After a repentant Trump voter's one-man protest, what happened next? [View all]
David Smith
@smithinamerica
Sat 22 Aug 2020 02.00 EDT Last modified on Sat 22 Aug 2020 02.01 EDT
James Walker took a stand in March 2017 that provoked an overwhelming response online and also within his family
Regrets, hes had a few, but then again, theres one hed like to mention.
James Walker voted for Donald Trump in 2016. That fateful decision, and a subsequent act of public of repentance, rippled through his family and friendships, his dating life, his career, where he makes his home and countless thousands of posts on social media.
Walkers story is a parable of the times, a glimpse of how the Trump era has awakened ordinary citizens, who might otherwise sit on the sidelines as presidents come and go, and how the internet has become a turbocharged amplifier of division and hatred, healing and redemption.
It was March 2017 when Trump, still in the foothills of his presidency, held a rally in Nashville, Tennessee. As usual, there was a small group of protesters outside the venue, the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Unmissable among them stood Walker wearing beard, sunglasses, black North Face jacket, khaki trousers. Most strikingly, he wore a red Make America great again (Maga) cap on his head and a sign in his hands that announced to the world: Ive made a huge mistake.
As a picture it was worth a thousand tweets. It soon went viral on social media, featured on the Guardian and Reddit websites and was cited by the comedian Bill Maher on his HBO show Real Time. A Twitter post from this Guardian reporter that day has now accumulated 42,000 retweets and 82,000 likes. Among the earliest comments: no worries man. Join the #resistance; Wow James Walker takes guts to do that no matter who you voted for. Most people wouldnt do that.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/22/repentant-trump-voter-protest-what-happened-next-james-walker