In this episode of the Dennis Prager Show, psychologist Karlyn (Caroline) Borisenko recounts why, after two decades as a lifelong Democrat, she decided to attend a Trump rally in New Hampshire before the 2020 primary. She explains that curiosity and the rarity of the opportunity motivated her, despite warnings from friends about safety. At the rally she discovers ordinary, friendly attendees—veterans, teachers, small‑business owners—who welcomed her even after learning she was a Democrat. She describes how her husband, an immigrant from Ukraine with more conservative leanings, nudged her toward conservative media such as Ben Shapiro and PragerU, which helped her question her liberal echo chamber. Borisenko reflects on the psychological mechanisms behind partisan blindness, naming confirmation bias and “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as factors that skew perception on both sides, though she argues the left exhibits it more intensely. She notes that many on the left react dismissively to her changed view, while she finds right‑wing conversations more open‑minded. Throughout, Prager frames the discussion as evidence that exposure to opposing viewpoints can shift political attitudes without requiring a change in core values.
Chapters
Caroline Borisenko, she's a psychologist, and she decided that she, lifelong Democrat, would attend a Trump rally in New Hampshire where she lives. And she wrote a piece for Medium.com: After attending a Trump rally, I realized Democrats are not ready for 2020. I've been a Democrat for 20 years. But this experience made me realize how out of touch my party is with the country at large. All right, welcome to the Dennis Prager Show, Karlyn Borisenko.
Hi, Dennis.
Hi there. You're sort of a profile in courage to me, to use the famous term of John F. Kennedy. Do you find that an odd description of yourself?
I find it very odd because the reality is, I mean, so many people have called me brave for writing this article, but when I wrote it, I really never thought anyone was going to read it at any scale. So it didn't feel like a particularly brave thing. It was just something that I wanted to write to get out of my system. And then it kind of exploded.
I'll say so. Let me tell you, I underwent a not all that different epiphany much earlier in my life. I was raised in New York City, went to Columbia. I'm Jewish, so ergo I was a Democrat. I mean, it's on my birth certificate. And I then started meeting Republicans and Christians, and it blew my mind. A lot of them were really nice people.
Yeah, right.
So I, I, I, uh, in some ways I can truly identify with your piece. So let's start at the beginning. Why did you attend a Trump rally?
Well, You know, New Hampshire politics is a really fun thing to be able to be a part of. We're very, very spoiled. And I had been able to see all of the major Democratic candidates at one point or another. And so it comes to the day before the New Hampshire primary, and Trump was going to be in town. And I thought, well, why not? Why not check this out? Because when am I ever going to have the experience to— the chance to do it again? And I thought, if nothing else, it would be quite a spectacle to witness.
What did you expect?
You know, I wasn't really sure what to expect going into it, if I'm honest, but I certainly had a perception of the people who attended these rallies that was not altogether flattering. And anyone that I told that I was thinking about attending the rally, regardless of whether they were on the left or the right, they were all genuinely fearful of my safety of being a Democrat going to a Trump rally. They either thought I was going to get harassed or they thought Antifa was going to show up and everyone was warning me to stay clear. So I have to admit, I I was a little nervous going into it.
Did you go alone?
I did. Yeah.
Now, why did, why did Republicans think it was dangerous?
Well, because this was the day after that a man in Florida had driven his van through a Republican voter registration tent. And so I think people were just a little on edge and they weren't as scared for me as the people on the left. But they said, you know, watch your back. Just make sure you're aware of what's going on around you.
So you got in, and what were your first impressions?
My first impressions, well, when you go to a Trump rally, you have to get there very early to wait in that big long line. And, you know, so you strike up conversations with people, and, and I did that and just found out that these are just normal, everyday, average people. There was not a Nazi or a white supremacist in sight, so far as I knew. And they were just, you know, they were veterans, they were school teachers, they were small business owners, and they were just, you know, very excited to be to have this experience of going to a Trump rally. And I even let it slip a couple of times that I was a Democrat, and they said, oh my gosh, welcome, good for you, we're so glad you're here.
You know, it reminds me, I tell my Black friends, or even just Black acquaintances, hey, if you ever want to feel loved, go to any Republican rally. Yes, I know, I know. I'm laughing because it's true. That's why.
Yes.
So you told exactly, it's completely what I would expect that you told them that you were a Democrat. If I may ask, only because I'm going to get into reactions in your, in your personal life. Are you married?
I am married. Yep. I'm actually married to an immigrant.
From where?
From Ukraine.
And, uh, assuming it's a he, uh, okay. Uh, how did, how, what are his politics?
You know, I mean, we actually don't talk about politics all that much. I, I've actually found out in the course of, of this whole experience that he's a little bit more conservative than I ever thought he was. Um, but you know, he, I think he kind of sits right in the middle with me, but he's maybe a little bit more right than I am.
So just if I may, because my listeners know how interested I am in this subject, did he sort of keep this from his wife? Did he keep this from your husband? Did he keep the fact that he was to the right of you from you?
I don't think he kept it from me. More, it's more that we just never really talked about it. I mean, MSNBC was kind of on in my house constantly, and he just never really paid attention to it, and it was just never never a topic of conversation between us. I mean, every once in a while we would talk about it. I think he's definitely very— I knew he was very conservative on issues related to immigration simply because of our experiences going through the immigration process, but it just wasn't a part of our relationship with any great significance.
So how has he reacted to your epiphany?
Oh, he's completely in favor of it, honestly. And it's so funny because, uh, This was really the culmination of several months for me of trying to break out of my liberal echo chamber and being, you know, trying to listen to more conservative voices, people who I thought I would disagree with. And he always nudged me. He was like, "Carlin, you need to go listen to Ben Shapiro." And I said, "Victor, I'm not listening to Ben Shapiro. Ben Shapiro is Satan." And then I eventually ended up breaking down and listened to Ben Shapiro and found out that he's not actually Satan. He's just a very conservative guy that's really smart and really funny. And so I have to actually credit my husband with helping me along along this journey, and I think he's been pretty pleased with, with what's happened.
That's the reason that he needs $600,000 of security if he goes to Berkeley, because he— oh yeah, because he and a couple of others can change minds. That's why they, uh, that's why they put PragerU videos on the restricted list. They're so afraid that sane, decent voices on the right be heard.
And it's so absurd too, because there's nothing that I've heard Ben Shapiro or anything that I've seen from PragerU that is— it's not controversial. It's just a different perspective of the world. And what I've tried to really tell people when the left has kind of come after me in this whole thing is that you don't need to change your values to listen to people and to try to understand their perspective. And you can— and in some ways it might actually reinforce the values that you already have.
How do they, how do they respond to that?
Oh, they don't want to hear it. I think most of the people I've talked to on the left are actively sticking their fingers in the ears and saying, la la la la la, we can't hear you, we can't hear you at the moment.
Okay, well, you're a psychologist, and since I am completely convinced that the issue is a psychological one, why do they do that? We don't do that.
I mean, I think, I think people on the right do it to maybe a lesser extent. I think that, listen, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing. I didn't believe it was real for the longest time, but it is absolutely a real thing. And I will admit that I had it for probably a good couple of years and it completely skews the way you see the world. And I think, you know, confirmation bias is something that, um, you know, is naturally one of the tricks that our brain plays on us where we only seek out information that confirms our worldview. And I think, you know, If I look at the left right now, I think it's kind of like confirmation bias on steroids.
The reason I said we don't do it is not necessarily because we're more noble. We can't help it. The moment you go to a movie, the moment you go to college or high school now, you hear the left. We have no choice. We would have to, in effect, enter a nunnery or a monastery.
And I think that's a completely fair point. And, and, you know, this experience has definitely been eye-opening for me in that I didn't realize how bad that was. And I also think that I, even leading up to this, this article coming out, I've had so many more invigorating conversations with people on the right. They just seem to have much more of an open mind.
Yes, that was my point. Please stay with us. The article is up at DennisPrager.com.
