“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Martin Niemöller was a German pastor who initially supported the Nazi regime but was later targeted once the regime interfered with the German Protestant Church’s independence. He self-identified as an antisemite and welcomed Hitler when he came to power in 1933. When the Nazis began targeting churches and converted Jews in Niemöller’s community, they arrested him for pushing back.
He spent eight years in Nazi detention, seven of them in concentration camps. After World War II ended, he went on a world tour condemning the Nazi regime and advocating for human rights, which is where that quote comes from.
Every time I see these words, I am reminded of how easily people are blinded by hate and lies. America’s individualism, which has manifested itself in identity politics, religious freedom and self-reliance has distorted itself into a nation of apathy. We have become so focused on our own nuclear world, surviving, that we cannot see how hurting others also harms us.
Niemöller’s experience can be observed within our nation as well, with previous Trump supporters explaining that they didn’t know their neighbors and friends would fall victim to his mass deportations.
Vincent Scardina, a Floridian who owns a roofing business, supported Trump’s stance on immigration when he voted for him in 2024. In May of 2025, he had six of his workers detained by ICE. It didn’t matter that they had valid work permits and pending asylum applications. He told NBC, “Well, you know, you get to know these guys, you become their friends — just not an employer, but a friend — and you see what happens to their family. It’s … It’s quite a shock.”
This is the irony that comes from supporting candidates who make sweeping statements and want to target certain communities. If they don’t care about vulnerable populations, what makes you think you will not be a target someday too?
Those who voted for him — some three times — were not confused by what they were voting for. I have seen countless videos on social media and articles about Trump voters feeling deceived. His voters heard him say immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” at a New Hampshire rally in 2023. They ignored his connection to Project 2025 and then acted surprised when he followed it like a checklist.
The people who were comfortable voting for Trump, even though he publicly stated what his plans were and were then harmed by these policies, are living out the words of Niemöller.
Veterans strongly supported the Republican ticket in 2024, continuing a decades-long trend of military personnel leaning Republican. Trump and Vance ran a campaign claiming to end America’s wars with no clear plan except for being tougher in the international arena than Biden.
However, within the last few weeks, over three thousand people have been killed in Iran and thousands more in Lebanon and Iraq — in a war the United States started. The administration campaigned with veterans and soldiers in mind — and then they came for them. The outrage I have seen online coming from Trump’s supporters has had nothing to do with this massive loss of life. Instead, it is focused on surging gas prices and the possible deployment of U.S. troops to West Asia.
The Trump administration is coming for its own people and thus disconnecting our country further. A Pew Research study from 2023 asked people from 24 countries how connected they feel to people in their country, local community and world. In every country, at least half said they feel close to their community, with the U.S. second to least likely to hold this view (54%). The U.S. also had the lowest response rate for people feeling very or somewhat close to people in their country (66%).
It is difficult to feel close to your community and country when every day citizens live in fear of the government coming for their neighbors, friends and families. It’s even harder when your fellow citizens are supporting it.
Empathy needs to become the norm. It shouldn’t have to be our friends getting deported for people to care — we should care when it’s any human being.
Harper is a political science major and Philadelphia native. Email her at [email protected].