“What did you know, and when did you know it?”—Eugene D. Genovese, “The Question”
In “The Question” from 1994, historian Genovese addressed those who—like himself—supported the Soviet Union despite knowing the truths of that evil regime. He asked fellow communists and travelers to look inside themselves and answer the question with honesty.
For those of us who supported Trump in 2024, it is now time for hard, introspective soul-searching. Given that the US has, in essence, toppled the Venezuelan government—launching missiles into the capital of Caracas and kidnapping the country’s president—we must each ask ourselves the question: What did I know and when did I know it? And we must answer honestly.
We must also accept responsibility and voice opposition to what was branded as MAGA, but proved to be Trumpism. We must admit we were fooled—very likely willingly fooled.
In the run-up to the November 2024 election, I knew better. However, the left had set the country on a path to social and economic destruction. Trump, with his populist voice and MAGA platform, appeared to be the singular bulwark—our only option. But even a cursory review of his speeches revealed the reality we now confront. He hid nothing; it was there for anyone willing to look.
Trump’s first term was a nearly complete betrayal of the ideals he claimed he championed. The DC swamp swelled with warmongers and neocons. He empowered Fauci to provide collectivists with the justification to annul many of our then-remaining liberties. Trump exploded the debt and the money supply, only to later blame the expected and resultant inflation on the subsequent administration.
While I recognized this back in 2024, I allowed myself to believe in a repentant Trump who—after the assassination attempt and repeated actions of lawfare—would finally drain the swamp, oust the warmongers, and adhere to a peaceful, non-interventionist foreign policy. But I also knew deep down that that wasn’t true. I think we all did.
I hoped that revolutionary social issues would be countered, that calls for tariffs would just be political bluster, and peace in Ukraine and the Middle East would prevail. However, very early into the new administration, it became obvious that peace was not being pursued and wars were going to be ignited elsewhere—or everywhere.
And then came the tariffs, the ballooning budget and debt, the redirection of claimed DOGE savings to the military-intelligence machine, and a quick caulking of any crack in the bureaucracy that might have admitted some light.
There are those who, for whatever reason, remain wedded to their 2024 vote. These folks imagine a Trump playing some form of (insert number > 3)-D chess for the good of the country. They choose to be fooled. But now with Venezuela, I no longer do.
For those like me who have examined our personal actions for an honest response to the question, we now need to voice our opposition and utter disgust. We cannot cling to a past vote as an excuse to justify the deaths of Venezuelans. We must realize that we have once again been had.
Genovese—while defending the inherent lies of socialism—concludes “The Question” with this observation and challenge, “But they will indeed have died in vain if we refuse to face our past squarely, subject our basic premises to stern review, own up to all that has gone wrong, and take the measures necessary to guarantee against the next round of the same old story.”
Those of us who supported Trumpism branded as MAGA must do exactly that—so the next round is not the same old story. We must admit we were wrong and now commit to doing better—with “better” not defined as picking the right candidate out of an amorphous slate. Better, instead, is defined as arguing and educating in the name of liberty.
