The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., claimed on Monday that a person could not walk the streets of downtown Chicago in Trump gear without getting shot. While that statement was met with ridicule for the hyperbole it was, it echoed a sentiment that has been percolating online among Trump’s biggest supporters.
Trump supporters frequently coin new phrases to explain away the fact that their president is disliked by many. Previously, they’ve tried Trump Derangement Syndrome. Now, it’s Magaphobia.
One of Trump’s most ardent fans and extremely online right-winger Jack Posobiec began tweeting about it in the wake of both the Jussie Smollett hoax and a conservative supporter getting punched in California. It’s a way to show how Trump’s opponents are driven mad by people’s support of the president.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1100069233726234624
Others picked up on it.
#MAGAphobia:
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 25, 2019
•@OGrichard_ experienced it at Whataburger
•The man in the Vape Shop experienced it
•The 14 year old boy in the Vans Store experienced it
•Nick Sandmann & the Covington kids experienced it
•@HaydenTrilliams experienced it at UC Berkeley
Stand Against Hate! pic.twitter.com/Ir4XOeC686
America has seen a rise in hate crimes since Trump took office, with a 17 percent increase in 2017. But don’t tell that to persecuted MAGA stans who can’t see beyond their own myopic world view.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1100138526497230849
It was when Posobiec asked his followers for instances of #Magaphobia that his panicked proclamations of victimization were revealed to be as banal as can be.
Once my family found out I liked Trump, they started harassing me on a daily basis. My nephew that who goes to a liberal arts school, I think he's gay, blocked every channel except for Bravo on my TV. I had to pay $50 for a tech to come fix it.
— Ham Elliott (@r0wdy_) February 26, 2019
Kavanaugh- I’ll never get past what they did to that man and then it was oh well on to the next.
— Karen Gregory (@karentexan) February 25, 2019
Not being able to tell friends and neighbors we support Trump for fear of retaliation against our kids.
— Deplorable Sam (@Daydrmsam) February 25, 2019
My husband wore a MAGA shirt. One of our customers saw him in it and stooped bringing his dog to our doggy daycare
— Deplorable Sam (@Daydrmsam) February 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/CarpeDonktum/status/1100135863122563072
Fears of tense family dinners and TV shows with viewpoints that you disagree with were the most Posobiec’s fans could come up with. He also started to get trolled.
Taco Bell REFUSED to give me an English language menu. If anyone knows the English words for tacos, tortillas, burritos, and cinnamon twists, please let me know. This is America and we (as should all menus) speak English!!
— Robby Zimmerman (@LosernameAndPW) February 25, 2019
I tried to hunt the homeless for sport and the police told me that was illegal. Guess they never heard of the 1st Amendment. #Magaphopia
— Sean Moore (@smeghead4269) February 25, 2019
My step sister banished me from christmas dinner this year unless I wore a cat costume and crawled around on all 4s and drank milk from a bowl and let everyone pat my haunches just because I lvoe the donald #magaphobia
— stench house (@sssstenhouse) February 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/LarsGuff/status/1100158386694426624
While Trump supporters have faced instances of violence, they support a president who has been rabid in inciting his base of followers to commit acts of violence against journalists and his political opponents and has stoked fear toward people of color.
Nothing any Trump supporter—people who are largely white and male (like Posobiec)—has faced compares to anything persecuted minorities in America experience.
They’ll be alright.
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