They were pretty hostile responding, but I got to make some points that I think they took seriously:
Trump is helping the economy. Lower regulations, better trade deals, and lower taxes are lifting the poorest Americans up, growing the labor force, and making the economy no longer people's biggest worry.
Trump is the first president in decades not to start wars.
None of the Democrat front runners has the right answers. Bernie is naive about taxes and their costs. Warren is dishonest. Buttigeig is inexperienced. Biden is falling apart, and the people keeping him in the race are engaged in elder abuse.
I also defended some things they attacked with:
Congress is responsible for the children in cages, not Trump. They made the rules, they under funded the courts, they didn't build a wall, and they didn't respond when CBP officials asked for money or rule changes to allow the situation to improve.
Congress is responsible for the deficit, not Trump. They write and pass the budget. Of course, growing the economy will help.
Trump really does have an impact on the economy. Continuing the theme, Congress has given the executive the power to write regulations, negotiate trade, modify tariffs, and other things. Using these powers has serious economic impacts, and Trump is responsible.
I fully conceded some points:
Trump is an asshole to some people on Twitter.
Trump has done scummy New York businessman things in the past.
This still remains contentious:
I think Trump is ignoring the media because the media lies about him constantly. They think this sets a bad precedent, and is bad for transparency.
They think he lies constantly. I think it's mostly exaggeration, and differentiating is important.
Overall, went better than I expected, and I'm glad I spoke up.
Edit: added line breaks
i applaud you and your family for engaging in dialogue.
most of my fam is dems. rarely is a dialoge possible. it is truly like " if you dont believe like i do then you are evil".
still puzzled how my sis claims to be christian but supports abortion. she tells her kids to work hard in school for their future but supports welfare for any/all. and does not tell her kids - live off government. she lives in exclusive neighborhood in her city but has not invited illegals to live there but is for open borders and using tax payer funds to give them free services us citizens get via taxes.
i refuse to be a punching bag or made to fell i cant think for myself. so sadly we interact only for family occasions in superficial way. lost cause.
That's tragic, and I'm sorry they're like that.
Stay strong. We love you here.
Remember always that the facts are on your side, and the double standards on theirs. You've got support here.