By James Williams

Back in 2016, during the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump election, a Facebook challenge went viral: check how many of your friends followed Clinton and how many followed Trump. My list came out split nearly 50/50. That didn’t shock me. As a centrist, I’ve always had friends from both the right and the left, which made for some pretty spirited social media debates.

What did surprise me was the fixation. My pro-Trump friends filled their timelines with rallying cries of support, while my anti-Trump friends flooded theirs with warnings and criticism. Different messages, same focus: Trump. That was when I realized that both camps were too consumed by one man.


The MAGA Cult

For Trump’s most devoted supporters, loyalty is absolute. “Trump can do no wrong” is the unspoken motto. MAGA hats, rallies, and flags aren’t just political props — they are badges of identity. Anyone who questions Trump is written off as “Fake News” or dismissed as a “RINO.” Every move, no matter how controversial, is celebrated as a victory.

In this world, Trump isn’t just a politician — he is the movement itself.


The TDS Cult

On the other side are his fiercest critics, often accused of suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Their unspoken motto is the mirror opposite: “Trump can do no right.”

Memes, hashtags, and daily social media posts serve as their rallying cries. Anyone who refuses to match their hostility is branded an “enabler.” Every statement or action, no matter how minor, is treated as a scandal.

Here too, Trump dominates the conversation. He is the sun around which everything orbits — only cast as the villain.


Two Extremes, Same Obsession

The irony is unavoidable: both sides are defined by Trump. MAGA and TDS may appear to be polar opposites, but they operate as mirror images. Each side measures its identity not by ideas or policies, but by loyalty or opposition to one man.

This cult-like dynamic leaves little room for balanced debate. Americans who want to talk about real issues — healthcare, education, jobs, foreign policy — often find those conversations drowned out by Trump talk.


When Real Talk Becomes Impossible

That’s what makes today’s politics so frustrating. People who post pro-Trump all the time and people who post anti-MAGA all the time are both caught in the same loop. As I’ve come to believe, “constant praise and constant criticism are two sides of the same obsession.”

Their fixation makes it nearly impossible to have a real talk without Trump’s name coming up. We’ve lost the ability to focus on solutions because too many people, on both ends, can’t look past the figure at the center. Until we break free from that orbit, America will stay trapped in two cults with one obsession.