Yet reality told a different story.
The carriages with the Trump flags were real, and the Amish votes were significant. So significant in fact that the people of America-especially Republicans-owe the Amish a long heartfelt thank you that stretches far into the future, because not only did they buck a centuries old apolitical tradition, they also put their families on the line when they decided to vote.
By voting for Donald J. Trump, the Amish-all declared religious pacifists, by the way-opened the window to the Selective Service system. In effect, by voting for Trump they entered their names into the System.
As an article in Crisis Magazine put it:
The Amish’s decision to cast their votes ultimately came down to their own aversion to the prospect of the global war that the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket showed every sign of bringing about.
The countless deaths of men, women, and children already happening in the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and the likelihood of escalations on all sides was enough to move even the contemplative, quietistic, nose-to-the-plow Amish to intervene.