By Mark M. BelloI previously called out Fox News for its distorted reporting on the killing of Alex Pretti. Now, I’m speaking directly to voters who chose Donald Trump for president in the last election.
Some of you admire Trump, loathe Democrats, and actively support a radical right-wing agenda—Project-2025–type governance, centralized executive power, loyalty over law.
Others don’t particularly care for Trump, but distrust Democrats more. You believe it doesn’t really matter who the president is, and you want a more right-leaning America. You assumed (or hoped against hope) that the system would restrain Trump’s worst impulses.
This piece is mainly for that second group—but the first group should read it too.
Because one year in, the question is no longer who you voted against.
The question is simple:
Is this what you voted for?
The issue: Armed federal immigration officers are operating in various U.S. cities, and are especially forceful in Blue states.
In Trump’s America, expanded ICE and Border Patrol authority, armed street deployments, and deadly encounters with American citizens are becoming commonplace. Recently, three weeks after the unjustified killing of Renee Good, Alex Pretti—a U.S. citizen—was shot and killed by ICE officers. Video contradicts official narratives. Local authorities were sidelined. Accountability has been slow and defensive.
Questions:
Did you vote for a government where federal agents kill innocent citizens in the streets? Should the government’s response be truth or spin? Would this have happened if Kamala Harris were president?
The issue: Free speech and protest.
In Trump’s America, peaceful protest is branded “insurrection.” Dissent is framed as treason. Journalists are enemies. Governors and mayors who object are threatened.
Question:
Did you vote for the First Amendment—or only for speech that flatters power?
Where hypocrisy is laid bare. In Trump’s America, Donald Trump, on his first day in office, pardoned armed January 6 insurrectionists, called them patriots, and trivialized their violence against Congress. These people attacked the Capitol and the Capitol police, brandishing weapons, seeking Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence, threatening to hang both.
But recently, Trump lackeys, Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller, labeled Alex Pretti a “domestic terrorist”—not because he fired or brandished a weapon, or threatened anyone, but because he legally carried a weapon to a protest.
Questions:
Do you truly support the 2nd Amendment, or does it only apply to people who voted for Trump? Does concealed carry suddenly deserve the death penalty?
The issue: Equal protection and equal access to the ballot.
In Trump’s America, the president and his administration are openly hostile toward voting rights. They encourage voter suppression, discourage voting, and use their federal power to restrict the right to vote, especially in “blue” states.
Question:
Did you vote for law and order, a government that protects the right to vote? Or, do you prefer a government that decides that some voters count and others don’t? Do all citizens have the right to vote?
The “big lie” in Trump’s America: Rural hospitals are closing because of Obamacare and “socialized” medicine.
The truth:
Rural hospitals have closed, overwhelmingly, because Republican-led states reject Medicaid expansion. Maternity wards vanish. ERs shut down. Care deserts grow—Democratic policies have expanded coverage—Republican policies have sought to defund coverage.
Question:
Did you vote to lose your hospital, your doctor, your emergency care, your job, and your Health care just for ideology to gain a talking point?
The issue: Real care, concern, and respect for those who served.
In Trump’s America, veterans are praised rhetorically, then are quietly targeted at budget time. Benefits are questioned or cut. Disability programs are treated as an expense or social benefit, not as an obligation in return for service to the country.
Questions:
Did you vote to honor veterans—or to exploit them politically and abandon them financially? When you cast your vote for president, did you believe that your chosen one would support our vets?
The issue: Neutral governance.
In Trump’s America, threats to withhold disaster relief, infrastructure funds, or federal assistance are based on how states and cities vote.
Question:
Did you expect that your chosen candidate would provide disaster relief or other needed assistance based on some crazy loyalty test?
The issue: American leadership abroad.
In Trump’s America, Ukraine is blamed for being invaded. NATO is undermined. European allies are insulted. Canada is antagonized. Greenland is a chess piece to be won, and American reliability is treated as a personal bargaining chip.
Questions:
Did you vote for a strong America—or a petulant one? Did you expect that your president would alienate almost every NATO ally? How does mistreating our neighbors and friends put America first?
The issue: Prices are high. The Economy is unstable.
In Trump’s America, tariffs raise consumer prices, trigger retaliation, and punish farmers and Small Businesses—while being sold as “toughness on trade.” Until Trump, Republicans always supported free trade. What’s wrong with this picture?
Question:
Did you vote to pay more for groceries so politicians could sound tough on trade on cable news?
The issue: Serious governance.
In Trump’s America, we have almost daily threats to “acquire” Greenland. The president accepts lavish foreign gifts from questionable donors, and without shame. We see an obsession with putting his name on buildings, programs, and public spaces. The presidency is treated as a marketing tool or branding Exercise, and the commander-in-chief can be bought by gift or flattery.
Question:
Did you vote for true leadership or for narcissism and a president who is in it for pure profit?
The issue: National unity.
In Trump’s America, Democrats are enemies, not opponents. Blue states are punished. Red states are rewarded. America is divided by “us” and “them.”
Questions:
Did you vote for a president of the United States, or one who would only govern those who voted in his favor? Do you care about your fellow citizens and the state of our union?
Last November, perhaps you wanted a more conservative country. Perhaps you don’t trust Democrats or thought the presidency didn’t matter that much.
You could not have been more wrong.
In voting for Trump’s America, you voted for:
Did you really vote for this? Did you get the benefit of your bargain?
If this is not what you had in mind when you voted for Trump, you can still take action.
Call your elected officials—Democrats and Republicans alike—and demand that they stop enabling this madness. Demand oversight. Demand accountability. Demand that Congress do its job. Midterm elections are approaching. You can render Donald Trump irrelevant and ineffective by electing a Congress that will check him, restrain him, and restore the balance of power the Constitution requires.
Please do so, because if constitutional rights only apply to people you agree with, then they are not rights at all—they are privileges granted by power. And a country that trades rights for loyalty will not remain a democracy for long.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these novels, Betrayal High, was written in response to school shootings. For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.
