How do you handle disagreeing w/ adult children re: politics

I do not talk politics with my dad. He does kind of interject it sometimes, but he generally respects the "no talking about politics" rule.

It is hard to do because he is very conservative and I am not. He believes Fox News. My sister will challenge him on things and she is usually really informed and he doesn't have any rebuttal because he only knows Fox talking points. She is pretty skilled at it. I am not that skilled and not that brave. I had one admittedly beer fueled discussion with him that got very hot, so I've learned my lesson. I am very angry about who he voted for. I kind of blame the whole presidency on him- like he was the one vote that tipped it over.

It is hard though, because pretty much everything is about social issues anymore. It is sad that empathy for marginalized people, for example, has become a political topic.

I do talk about politics with my 22-year-old nephew. He leans the same way as I do.

I’ve always hated this idea, especially to teach to children. How can people learn how to discuss and reason and debate appropriately and effectively if talking about some of the most important topics is off limits?

Only side of the family, extended included, there’s really only a handful of conservatives. Absolutely no MAGA. So we pretty much all agree Trump is a nutcase. My aunt bought a tesla before we knew Elon was crazy, she refuses to drive it now until her anti Elon sticker arrives.

My husbands side of the family is different. Full blown MAGA. We don’t spend much time with them and when we do we don’t talk politics. Which is difficult because when we do visit my MIL blasts NewsMax at full volume all day long.

I feel very grateful not to have this issue.  It must be so tough!

I was having a discussion with my friend a couple of weeks ago. She said everyone where she lives was going crazy about everything the felon is doing. She then said she was just going to live her life and not be like those people.

I had to slap her upside the head and reminded her that her husband is hispanic and could get deported because they arrest first, ask questions later (he has legal status). She has a son and a brother that benefit from medicaid. Her mother collects social security, and she has a young twenty-something daughter.  I just SMH. I can't make her put in any effort to get informed. And she is not even on her phone. 

Avoiding the topic. If they don't, I walk Away.

And this why I wholeheartedly reject the “why can’t we all just get along?” that gets thrown around ALL the time. It’s the new version of “hate the sin, love the sinner”. Just NO!

A piece from the POV of the adult child.

www.npr.org/2025/02/26/g-s1-50605/conspiracy-theories-politics-family-alternate-realities?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR37jrfHNlCEYjRimHxmxDeJk4v7tZb9ZYR9sEg66nCuFYRPLqmyJbJPfYo_aem_ehr3ottQr6Dt7y91oSXx8Q

It depends on who and what we disagree on.

Most family that are very different than I am politically, I do not engage with on politics if I can, and I try to find ways to stay away from them; we do not stay away just because of politics, but their politics make them fundamentally so different, that I just don't want to invest my energy in a relationship at this point, and for at least some of them, it probably goes both ways. I don't see them seeking me out. If we are together, I mostly change the subject or remove myself if needed.

My dad passed away during the first Trump admin; he was a lifelong libertarian and we had many political conversations and debates over the years, but he was NOT MAGA, and he was always open to discussion and facts/logic and philosophical conversations. Luckily, my mom, DH and kids are somewhat similar to me. My boys are the ONLY people in this world that if they became hardcore MAGA, that I would still try and spend time with; I would also feel like I failed, but I would still want a relationship.

There seems to be no nuance with "most" MAGA right now.  There are no philosophical discussions to be had (and yes, with SOME progressives as well).  I don't know how to bridge that chasm.  I also want to point out I am talking about MAGA and not someone just more conservative or fully non-MAGA conservative. We can agree to disagree.

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i only have one kid and she is kinda my carbon copy so we have wonderful conversations and she is so well read. She would never be a conservative.

My kids know they can talk to us about politics any time. Our only request is that if they express an opinion they be willing to hear an opinion they may not agree with. This approach has made it very easy for all of us to coexist.
No one is forcing ideologies or opinions on anyone else in my family. Very mutually respectful.

My youngest is politically opposite but also says she doesn't follow politics or like them much. Fair. I don't bring up politics with her to respect her wishes.

Likewise, when she brings it up, which she does occasionally, I'll ask her if she really wants to discuss it and hear my opinion (sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree) or if she's just venting. I give her the option of continuing the conversation or not. If she doesn't, no problem. We stop.

It's so important to be able to listen not just to opinions/views you agree with but also to listen to those you don't agree with. Really happy I can have these kinds of discussions with my kids even if we don't agree.

My mother on the other hand....

The only person in my family that I don't discuss politics with is my dad. Mostly because he believes he's always right. Although, this attitude applies to everything, not just politics. In his older age, he is mellowing and seems to better understand topics that should be off limits because he's destined to piss someone off. He's not perfect, but he's getting less "bull in a china shop" with his words. Only took him 77 years to get to this point. LOL!

My kids, though, I have always discussed politics with. Chloe is more left than I am. Esther was more right than I am on numerous topics (which probably surprises you because she was trans.) But both my kids were able to discuss hard things.

My children are not adults, so I didn't want to post on this thread and divert from the original intent. However, my children are teens and we've been having a lot of discussions about a lot of things that have happened. My parents never, ever talked about politics when we were growing up. I don't even know that they voted. It wasn't until Obama that I remember hearing my parents say anything about who should be President. Anyway. My girls tend to lean very black and white. No room for grey, so we have conversations about compromise and grey areas. Just because XYZ doesn't mean ABC and vise versa. I realize I still have time to speak with them which puts me in a different boat than the parents with adult kids, but I hope it means down the road we can all discuss things without worrying about being booted out of our family.