I Am a MAGA Republican

Or so Joe Biden tells me

Soapbox

I AM A MAGA REPUBLICAN

Or so Joe Biden tells me

Kiyah

My name is Kiyah, and I am a MAGA Republican...at least according to Joseph Biden, president of the United States. 

I never considered myself MAGA until the president's recent Soul of our Nation speech. I have always thought of myself as a law-abiding citizen who sometimes disagrees with my neighbors. It is nice to know that instead, my president sees me as a dangerous extremist. I am, in his eyes, a "threat to democracy" because I do not particularly support him or his administration.

On the first of this month, Joe Biden stood in front of an Independence Hall lit up blood-red and gave a speech. He began by describing a rising danger in our nation. He warned Americans that our country was under assault by a looming threat. It was like he was telling a ghost story about an ancient monster lurking in the shadows and waiting to devour us alive.

But instead of naming a terrifying monster, he said openly what many Democrat politicians have only ever implied: 

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.

He must have realized that attacking the half of the country that didn’t vote for him is bad optics for the leader of the free world, so he tried (unsuccessfully) to qualify his statement. 

Now, I want to be very clear—very clear up front: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. I know because I’ve been able to work with these mainstream Republicans. But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country.

Biden’s claim not to see all Republicans as extremists is not consistent with a speech he made at a fundraiser last month:

What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the—I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.

Claiming that “semi-fascism” was already here under his presidency would make him look impotent, so he hedged, claiming that the threat was either dying...or coming but avertable. There is still time! If you vote for the Democrats in the midterms, his administration will gain the power necessary to stop the semi-fascists and take back the country.

Despite Biden’s hedging, let’s make no mistake that when he spoke about “extremism” in these two speeches, he meant anyone who disagrees with him or his administration.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified this in a press conference shortly before Biden’s Independence Hall speech:

When you are not with where a majority of Americans are, then, you know, that is extreme. That is an extreme way of thinking.

The Press secretary was also careful to specify that “the majority agree with” Biden. The inference seems to be that anyone who doesn’t agree with Biden, who faithfully represents “the majority,” must be an extremist dedicated to an “extreme way of thinking.”

So what is it, Joe? Do "extreme MAGA Republicans" represent only a tiny fraction of Republicans? Or should we count as “semi-fascists” and “extremists” the over 70 million Americans who voted for Trump in 2020, the many Americans who did not vote in that election at all, and the over 1 million Democrats who have walked away from your party since you were elected in 2020? 

I am one of those 1 million Democrats. I used to believe that the Democratic Party was the party of freedom, diversity, and equality. Since 2020, however, I have seen how the Democratic party refuses to practice what it preaches. From nonsensical gender ideology, to dishonesty about so-called Critical Race Theory, to disastrous COVID policies, the Democrats destroy the values they claim to uphold.

To speak out in the past could have put my education, career, and housing security at risk, so I have largely been silent when I believed that the Democrats' leadership, policies, and ideologies were negatively affecting this country. Even in my silence, I have felt demonized and gaslit about my beliefs by the absurdly partisan media, academia, and big tech, and now by the Biden Administration itself.

Thus, it did not surprise me when Biden finally said plainly to the nation what many have only ever vocalized behind anonymous profiles on social media. But in publicly attacking his critics with the inflammatory language of “extremism” and “semi-fascism,” he has publicly exposed the hypocrisy that caused many of us to walk away.

We “extremists” are, apparently, anyone who disagrees with the Biden administration. We are anyone disturbed by the left-leaning bias of our most elite institutions. We are anyone who refuses to remain voiceless as our democratic freedom of opposition is demonized by a sitting president. Our legitimate concerns and questions are used to paint us as threats to democracy. 

Many people voted for Biden in 2020 because he promised to unify the nation. Instead, Biden has chosen to make enemies of his opposition. When Biden talks about “unity,” what he really means is conformity. He does not want to unify us but instead wants to keep us fighting. His speech in front of Independence Hall was a rallying cry for his base, or perhaps an attempt to get a reaction out of Trump and his supporters, or maybe both. Whatever his intent, with his sagging approval rating showing a lack of support from those who elected him, he decided to appeal to emotions and stoke fears. 

We must return our country to a place where differing philosophies can coexist peacefully without one side demonizing the other's beliefs and values. We need to extend to everyone the freedom to express their thoughts, even when they go against the mainstream narrative. We will never be able to unify the country if half its citizens are treated like domestic terrorists. 

There is one common thread that hopefully will be able to bring us together. We are all Americans. We are all on the same team fighting for the betterment of the country. 

I have tried to avoid labeling my current political philosophy. The tribalism and blind dogmatism of progressive-leftism drove me away from it, and I do not want to fall into its toxic patterns. Instead of attaching myself to prefabricated labels, I am focusing on developing my belief system piece by piece. 

This is my creed so far:

I believe in freedom, which includes freedom of thought, speech, and expression. 

I believe in diversity, which includes diversity of beliefs and values. 

I believe in equality, which includes equal rights under the law and a place in this country for both those who agree with me and those who disagree with me. 

If that makes me a MAGA extremist, so be it.

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Kiyah is a recent research university graduate who has a passion for challenging the status quo and encouraging others to speak their mind, especially when their opinions are uncommon or controversial. Currently, she works as a data analyst and is trying to learn as much as she can about culture, philosophy, and politics. Follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her Substack.