My Boyfriend Is a Trump Supporter — but He's Not a Horrible Person

"If we lived in a movie, he'd be one of those people you'd eat just to absorb his power," my boyfriend once told me without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Immediately, I cringed. Not only because this was a weird to comment make (um . . . what?!), but because my boyfriend — my well-educated, sweet, accepting, and typically level-headed boyfriend — had been referring to Donald Trump. And I knew he'd continue talking about him throughout the night.

Ever since Trump announced he was running for president, my boyfriend — we'll call him Pete — has been obsessed. Overly obsessed. He'll live-stream speeches, constantly quote him, even go for drinks at Trump Tower, just because. To an outsider looking in, it all seems insane. Especially since Pete isn't the stereotypical Trump supporter, AKA someone who doesn't know a thing about politics (he's actually been into politics since childhood), and enjoys a good brawl. He just believes the country should be run like a business, and he believes Trump is the person to run that business.

"Don't you think he's out of control?" I'll ask, each time Trump's shocking comments make headlines. And each time, Pete has the same response. "I agree that some of it goes too far," he'll say. "But when he's president, he won't act like that."

I won't be voting for Donald Trump, but at the same time, being with Pete has made it easier to see why someone would. The man and his companies were once billions of dollars in debt, and he managed to turn it around. Wouldn't that be great if he could somehow do that for the country? There's also the fact that he's not funded or influenced by anyone, that he says what's on his mind, and that he's a familiar face. He's literally invaded our TV screens for years, and even looking back to the '80s and '90s, Trump's been fairly consistent with his comments and stances on certain subjects.

But, unlike Pete, it's hard for me to see past all of those racist and sexist remarks. Do I think that Trump can change enough to become polished, respected, and even presidential? No. Do I think that, if elected, he can actually put his business expertise to good use and "make America great again"? Also no. But while I'm always embarrassed to admit who my boyfriend is voting for, I'm also pretty defensive when people bash Trump supporters. They're not all the same. Some of them are smart. Some of them are my boyfriend.

I, for one, like that there are differences of opinion. And I like that this election is so intense, we talk about it every day, something I never remember doing in the past. Ever.

An easy and relatable way to sum up Pete's — and possibly others' — support is this: growing up, Trump was someone he aspired to be. Pete owned Trump the Board Game and even a Trump doll, and has read and watched (and rewatched, and made me watch) so many documentaries on Trump, that he seems to be the only logical choice. To Pete, he isn't crazy Trump. He's the guy who helped build half of Manhattan, has an impressive business résumé, and wields enough influence that, if we lived in a scary movie, we'd eat him, just to increase our power.