Pamela Hemphill was one of the many supporters of Donald Trump who entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Now, however, she calls it “the worst day in our history."
Heading into the 2024 election, where Donald Trump will once again be the Republican nominee, Hemphill said she is firmly on board with Vice President Kamala Harris, USA Today reported Monday.
“We got to save our democracy because Trump wants to turn this... into a dictator(ship),” said Hemphill, a retiree who once worked as a substance abuse counselor.
ALSO READ: Five unresolved questions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack
Before going full MAGA, Hemphill said that she supported former President Barack Obama in 2008.
“I like the policies he was talking about at the time, and he's just very intelligent. I just thought he would be good for the country. And you know, it's the first time we had a person of color,” she recalled.
Then her family sucked her into Trump World.
“I didn't realize that brainwashing was happening with Trump in 2016…this is how they would talk to me. ‘Pam, you know, the Democrats…are trying to take over. They're getting more aggressive.’ I tend to believe them. You know, I wasn't doing my own research," she explained.
She recalled Trump's rhetoric at the time being horrifying.
Dartmouth College assistant professor of sociology Sunmin Kim told USA Today that generating that kind of fear and convincing people that they were losing control of their lives helped Trump to victory.
“All of these factors contribute to the feelings of powerlessness among his supporters, and they want an answer. Immigrants are an easy scapegoat,” Kim said.
Hemphill recalled seeing far-right fire-brand Alex Jones in Washington, D.C., the evening before the attack. He told the crowd to march to the Capitol the following day after Trump's speech.
“It’s like a scar that I have to carry for the rest of my life…it's gonna be that shame(ful) feeling," she of Jan. 6. "It's not like I knew I was breaking the law, and I broke it anyway. However, I still was a part of that craziness, that cult. So it's like something I can't brush off.”
“Trump makes you believe he's a warrior who is willing to lose his life if needed to keep the radical left from taking away your freedom,” Hemphill said.
Harris, she said, is the real "law and order" candidate now.
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