After my mother and stepfather died recently, a plethora of Trump memorabilia was found at their home, including a photo of them with a cardboard cutout of the US President.

That my mother was such a vociferous supporter of a man who was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case, was unwittingly friends with a paedophile, and treated her own daughter with contempt was not really a surprise. But as a mother, I cannot understand it at all.

It underlined how happy my mother has always been to ignore the truth.

I was not at her funeral. I had no contact with her after she sold made-up stories about me to tabloids in 2018 following my revelations that I had slept with Donald Trump in 2006.

She tried to sell baby photos (that weren’t even of me) to the producers of a documentary. She even said she wished I had played my cards better so the President might have been her son-in-law.

This was the same person who refused to press charges against a neighbour who molested me when I was in middle school, and begged me not to say anything because she feared losing custody or her monthly cheque for child support from my father.

My mother is not the only American who won’t accept reality. In my last column, I pointed out the spread of misinformation. I do not condone the actions of those covering up the truth (often politicians, their attorneys and corrupt publications) but I do understand their selfish motivations. It may be to keep themselves out of legal trouble. It may be to gain power or favour of those who are in power. It may be for personal wealth. It may even be from genuine and understandable fear for their safety and the wellbeing of loved ones. I see their possible reasoning, no matter how gross I find it.

My bigger and more concerning questions are for the general public, and humanity as a whole. How is it possible to just look the other way? How is it possible to accept obvious lies (including those by omission of truths) when the facts are right there?

We all know Portland, Oregon is the opposite of the “war zone” the administration claimed it was when Trump tried to dispatch the military to stop protests against ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement). It is a beautiful, peaceful city that I have visited many times, including twice this year.

We all know the Iran war is not the “excursion” Trump promised – it did not end quickly and is wreaking economic havoc – yet more than a third of his Maga base still say it should continue even if it increases inflation.

We all know the Epstein files have still not been released in full, and that prominent figures allegedly involved have not been brought to justice, and yet victims are being ignored.

We all look at our bills and grocery receipts and see it is getting harder to survive while our leader is personally raking in billions. Gas prices are rising. One of my best friends found herself unable to afford her prescriptions because her husband lost his job during the massive lay-offs, meaning the whole family lost their health insurance. Another friend says people are passing round Depression-era recipes and that “a nice salary no longer supports a family”. Even the established middle class are struggling now.

And yet people are not just being complacent and accepting the President’s behaviour: many still actively support it.

Trump has been clear about what matters to him. He is more interested in posting offensive memes, slapping gold paint on anything that will stand still and defending criminals than with helping the people and keeping the promises made during campaign speeches.

But more shocking, for me, is that people I have known, or thought I knew, my whole life are willing to condone these insults. People that I love, including family members, are happy to ignore the truth about who the President is and what he is doing to the country. They are unwilling to face painful realities.

Exactly two years ago, I paid nearly $650,000 in attorney’s fees to Trump’s lawyers after a judge dismissed my 2018 defamation claim against him. It came after I had recounted how a man threatened me in a car park in 2011 to force me to keep quiet about my encounter with the President, and Trump had tweeted that my account was a “total con job”.

He called me a liar, but I never got my day in court. Yes, I testified in May 2024, but that was as a subpoenaed witness in a case about falsification of business records, when Trump was guilty on 34 felony counts relating to a “hush money” payment.

E Jean Carroll was awarded more than $80m in a defamation case against Trump, after a jury found that he sexually abused the magazine columnist in a Manhattan department store in the mid-90s. I am happy about this, but my attempt to prove that he defamed me cost me more than $600,000. He was a sitting president when my story came out; I was an adult actress. America had no protocol for this, and no idea how to handle it – so it was swept under the carpet.

The legal fees were paid in full in July 2024 thanks to a GoFundMe created by my former tour manager. To my complete shock, immense relief and gratitude, tens of thousands of strangers contributed to rectify the injustice.

The most baffling part is the fact that while this payment to Trump’s legal team was being finalised, they attempted another pay-off. The offer was to reduce the amount if I would sign another NDA prohibiting me from doing any speaking events (which would have included my stand-up tour, TV hosting gig and even this very piece you’re reading now). I immediately declined the offer and the court ordered amount was paid.

Afraid of being accused of not speaking up soon enough for a second time, I provided all the proof (including emails and video of a phone call) to news outlets around the world and braced for another wave of chaos headed my direction. But the wave never came. The story was largely ignored.

Perhaps everyone had lost interest in pursuing the President, or no longer believed they could really nail him.

Perhaps journalists were afraid, after a Wall Street Journal reporter’s home address was released in court filings for a defamation lawsuit brought by the President, after her article about the Epstein files. She was forced her to relocate with her family.

That same President sat on stage last month and smirked at that reporter as she received an award at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. At this same event, despite not being legally eligible to do so, Trump “joked” about running for president again in 2028 – a “joke” he drove home by wearing a 2028 trucker hat on stage.

The citizens looking the other way are fooling themselves. Stories are being ignored, and lies are being widely accepted.

But as the midterms approach, Americans should beware: even if history is erased, it can still be repeated.