Once Famous Trump Supporters Who Now Can't Stand Him

The 2020 Presidential election signaled waning American support for then-President Donald Trump. While he has developed friendships with many other celebs throughout his career, those friendships inevitably changed when Trump ran for President. Some love him. Some hate him. And some have felt both. As is the case with everyday Americans, a host of conservative celebs are dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporters. The likes of Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, and Scott Baio remain die-hard "Trumpers," and MTO News alleged that rapper Lil' Wayne's girlfriend broke up with him in large part due to his continued support of Trump. 

Conversely, The Apprentice host has also seen some of the initial celebrity support he had in the politi-sphere waning along with that of the electorate as a whole. With so many controversial comments and actions during his Presidency, it's no real wonder why so many celebrities and former Trump Administration officials have denounced him. The New York Times reports the main reasons voters who supported Trump in 2016 no longer support him are his response to the coronavirus, his response to race relations, and his personal character. A Reddit thread asking ex-Trump supporters why they jumped off of the Trump train received more than 27,000 responses ranging from, "I learned empathy" to, "The gassing of protesters for a photo op at a church" to, "Gestures broadly at everything." 

We discovered the reasons why these following celebrities rescinded their support of Donald Trump.

Caitlyn Jenner says she received more flack for coming out as a Republican than she did for coming out as transgender. Still, she supported Donald Trump's candidacy in 2016. In April 2017, Jenner said on Late Night with Seth Meyers that she had spoken with Trump about LGBTQ+ issues before to the Inauguration and was disappointed he "all of a sudden," during his first month in office, repealed the protections granted to transgender students via Title IX.

Jenner insisted her ultimate loyalty is with the LGBTQ+ community but that she doesn't vote based on only those issues, stating, "I believe in little things like the Constitution and freedom. I believe in minimal government ... Republicans have done a better job in that direction." Jenner also told Meyers she refused an invitation to play golf with Trump after the Title IX action but admitted it was largely because she would "get destroyed by the community" for a public outing with Trump.

Even staunch-conservative Jenner finally had enough when, in July 2017, Trump banned transgender people from serving in the military. In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Jenner admitted she was wrong in thinking Trump would support the LGBTQ+ community and said Trump treated them as "political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party." Jenner told TMZ she planned to lose the MAGA hat for good. That's one less thing for this ex-Kardashian to keep up with.

"Bunch of crooks." That's how former WWE wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura refers to politicians in the two major parties, according to Twin Cities Pioneer Press, and that was probably the most complimentary thing he had to say about politicians. The former Minnesota Governor, who ran as the Reform Party candidate and pulled off a shocking upset by winning the 1998 gubernatorial election, is an old friend of Donald Trump's. By October 2020, though, Ventura had simply had enough.

A staunch independent, Ventura wrote an opinion piece for CNBC in July 2016 about his support of Libertarian Presidential Gary Johnson, but the former wrestler's allegiance was a bit more nebulous in 2015, and CNN reports he made some complimentary remarks about Trump's candidacy — in a relatively transparent attempt to entice Trump to select him as his Vice Presidential running mate. He wrote a piece for TIME in August 2016 saying he's happy to see Trump destroying the GOP.

Also a notorious critic of the media, Ventura has been compared to Trump in recent years — a comparison he does not seem to like. In November 2018, he told MPR News, "It's hogwash." Steven Bosacker, Ventura's former Chief of Staff, shot it down more emphatically, saying, "Jesse Ventura is colorful. He's not corrupt."

Former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for Donald Trump following the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. He released a statement on Twitter that read, "For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President."

But the chasm between Schwarzenegger and Trump was more complicated than a mere celebrity feud because Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice in 2016. (The Hollywood Reporter reveals his catchphrase when letting contestants go was, "You're terminated. Get to the chopper.") Then President-elect Trump went on a Twitter tirade against the Governator in January 2017, touting his own previous high ratings as host of the show and lambasting his replacement's performance (via The Hollywood Reporter).

The feuding continued. In March 2017, in a video posted to Twitter, Schwarzenegger admonished Trump and trolled him about his then 37% approval ratings, saying, "I mean, when you take away after-school programs for children and Meals on Wheels for the poor people, that's not what you call, 'Making America great again.' Come on! I mean, who is advising you?" The Terminator actor was asked by Men's Health why Trump can't seem to let the feud go, he answered, "I think he really — he's in love with me. That's the reality of it. With Trump, he wants to be me."

Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston didn't vote for Trump in 2016 and was outspoken about his opposition to Trump during the campaign. In October 2016, nine months into Trump's Presidency, Cranston was asked by The Hollywood Reporter about his opposition to Trump. He said, "If [Trump] fails, the country is in jeopardy. It would be egotistical for anyone to say, 'I hope he fails.' To that person I would say, f**k you. Why would you want that? So you can be right? I don't want him to fail. I want him to succeed. I do. I honestly do."

The actor held the supportive line behind Trump's presidency for a while, but, as time went on, he began to question the President's sanity. In April 2020, amid the frenzy surrounding Trump's comments about injecting disinfectant as a possible treatment for COVID-19 (via FOX News), Cranston tweeted, "I've stopped worrying about the president's sanity. He's not sane. And the realization of his illness doesn't fill me with anger, but with profound sadness. What I now worry about is the sanity of anyone who can still support this deeply troubled man to lead our country."

Omarosa Manigault Newman is nothing if not entertaining. From the moment she appeared on the first season of The Apprentice, lying and scheming her way through the challenges with her eyes firmly affixed on the prize, Manigault Newman was the villain we loved to hate. And she never really shook that label, even after another two seasons of The Apprentice, and stints as a Presidential campaign adviser and Director of Communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison.

When the party was over, Manigault Newman relied on her wily ways to land on her feet. She recorded her firing and subsequent phone conversation with Trump and came out swinging with promises of truths to be revealed in her subsequent tell-all. Trump tweeted in retaliation, "Wacky Omarosa, who got fired 3 times on the Apprentice, now got fired for the last time. She never made it, never will ... People in the White House hated her. She was vicious, but not smart. I would rarely see her but heard really bad things ... she only said GREAT things about me – until she got fired!"

Good Morning America's Robin Roberts gave Manigault Newman a sendoff befitting a villain, ending a segment about her firing with, "She says she has a story to tell, and I'm sure she'll be selling that story. Bye Felicia."