another thing that turned me off from Trump. I started to see, what Trump did to people, and Trump just makes people angry. And I started to learn more about populism and and really what he's doing.
Speaker 0 So in other words, the view saw people kind of like feeling emboldened and freed to say certain things by the environment that was being generated by Trump, including just saying anti Semitic
Speaker 1 stuff. For for he made it okay for for bad people to be bad, you know, and and there not be any repercussions. I was in the store, 1 time, never saw this before, and a guy some lady took too long to walk up to the cash register to turn it on, and he started throwing. He's an older guy. He started probably in his sixties or seventies.
Speaker 1 He started throwing groceries at the person. I had to, you know, step in and say some things, and he didn't back down from me, at all. But, you know, they finally stopped. But, yeah, I just saw so many things happen after that, and you're right. Embolden people to act a certain way.
Speaker 1 You know, and it just needs to stop. It needs to it needs to end because it's escalating.
Speaker 0 Speaker 1: So, Kyle, what's your goal in the sense of let's imagine that Biden wins reelection in November. He gets his 4 more years. And then, of course, someone else then wins in 2028 and we move on. Would you would your ideal scenario be that we we dodged the Trump bullet 1 more time? And then what's your ideal?
Speaker 0 Is it some McCain style Republican comes to power in 28? Like, if it were up to you, what would you like to see happen?
Speaker 1 Yeah. So, I'd like to see us return to a 2 party system that's not as volatile. It sets a better example for people. You you know, it's just not as vile as as as Maggie is. So I would like to see a republican party that focuses actually on maybe reforming some social programs.
Speaker 1 I know that's not popular. I know that's why they don't always do it. I'm pretty sure that's the only way to fix national debt. You know, people just don't don't like hearing that. So, you know, fiscally responsible, strong on foreign policy or Reagan style foreign policy, support our allies.
Speaker 1 Don't give, you know, these countries that that wish us harm or wish US led order order harm. Don't give them the the, the notion that that we might just quit because then that gets rid of our, you know, deterrent. So, that's another thing. I don't want them to do what Ron DeSantis did, where he launched this this Trump style, I feel like, campaign against Disney. I don't like that.
Speaker 1 You know? I don't like that at all. I think Disney should be able to do what they want and and or do what they've been doing, and I think, you know, a lot of people, for 1, that's detrimental to the republican party. Disney's ingrained in people's childhoods. You know?
Speaker 1 They were born here, whether they're a republican or democrat, and so that's not gonna turn out well for 1, but I just think it's I think it's wrong. The culture war thing, I don't like it at all. I just wish it would stop.
Speaker 0 Well, listen, Kyle. I'm sure you and I would, be on different sides on a lot of those issues. And it would be a great thing for the country if those were the disagreements rather than should the guy who won become president, which is sort of where where we've been at for several years. So I really Thank you.
Speaker 1 Thank you. Appreciate you. Have a good 1.