Disclaimer: This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.
A young California man conducted his own social experiment and was surprised at what actually occurred.
Samuel Donner wanted to see what would happen if he went to a Tennessee Trump rally and identified himself as a liberal. He then would ask if they would be his friend, despite their differences.
He wanted to see if he would encounter hostility and violence when sharing alternate political views at the Trump rally and also to see if it would be possible to find “100 new friends.”
Donner posted his experiential on TikTok, and also went on Fox & Friends on Tuesday to share his experience.
He told Doocy that he had preconceived notions about attending the Trump tally and what he might encounter. He said he expected people to be “aggressive.”
“Growing up in L.A., you think that these events are going to be like, very aggressive,” Donner said.
“I was absolutely baffled that people wanted to talk and would actually be friends with me.”
Donner’s video went viral and includes excerpts from various interactions he had with Trump supporters. The video shows everyone being very welcoming.
98% of those asked were very quick to say, “Yes, I will be your friend.”
Donner began each conversation with “Hello, my name is Samuel and I am a liberal.”
He was very surprised at how he was treated. He noted that one Trump supporter even invited him to a local Bible study gathering after he asked if he would be his friend.
Donner said he had strong preconceived notions and fear about “MAGA” Republicans, but he is reconsidering after his experience.
Donner told Doocy, “that his experience has changed how he views America and challenged his prior notions about Trump supporters.”
He also noted that despite the amount of civil unrest in the United States and rising levels of political tension, Americans of all political parties have more in common than not.
“We’re just trying to find common ground between humans,” Donner said. “And I think at the end of the day, humans have a lot more common ground than we’re led to believe. If you can start those conversations, you can actually understand where that common ground is.”
Donner thought no one at the rally would even want to talk to him, but that the reaction was the exact opposite. He had so many people respond kindly, and only a few people didn’t want to talk.
“There were a couple of people who didn’t want to talk to me, but overall, everyone was super friendly.”
Overall, Donner said his view of Trump supporters has changed after his positive experience.
The mainstream media would like us to believe that we are very different from each other, but experiments and experiences like this, show us that we are not that divided.
