Rich Logis used to be one of Trump’s fiercest defenders. “MAGA became all-consuming,” he said. But after years of buying in, Logis broke away — and now, he’s on a mission to help others do the same.
On Sunday, the former Republican and founder of the nonprofit Leaving MAGA laid out five “critical guideposts” for reaching Trump supporters who are beginning to feel uneasy about the man they once cheered.
“It’s seemingly a daily occurrence to see testimonials from people who voted for Donald Trump but are now ready to renounce” the MAGA movement, Logis wrote in Salon. “This buyer’s remorse is just beginning, and we need to provide an off-ramp for the increasingly uncertain.”
He knows from experience: leaving MAGA is hard. Many Trump voters won’t change their minds until the consequences hit home — like losing jobs to tariffs, watching loved ones face deportation, or seeing constitutional norms shattered. “Many people only care about something when it affects them personally,” Logis said.
But if you’re hoping to help someone out of the MAGA mindset, don’t lead with anger or judgment. “That may afford instant gratification,” he said of saying “I told you so,” but it “only strengthens an obsequious subservience to Trump.”
And while it might feel accurate, calling MAGA a cult won’t help either. “MAGA people will shut down,” Logis warned.
So why do people stay in MAGA, even when it hurts them? Logis pointed to three reasons:
1. “Misinformation and disinformation”
2. A tendency to assume the worst about political opponents
3. A “profound misunderstanding of capitalism and free markets,” which fuels resentment and financial frustration
That mix, he said, leaves lower-income Americans, the middle class, and small business owners especially vulnerable to the chaos Trump brings. “There will be a gradual, and then sudden, realization among many Trump voters that the chaos created, and havoc wreaked, by the likes of Trump … will harm [them] worst of all,” he said.
To help others wake up, Logis offers this five-part approach:
1. “Search for relatability and common ground.”
2. “Don’t attack!”
3. “Introduce the possibility of reconciliation with their family and friends.”
4. “Rather than debating facts and policy, open up a respectful back and forth.”
5. “After you make some progress — which will likely take more than a single conversation — ask if they’re open to hearing about the regrets of former Trump supporters, which might include the work of our nonprofit.”
He understands the frustration people feel watching someone they care about defend MAGA. But harsh words and labels won’t snap them out of it.
“I understand that you may feel the MAGA supporter in your life is racist, homophobic, misogynistic or downright unpatriotic,” Logis wrote. “Please consider that saying those things will absolutely not convince them to leave MAGA. The way to begin creating doubt — the necessary precursor to self-empowerment, and ultimately, to leaving MAGA — is through empathy and education.”
Logis got out on his own. Now he’s trying to light the way for others.
