DS wants to vote for Trump.

[Kursk]

More a WWYD,

DS will be old enough to vote next election. He said he would probably vote Trump as he seems ok, and there isn’t really another option,

Both me and DH voted Libertarian last election. I am a little sad he hasn’t chosen the Libertarian way, but it’s his own choice at the end of the day and I can’t judge him.

Do you think he could be saying that as it's such a contrary position to take, there's an element of attention seeking/rebelling about saying that? I bet he gets a shocked response from a lot of people. Teens change a lot in a short period of time!

I wouldn't react or try to educate him, simply something like "you should read the manifestos, not just rely on sound bites, and decide which candidate would be the best fit for all your views. There's no way of knowing who will be standing next time round yet."

Then leave it. Don't let it become a thing that he has chosen to define himself by.

I'd be reassessing all my parenting, TBH.

Thankfully, at 12, DS's brain and humanity seem more developed.

InvisibleKittenAttack

That is what I am hoping!

LeavesinAutumn

Thanks for the comment

Do you read right wing newspapers, watch Fox News, etc? If that is what you have brought him up on, I reckon it's your fault.
I agree that you should get him out of that toxic environment and send him somewhere more civilized for 6 months or more. If he only speaks English, try a liberal boarding school in the UK.

What he votes is really his buisness....

I would leave it - he is surely entitled to vote for who he wants, he will be old enough to make a decision. One persons vote is also not going to make much of a difference. Is he studying politics or something, how did he come to the conclusion he wanted to vote for trump - is he happy with the way trump is running the country at the moment?

To the poster who said she hoped Trump would either be dead - i think thats a little too much, don't you? wishing death on someone?!

I think that how he votes is his choice, and it is a secret ballot anyway, so I would worry that reacting in an angry way would just have the effect of making him stop talking to me about politics and values. It would be completely counter productive, and wouldn't change who he'd vote for.

I am a big fan of robust debate though, and it is possible to challenge a family member's politics (at the right place and time) without haranguing them or being unpleasant. I would go down that route- explain why you won't be voting for Trump with solid reasons, rather than telling him not to iyswim. I would highlight his hypocrisy, dishonesty and incompetence as well as his politically unpalatable views.

Tbh, I would be very, very disappointed if my dc wanted to vote for someone like him. And I say that as someone who has very politically diverse family members.

Droogan

Technically he is duel British/US nationality. He isn’t really exposed to Fox, as we don’t have a TV. (Rural Northern Maine)

Trump is itching to launch the first nuclear bomb. So wishing him dead is very sensible.

Hopefully he will have been assassinated by then and you won't need to worry about it

of course there is no other option - there are no other candidates declared yet. he does realise that, doesn't he.

If you are libertarian, then you have most likely brought him up with an anti-government rhetoric which is a rhetoric Trump mimics (god know what he believes in reality other than worship at the brand of profitable Trump ). Hardly surprising he has gone right wing rather than left wing really.

I would be pretty disappointed if my son voted Trump. I wouldn't say anything though. I'd leave that to his 2 sisters.

OP "I suspect his feelings are based on one or two policies, likely gun control and immigration"

okay, re gun control, not to be patronising but checking...

is he aware that any gun controls would still allow you to have a gun on your property etc? Or is he just very in favour of open carry?

I can't really see a shock factor because in reality I think Trump will be voted in again. It can't be shocking to declare yourself a Trump voter in a lot of states, can it?

I’d be asking him to move out and I’m being deadly serious. This isn’t a difference of political views, it is your son worshipping an evil, abusive, racist, bigoted scum bag and that would be out of step with our values as a family and I wouldn’t want him poisoning any younger siblings if there were any.

Get him to call my 13 year old - he'll put him right.

Hang on, immigration? Didn't you say he has dual citizenship? Does that mean one parent is a blood sucking filthy immigrant?

Slimthistime

I suspect probably trying to shock me rather than anyone else.

I don’t think he fully understands the gun control, we live in a open carry state (we don’t need a permit to conceal carry either)

Fekko

I was British before I did my citizenship

And he would vote for an anti immigrant candidate? Please give his head a wobble.

Fekko

Trump is anti illigal immigrant?

He would be anti Muslim immigrant if he could get away with it.

Trump is anti legal immigration too. He's trying to reduce many visas to keep American jobs for Americans.

Assuming he's going to be exposed to a lot of different people in the next few years, they might are more likely to change his views -
obviously you are his parents, and therefore wrong about everything. Will he have been to college by the time the next election comes around? Leaving home and having to enter the adult world with people from very different backgrounds to his own will have more effect on his mindset than anything you could say now.

Just refuse to engage - "that's between you and the ballet box, you vote for the person you think best represents you, but just don't make decisions before you know who's going to run and what their policies are."

Just refuse to engage - "that's between you and the ballet box, you vote for the person you think best represents you, but just don't make decisions before you know who's going to run and what their policies are."

This^^ is a good response. There is no reasoning with a teenager who is deliberately trying to shock and upset their mother tbh. Don't engage.

Just curious OP - did you not want to vote for the Democrats?

Is your ds libertarian himself? Because although Trump tries to appeal to that kind of voter in some ways (like pallisers says re anti-government rhetoric) in other ways I would have thought much of his rhetoric goes completely against Libertarian principles (as far as I understand them - I am not in the US myself).

eg Trump does not seem to really understand the first amendment, does he?