Carlos Hernandez is a Latino Braver Angels leader from San Francisco who supports President Trump. In this episode, Carlos talks to host Ciaran O’Connor about what it’s like to be a conservative in San Francisco, why he supports the President, and how he believes Braver Angels’ work can build trust and understanding between those who plan to vote differently in November. This conversation is a part of Braver Angels 2020, a national campaign to help Americans “Fight Right” by debating painfully divisive issues in a constructive way that prizes vigor and virtue over rancor and vitriol.
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09/02/2026
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Growing up in the eighties, his family moved all around the Midwest as his parents chased down steady, blue-collar work: factory jobs, construction, truck driving, whatever could pay the bills. “We were always poor,” Wilk said. And whether they were in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, or Minnesota, he often found himself on the outs. “It didn’t matter which side of the tracks we were on,” he said. “It was always the wrong side of the tracks.”
1 thought on “A Trump-Supporting Braver Angel”
I have so appreciated the work of your organization for months now and am more engaged everyday. I am a very liberal ‘blue’ in a relationship with a decidedly ‘colorless’ libertarian and I’m trying everyday to find the commonalities among our disagreements, and Braver Angels has helped tremendously. I found this conversation between Ciaran and Carlos a great example of seeking understanding, but I did feel there was a huge gap (for me at least) between understanding why Carlos had grown up liberal “in a bastion of liberal progressivism” and shifted so sharply toward the conservative party. Maybe I missed what he sees as quite obvious reasons, but I felt he sort of skipped over what, to me, was the most important part of his story in understanding why suddenly Donald Trump seemed to better emulate the values that he was seeking in a leader. I’d love to hear more from him about this. Thanks for what you all do!