So lately the news has been struggling with keeping its pro-Trump narrative. People don’t believe the mainstream media anymore. As more and more people turn against mainstream, big box news, the powers that be started to realize they can’t totally hide the truth.

In a word, Trump and the GOP can’t hide their unpopularity among people. As the recent election in Iowa proved, many people in deep red states no longer want to support the Republican party. Why? Because they realize they’ve been bamboozled.

Former Trump loyalists are losing their farms, their homes, and their livelihoods due to the new policy rollout of the GOP. Some, including those who married legal citizens, even lost their family members and spouses.

Recent weeks showed Republican voters heckling and cornering their own representatives. Despite this shocking turn of events, mainstream news sites have been oddly mum about it.

But, this isn’t about the news. It’s about the many, many Republican voters who are stuck in a difficult position. I call them The Regretters.

As a journalist, it’s hard to tell how many Regretters there are. However, I can guarantee you that there are many…and that there’s a growing number of them who find themselves in a very difficult situation.

While it’s easy to deride them as a whole, the truth is that Regretters are in a position that is fairly brutal for a multitude of reasons. So, let’s talk about it.

I want to point something obvious out: the modern GOP does not operate like a political party. It operates like a cult.

When you’re in a cult, speaking out against the leader of that cult comes with serious repercussions. Depending on the cult, it can lead to anything from ostracism all the way to death.

Among Republican voters, it often leads to harassment, accusations, ostracism, and bullying from other voters. Regretters are often aware of this, even if it’s on a mild or even slightly subconscious level.

Trump’s approval rating remains fairly high—at least on paper. This isn’t because everyone likes him. It’s because a large portion of his voting bloc is literally afraid to speak out because they know how leftists are treated by their crowd.

To argue against Trump’s policies (or his cronies) has become akin to blasphemy. So openly admitting that the GOP is doing something wrong is very rare, at least in public or in surveys. It’s just ingrained in them, a feeling that they can’t actually say what they feel, lest they be deemed “unfaithful” or “unpatriotic.”

Most leftists and left-leaning people openly avoid people who voted for the GOP. I’d go so far as to say that the more far right a person is, the more likely they are to have become a persona non grata among left-leaning family and friends.

Many right-wing people find themselves ousted from groups based on the ethics that came with a Trump vote—and rightfully so. Unfortunately, they were warned about what would happen if he got another presidency.

Regretters are the group that realized, perhaps a bit too late, that it wasn’t hyperbole. They may have realized that Democrats weren’t the bad guys. Or maybe they just realized the GOP’s policies hurt them too.

Here’s the problem that leftists often have with Regretters: it’s too little, too late.

Many Regretters behaved atrociously with leftists who actually were trying to get them to vote for their own interests. Some went down the Q-Anon hole or ended up spewing hate speech at their former friends and loved ones.

Most people also see the often-obvious issue with Regretters: they were okay with Trump hurting others, but they didn’t want it to happen to them. That’s a critical no-no for people who vote based on empathy or want to have empathetic people around them.

Sadly, Regretters are starting to find out that most leftists aren’t going to forgive them and help them out so easily. Many of us, myself included, end up asking, “But you were okay with this happening to others, right? So you didn’t learn anything about why sexism/racism/transphobia hurts everyone?”

Many Regretters still hold racist or sexist beliefs that make it hard for leftists or regular Democrats to feel comfortable around them. Needless to say, they end up nervous to approach others—and incredibly alone while they try to deconstruct their beliefs.

Here’s the thing that no one tells you about life in a cult: many times, you want to leave. At times, you might be aware that what you “believe” isn’t real. I’ve heard cult members talk about how miserable they are or even joke about being “culty.”

But they stay.

Because they have no one to help them get out.

Because they have no community to fall back on or commiserate with.

Because they feel lost without someone telling them what to do or how to think.

Because they often feel guilty over leaving the cult or guilty over what they did to others.

I’m not necessarily saying that Regretters deserve a second chance—at least, not off the bat. Many are only upset because their votes impacted them, not because they hurt others. However, their regret still puts them in a precarious situation.

Many people who try to leave cults like MAGA tend to go back to MAGA once they reach out to others for help, only to have their pleas fall on deaf ears. Regretters often feel like they’re caught between two worlds, unable to bond with anyone.

Not liberal enough to hang with the leftists, not conservative enough for fascists. Regretters are just stuck.

Here’s the kicker: most other cults have resources to help them get back on their feet once members decide they want out. In that sense, actual religious cult members have it a bit easier than Regretters do.

After all, MAGA is not viewed as an official cult. So, getting a nonprofit to help them escape (or deconstruct) from that cult isn’t quite likely. Cult deconstruction isn’t easy, especially when you’re doing it without a therapist or network.

In a weird way, it’s almost an added insult to injury. Fascism took everything from many Regretters, and then, Regretters are left to fend for themselves—with even less resources than actual religious cult members have available to them.

Honestly, the best thing they can do is be open about their regret toward electing GOP officials—and do what they can to make amends for their actions. They are going to have to face their actions and what they meant for everyone.

That’s not going to be a fun trip. Seeing the full span of it all will sting.

However, the truth is they’re smart and honest for realizing they’ve been duped. Much like many others around them, they’re going to have to pick up the pieces from the wreckage that MAGA caused—and I mean that in a mental, emotional, social, and political manner.

As for their connections with those who cut ties with them? There’s always a chance for a redemption arc, but only if both parties feel like it’s a good idea. I guess that’s the best outcome any of us can hope for.