Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 1
Former Trump Volunteer Launches Leaving Maga in 27 States as Defectors Publicly Break Away
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 1

Former Trump Volunteer Launches Leaving Maga in 27 States as Defectors Publicly Break Away

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 1

Summary

  • Rich Logis, who left Maga in 2022 after volunteering for Trump’s campaign, said the response to his public apology led him to create Leaving Maga, a support network for people exiting the movement.
  • The nonprofit now runs billboard ads in 27 states with the message “Having doubts? You are not alone,” and has connected thousands through group chats, meetups and support groups.
  • Four former supporters said their break with Maga came through slow personal reckonings — including trauma therapy, Covid-era contradictions, grief, and disillusionment with conspiracy theories and religious control.
  • Those who leave often face backlash from both sides: Maga supporters brand them traitors, while some critics on the left argue former amplifiers of falsehoods do not deserve redemption.
  • Logis said the group is not trying to persuade people to quit Maga, but to provide a safe landing place for those already questioning beliefs they once embraced.

Insights

Can support networks designed for leaving high-demand groups avoid becoming rigid ideological echo chambers themselves?
What happens to human identity when the community that once provided absolute certainty suddenly disappears?