USA Today's Rex Huppke rejected the notion of avoiding politics at Thanksgiving Wednesday, saying it's "letting them off the hook," and had a suggestion to make the dinner more palatable — especially when it comes to those MAGA relatives.
"I understand the desire to set disagreements aside for the holidays. I understand the importance of family. But at this moment in history, I wholly reject avoiding a subject that, thanks to Trump’s extremism and unquenchable thirst for attention, envelops virtually every aspect of our lives," he wrote.
With all that President Donald Trump has done in less than one year in office, Hupke wrote, it is impossible to skirt the issue Thursday.
"Not talking politics with your MAGA relatives is letting them off the hook. When a president is routinely bombing boats in international waters, ordering masked federal agents to round up hardworking immigrant families and sidestepping Congress while slapping tariffs on countries willy-nilly, those who disagree with such things have a responsibility to speak up," he wrote.
"Staying quiet in the interest of feigned comity over a meal, under the present circumstances, seems an unreasonable luxury," he added.
The one question Huppke argued everyone should ask of their Trump-supporting Thanksgiving dinner companions is this: "How is your life better under Donald Trump? Be specific, please."
Huppke even offered some ammo for the conversation.
"Grocery prices have increased, electricity prices have gone up more than 10% since Trump took office again, U.S. consumer sentiment in November fell to a near-record low, and millions of Americans are facing spiking insurance premiums thanks to Republicans allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire," he wrote.
Finish off that sentence with this question, he suggested: "Are any of those things making your life better?"
Be prepared to be confronted with Trump-spun lies, too.
"The national average for regular gas stood at $3.055 on Tuesday, almost exactly the same as $3.056 a year ago under former President Joe Biden," Huppke countered. "That’s not better," he added.
Huppke also suggested asking MAGA relatives how Trump's immigration roundups have helped them.
A Nov. 25 New York Times report noted that “special agents at the Homeland Security Department have made fewer arrests for drug crimes and seized fewer weapons than they did the previous fiscal year, according to internal government documents," he noted.
“Fewer than 40 percent of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ... have a criminal conviction, according to a Times analysis. Roughly 8 percent of those arrested had been convicted of a violent crime, while about 9 percent had a traffic conviction," Huppke added.
"Have Trump’s sweeping immigration raids improved your life or made you feel safer?" he asked. "Are the often-violent public arrests we’re seeing, along with the arrests of U.S. citizens caught up in immigration sweeps, making you feel better, or safer?"
Huppke has other questions for your MAGA guests, too, offering a greatest hits roundup of some of Trump's most reviled recent actions.
"Does seeing life made harder for transgender people and the parents of transgender children make your life easier? Are you glad to see the East Wing of the White House demolished without public input to make way for a $300 million ballroom? Do you like seeing Trump’s attacks on “suspected” drug boats in international waters, or his military buildup in the Caribbean that suggests potential attacks on Venezuela?" he asked.
"Is that America first? Are any of those things helping you or your family?" he added.
He also said not to let your family pretend Trump is popular.
"Do you recognize that Trump is wildly unpopular? It's so bad that Fox News’ website had a headline Nov. 19 that read: “Voters say White House is doing more harm than good on economy," he noted.
One person whose life has been made better, Huppke offers, is Trump himself.
"According to Forbes, Trump has added $3 billion to his personal fortune over the past year. Along with his fancy White House ballroom, Trump recently said he’s getting golfer Jack Nicklaus to help him revamp the golf courses at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. And Trump has covered the White House in so many gold fixtures it’s starting to resemble one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces," he wrote.
It's all ridiculous, "indecent and immoral," he wrote. "So if your inclination is to smooth out Thanksgiving or any other holiday by 'not talking about politics,' I beg you to stiffen your spine and not give MAGA relatives a pass. Ask the questions. Use the information above. Politely, calmly hold their feet to the fire."
"This is no time for silence," he added. "Love your family. Be thankful. But above all, be honest, and demand no less from the people who share your table."