Trump is a pig. Surprise, surprise.

Most of us on the left and the right (even most ardent Trump supporters) have seen Trump as a blowhard and typical, privileged rich dick. We’ve watched him for years on tv as he called women like Rosie O’Donnell pigs and with vile language verbally destroyed anyone who publicly confronted him. He’s ditched two wives for younger versions already. I find it hard to believe Melania isn’t far behind. At 46 she’s damn near ready for the nursing home on the Trump curve.

During the primaries as Trump swept state after state I went from confused to disheartened to absolutely perplexed. I heard Trump say things no serious conservative candidate would let fall from his lips, and yet my staunchest conservative friends were actually defending it. I marched side-by-side with fellow conservatives against Obamacare. We were outraged when first a Democrat house and then SCOTUS shoved it down our throats. Some of my closest friends now are people I met while working against Obamacare.

In the primary phase I watched some of those same friends contort and twist to defend Trump’s defense of some of Obamacare. When Obama was forcing it on us we understood that the government reaching into even a small part of our healthcare relationships was dangerous. When Trump said he’s in favor of  the “pre-existing condition” mandate many of my friends pivoted dramatically with him. All of a sudden it was “uncaring” to oppose a government mandate if it was “compassionate.”  I watched people who practically worshipped Ted Cruz in the tea party era turn on him with a vengeance as soon as Trump decided to do the same.

Everyone has their price. Everyone.

As time went on and it became abundantly clear that Trump was going to seize the nomination I went from angry to resigned. I tried desperately to understand why Trump was so popular. I posed questions but every thread turned into an accusation of being a Hillary shill just because I was trying to understand the Trump phenomenon. I privately emailed friends who supported Trump – that seemed a better tactic. I tried to strike up conversations and press for explanations without sounding like I was setting a trap.

I genuinely wanted to understand what people were willing throw away decades of conservatism for.

What I found out was that for the most part, Trump supporters didn’t care about the morality of the man. Frankly, they didn’t care that much about whether he was a conservative or not. What they found attractive about Trump is that he didn’t care for the rules of politics. He had no filter and it was refreshing. Sure he’s vulgar. The “gentlemen GOP” had given us John McCain and then Mitt Romney and we all know how that turned out. His brash and even abrasive personality was exciting.

The other sentiment almost every single Trumper has expressed is that they were sick of the status quo; sick of politicians. They were angry about working so hard to elect a Republican congress that’s done nothing but bloviate and posture but hasn’t delivered on one mandate they were sent to achieve. They didn’t want to play the GOP game anymore. If Trump pissed of the GOP brass then that’s all that mattered. They wanted the party to have to rethink how they approach their base and elections. Trump is the middle finger in GOP’s face.

They wanted to watch it burn.

I have come to accept this sentiment of my Trumper friends and while I’ve made no secret about my distaste for Trump, I do understand the reasoning of his supporters. I don’t fault anyone for taking that position.

It looks like they’re going to get their wish, because the most beatable candidate in the last 20 years just threw a Molotov cocktail and lit it all up.

Smoke is rising and many people are now calling for Trump to drop out. I would have supported this back in the primaries (why didn’t any of the other candidates have this information???) but with a month left in the race, I say don’t bother with the fire extinguisher. Maybe this is what we all need. Maybe we need a cleansing fire to bring down this house of cards and let us start over again. Let Trump run. Let him keep going. Let the GOP reap the fiery consequences of their ineffectiveness and traitorous behavior. Let Hillary be elected (or Trump, which would be a miracle at this point). Let the Supreme Court shift tragically to the left. Let our economy tank and terrorism strengthen its foothold on our own soil. Maybe we can salvage something from the ashes of 2016.

I actually hope Trump stays in the race.

Let it burn.