Like being wrong about something is some sort of personal weakness.

and that makes her cling to Trumpery even harder.

You need to wait until the brick wall falls on her. It will. You know it has to at some point.

But sometimes I just can't be silent. We are both very much in support of animal welfare. I am vegan and she recently went vegan as well and I thought maybe there was hope - you just can't live a vegan lifestyle and support Trump, and most republicans, can you?

You see it in a lot of religions, especially cults. It's very difficult to break and usually requires a crisis of some sort.

If she rants, cut her off, change the subject. If she won't stop ranting, walk away, go outside, go shopping, do anything, and ask her if she's done when you get back. You can't be her punching bag without your permission. Don't give it.

I honestly think we're going to have to return to the days of taboo subjects: sex, religion, and politics. It's about the only way we're ever going to be able to deal with Republicans, something we need to do since they're our fellow citizens.

Luckily she is in another state and we only email each other because phone conversations are difficult as it typically veers off to the political and that never goes well.
And yes, it is very much like a cult. I think she got this way because she lives in the middle of nowhere and gets her news from fox.
My father would be rolling in his grave if he knew of her politics.

Just to give you an idea, I recently sent her the photo of the trump sons with the dead leopard they shot.
Her response: she did not approve but at least the animals they killed on safari died quickly as opposed to the dogs involved in dog fighting rings. (doublethink?)
I said both the hunter and the dog fighter were immoral and inhuman.

No progress - just frustration.
Glad I don't have any Trump friends. As the old saying goes, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family.

but you can't wipe your friends off on the furniture."

Best thing to do is let her sit and stew and experience the joys of cognitive dissonance as reality and her politics drift father and farther apart. When her views finally change, don't say a word to make her defensive. Remember, we have always been at war with eastasia.

And we saw "1984" as a dystopian horror. Right wingers saw it as a "how to" manual.

Even when it works against their interests.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

... to being the class bully that eventually got banished to a private school with a military ambiance. He is a disgusting waste of oxygen.