'Kick in the teeth!' Hardcore MAGA couple abandon Trump

A long-time Republican couple who backed Donald Trump for years have dramatically broken with the president and his MAGA movement, claiming his second administration's policies delivered a painful "kick in the teeth" that threatened their livelihood.

Ron and Chrissey Kelley, from Byron, Georgia, say they were devoted Trump supporters who voted for him multiple times, donated money, displayed bumper stickers and embraced the wider MAGA movement. But they now say they have turned their backs on both Trump and the Republican Party after experiencing the impact of his administration's policies firsthand.

The turning point came last October when Ron Kelley, 55, a construction analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was furloughed for 43 days as the Trump administration pursued deep cuts to federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk.

"We voted for Trump, not realizing that he was going to slam as hard as he did," Ron said. He described Trump's executive orders signed shortly after inauguration as a moment that "trashed us federal employees" and called it "a kick in the teeth."

For Ron, that moment marked the beginning of his break from MAGA.

Rather than quietly stepping away, the couple chose to publicly announce their departure from the movement. They joined Leaving MAGA, a growing community made up of former Trump supporters who have decided to speak openly about why they left.

Chrissey Kelley, 50, a stay-at-home mother, said many supporters rely heavily on conservative media and need to be willing to reconsider their beliefs.

"If people would just listen and research and do something other than just listen to Fox News, we may all be better off," she said. She added that people must be willing to admit mistakes and change course.

The decision has not come without consequences. The Kelleys say speaking out against Trump cost them relationships with friends and family members who remain loyal to the president.

Still, they hope their story encourages others who may be questioning their support for MAGA.

"It's okay to be wrong," Ron said. "You made a mistake, it was a bad choice, but it's not the end of the world."

Their journey into the movement stretches back years. Chrissey said she identified as a Republican from the moment she began voting and consumed conservative news sources that reinforced those views.

When Trump first ran for president, she believed he would "fix everything" because of his business background.

Ron, a military veteran who served for 25 years, said the 2008 housing crash left him deeply frustrated with Democrats. After struggling to find work in Detroit and relocating to Georgia, he increasingly aligned with Republican policies, particularly on defence spending.

His support for Trump became wholehearted.

Ron said he embraced claims that the 2020 election had been stolen and viewed January 6 participants as patriots. Looking back, he now says he was wrong.

"I bought into the lie about the stolen election and all that," he admitted. "I was dumb as a rock, and I believed everything that I was spoon fed."

The couple say their disillusionment accelerated as Trump's second administration unfolded. Ron argues that executive orders negatively affected his family and that DOGE has complicated his work at HUD.

"They've created so much headache and so much overhead," he said.

Chrissey pointed to the administration's handling of the Epstein files and its treatment of immigrants as additional reasons she moved away from MAGA.

"Lie after lie after lie," she said, describing her growing dissatisfaction.

The Leaving MAGA community includes former supporters who say they once embraced conspiracy theories, Christian nationalism and other pro-Trump causes before changing their views.

Ron believes many supporters are quietly distancing themselves from the movement, even if they do not publicly admit it.

He pointed to polling trends that he believes show Trump's support declining and argued that some members of his political base are moving away from him.

Today, Ron says he votes for Democrats. Chrissey describes herself as an Independent but says she has voted for Democrats three times, something she never expected would happen.

Looking ahead, the couple say they want Americans to stay engaged and work together despite political divisions.

Ron warned that the country needs to reverse its current course and remain committed to constitutional principles and long-standing national values.

"We need to put our country back together," he said. "It might take decades, but don't give up."

'I was dumb as a rock': Hardcore MAGA couple ditches Trump after getting 'kick in teeth'