Many families still follow the old rule: don’t talk politics at the dinner table. Author Andrea Tate learned why when her husband’s support for Donald Trump nearly shattered their relationship.
Before the election, they knew they voted differently. But after Trump’s victory, Andrea felt devastated. She stayed in bed, doomscrolled, and cut ties with people who hadn’t voted Democrat. Then she saw her husband’s celebratory post: “God Bless America. God bless #45, 47.”
She was so upset she couldn’t even look at him.
Andrea messaged him, asking him to remove the post “out of respect” for her and her friends. She also told him she wouldn’t attend Thanksgiving with his family or host Christmas, saying she needed space.
Later, when he tried to ease the tension, she explained she couldn’t pretend everything was fine: “I will not be in a room of 15 people who voted for Trump.” For her, it was a moral boundary — she couldn’t celebrate holidays with people who, in her view, supported policies harmful to women and vulnerable communities.
What surprised her most was that her husband didn’t argue. He seemed to understand how deeply the election affected her, and she held onto that empathy as they tried to move forward.
“I know he is a good man,” she wrote — which made his political choice feel even more painful. He didn’t delete the post, but she realized she couldn’t change what had happened, only how she responded: with honesty, love, and yes, anger.