It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, a Republican or Independent, we all know that just the mention of Donald Trump’s name can stir up emotions between friends and family. This isn’t a new phenomena, families have been fighting about politics for centuries – we all have had one Thanksgiving ruined when your crazy Uncle goes on his latest politically charged diatribe. However, new research shows that more and more people aren’t just having political spats with distant and dotty relatives. Politics is creeping into the bedroom and dividing couples.
Since the 2016 election, couples aren’t just arguing about politics, they’re fighting specifically about Trump and they’re breaking up or divorcing over their disagreements.
A non-partisan polling company based in Virginia, Wakefield Research, studied 1,000 nationally representative adults and the results were shocking. They found that one in ten Americans have ended romantic relationships over political differences. That’s 11 percent of couples breaking up over politics. Guess Paula Abdul’s theory was wrong, opposites don’t attract. And, the numbers are even worse when you focus only on millennials. Twice as many – 22 percent – of millennials have called it quits because of political disagreements. It’s like a real life episode of Girls (RIP).
What’s even more interesting is when researchers dug a little deeper they found a very specific divider of couples: the president himself. They asked survey takers if they knew a couple whose marriage had been negatively impacted specifically due to The Donald. Almost a quarter of people did, 22 percent of Americans knew a couple whose relationship had been negatively impacted because of Trump. And even more impactful, a third of millennials (35 percent) knew a couple whose relationship was negatively impacted by Trump. That’s one in three couples whose relationship is suffering because of arguments over the President of the United States.
Typically the number one cause for fights among couples is money. But the study says that since the election one in five Americans in a relationship or marriage are having more disagreements about Trump’s policies than finances. That’s right, 24 percent of American couples say “they and their partner have disagreed or argued about politics more than ever,” since he was elected.
Florida divorce attorney Jason A. Brodie says, “People are becoming more entrenched in their political opinions especially regarding the President,” he adds, “This is causing married couples to have completely adverse opinions that are so deeply rooted that they can’t overcome them and are ending their marriages in divorce.”
So, the next time you’re out on a date at the most romantic restaurant, take a look at two other couples in the room. If one of them isn’t fighting about Trump, beware, cause you and your boo are about to get into it.
Source: Bravo