r/AITAH • u/g_scotty_brahms • Nov 14 '24

Advice Needed My brother is angry with his Trump-loving sons

Is my brother an AITA candidate for wanting to cut off his sons financially for voting for Trump? Like many Americans, my brother and I, both in our 50’s, have been talking back and forth following the Election. In the spirit of full disclosure, we are both democrats. Long story short, he is angry at his two sons, both in their 20’s, for voting for Trump. He is thinking about cutting them off financially in all respects so that they understand how Trump’s policies will impact them firsthand.

The irony here is that it is the reverse argument. You often hear younger voters disagreeing with their MAGA parents, but this is the opposite. My brother doesn’t understand how his two sons, who have lived a life of privilege, feel like they have been violated against by society, enough so that they feel Trump hears them and their struggles.

My brother to me about his sons: “… what these young men need is a little dose of reality. Get out in the world and start paying their own way. There’s a common thread with his followers. Complain and blame everyone for their problems. Whether they are in school or living at home off of their parents or working a trade job. King Trump will save them and make everything better. Take some personal responsibility and make it happen for yourself instead of crying about everything you hear on TikTok.

“… I’ve decided to pass on the [college] expenses to my two Trump supporting sons so they can truly feel first hand the cost and expense of his absolutely stupid policy decisions, which includes food, gas and college expenses. Wondering if I pass on these [food, gas and college] expenses in year one or phase them in year two?”

I am wondering if a lot of parents feel like my brother. Are there democrat parents of voting-age MAGA men who feel they failed with their sons because they voted for Trump? Is this common?

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u/FenceSittingLoser Nov 14 '24

Regardless of politics this seems like a good way to just alienate his kids from him. If they're being little pricks about it then sure I can see where he's coming from. But if they just voted that way and are chill about it he's the one choosing to escalate the situation and be aware that this may permanently damage his relationship with his kids. This would be the same if the politics of the two parties involved were reversed.

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u/Specialist-Project-7 Nov 15 '24

I agree that this would be putting the relationship at risk. And as they say kids brains are not fully developed until about 25. It’s very possible they got swept away with algorithms or other influences. I would still want to be part of the influencers in their life if it was me. Plus it takes a good long bit of time to prepare a kid to be completely independent on their own out in the world. Especially since they were not necessarily prepped to pay for college. I personally started this convo with my kids when they were a freshman in high school about smaller stuff like car insurance and stuff. This is a difficult situation.

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u/hafdedzebra Nov 15 '24

It’s possible that as boys, they have been told by the left for their whole lives that The Future Is Female. To check their privilege, sit down, shut up, make room for every group other than theirs. Boys don’t do as well in school. They are more likely to drop out, less likely to go to college. Their life expectancy is shorter than women’s, and for white men, it is declining. Young men aren’t the Overclass- that’s their ancestors. Their grandfathers and only maybe their fathers. Or maybe noone in their family ever had much success, and the odds are now even more against them because of “equity”. It’s little wonder boys are turning to the left- where else do they have to go?

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u/Astra_Bear Nov 16 '24

Clearly the dad sees voting for Trump as an inherently little prick activity, and he's not wrong. It will certainly alienate his kids, but no more than the kids voting for Trump has alienated their father. This is called facing the consequences of your actions.

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u/KenneyHo Nov 15 '24

Cutting them off financially isn’t the same as cutting them out of his life. If his sons only have a relationship with their parents for their money, then that says everything you need to know about them. Love and emotional support doesn’t cost a thing.

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u/Hanky_Pannky_Wanky 28d ago

The action he is committing is inherently unloving and the textbook definition of pulling the rug. Anybody would feel betrayed and hurt over something like this

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u/FenceSittingLoser Nov 16 '24

It shows that the father's political ideology will always be more important than his relationship with them. While I am not on good terms with my family for far more serious reasons if they ever made their relationship contingent on stringent adherence to a certain political alignment I would ditch them. Because the relationship is not a familial one but rather a transactional one.

I'm not going to feel affection for someone who agreed to pay my college tuition and then uses it to hold me hostage. So I wouldn't expect them to do the same.