If You’re Living in MAGA World – How Do You Sleep at Night?

There’s a promotion running now on network TV that features several different commercials. In one, a man is on a plane, his bare, smelly foot sitting on the arm rest of the women in front of him. A female flight attendant walks by and asks, “How do you sleep at night?” He replies, “On a mattress by Mattress Firm, so I sleep all night.” Another shows two mascots for sports teams carousing on the sidelines until the one dressed as a bird tackles the lion so hard, his headdress goes flying. Again, he asks, “How do you sleep at night?” And the tackler responds, “On a mattress by Mattress Firm, so I sleep well.”

Watching how some of these Republicans and right-wing media stars tie themselves in knots trying to justify behavior by former President Trump, I often think, “How do they sleep at night?” I don’t know what mattresses they sleep on, but my guess is some of them sleep well, possibly with “visions of sugarplums dancin’ in their heads.” Those sugarplums may take the form of helping them keep their seats in the Senate or Congress. Or maybe they dream about being asked to serve in a new Trump Administration. (This, I think, drives RFK, Jr., who hopes he can bring his weird anti-vax ideas to the FDA.) Lindsey Graham? Since he loves being at Mar-a-Lago playing golf with Trump, that’s probably enough to have him fall into a deep sleep once his head hits the pillow.

JD Vance seems to have no regrets having left his anti-Trump statements languishing in the ethernet. He justifies having made a sharp turn, becoming a MAGA supporter, by saying that he got to know Trump better. (If that were true, if he really sees Trump for what he is, chances are he would still not trust the former president.) But the first term senator who, during the debate was overshadowed by the Democrat’s nominee, Tim Walz, is on the fast track to get to the top. He’s OK trading his ethics and moral standing to become Trump’s VP and, dare we say, lap dog. He, I’m guessing, sleeps OK. His wife? Probably not so much. Does she ever look at him sleeping so well and wonder, where is the man she married? The classmate from Yale Law School who once called Trump a Nazi? 

Let’s take another example. Ted Cruz. The Texas senator ran against Trump for the nomination in the 2016 race. During the campaign he said: “I wake up every day and laugh at the latest thing Donald has tweeted, because he’s losing it. We need a commander in chief, not a Twitterer in chief. We need someone with judgment and the temperament to keep this country safe.” Trump got personal and ran an ad that compared the looks of Cruz’s wife, Heidi Nelson, with Melania Trump. Heidi, who was never a model like Melania, has it all over the former first lady. She has a Harvard MBA and was a managing director at Goldman Sachs. Trump also disparaged Cruz’s father, implying he had something to do with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. How does Cruz put aside those nightmare moments from his presidential campaign and still sleep like a baby? Because he loves being in the Senate, loves all the perks that come with being a celebrity on all those FOX shows. His wife? She’s never said. Maybe she stays up at night and thinks about it.

These are the people with high profiles, people we know once stood against Trump and then changed their stance. But what about those who live in MAGA land that don’t stand out? In the middle of the night, do they wake up and wonder if, by voting for Trump, they are going against their family, their friends, their religion, and their beliefs? That, in some cases, they may have helped to place someone they love in danger?

What about someone who has a child or grandchild who is a member of the LGBTQ community? Does that person lie awake at night wondering if the Supreme Court, following a Trump direction, could outlaw gay marriage? That a child or grandchild may see a happy, secure future disappear. Is that enough to keep a parent or grandparent reaching for the Ambien?

If the person has a trans child or grandchild, is there a concern about physical safety, especially if the younger relative lives in a red state where books about trans people are being banned? Where there have been threats made against trans individuals? Even counting sheep won’t help.

What about someone whose wife, sister, or daughter is pregnant and there’s the possibility of complications? Does that MAGA voter think about the dangerous medical climate all these anti-abortion laws have created in red states? If the pregnant relative needs emergency care, in the middle of the night, do they picture themselves in the hospital begging a doctor to help? And when the doctor in their nightmare refuses to help because a state law means jail, can the MAGA supporter roll over and go back to sleep?

During the day, there are distractions, and Trump supporters – whether they are close to the candidate, see him at rallies, or on TV – can easily push aside any doubts they might have about his distain for the constitution and the rule of law. They can try to forget that he staged a coup to stay in office and inflamed a mob to invade the Capitol. They can put aside that he was found liable of sexual assault and found guilty of 34 felonies. They can dismiss thoughts that he cares more about himself than he does about all those who vote for him. 

But there’s something about the nighttime. That’s when there’s no stopping the flow of thoughts that break through, call even his most ardent supporters to account, and make it hard for them to sleep. And no matter what mattresses those voters have on their beds, sleep will remain elusive. So when someone asks how do you sleep at night, what will they say?

Top photo: Bigstock

About Charlene Giannetti (767 Articles)
Charlene Giannetti, editor of Woman Around Town, is the recipient of seven awards from the New York Press Club for articles that have appeared on the website. A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Charlene began her career working for a newspaper in Pennsylvania, then wrote for several publications in Washington covering environment and energy policy. In New York, she was an editor at Business Week magazine and her articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. She is the author of 13 non-fiction books, eight for parents of young adolescents written with Margaret Sagarese, including "The Roller-Coaster Years," "Cliques," and "Boy Crazy." She and Margaret have been keynote speakers at many events and have appeared on the Today Show, CBS Morning, FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and many others. Her last book, "The Plantations of Virginia," written with Jai Williams, was published by Globe Pequot Press in February, 2017. Her podcast, WAT-CAST, interviewing men and women making news, is available on Soundcloud and on iTunes. She is one of the producers for the film "Life After You," focusing on the opioid/heroin crisis that had its premiere at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, where it won two awards. The film is now available to view on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and other services. Charlene and her husband live in Manhattan.