What These Identical Twins Can Teach Americans About Politics and Family

In an era of deep political division where families split over election results and friends become enemies over policy disagreements, two Indianapolis-based brothers offer a refreshingly different model: they are identical twins with diametrically opposed politics, and they’re still speaking to — and laughing with — each other.

Nick Roberts, 24, is the youngest city-county counselor in Indianapolis history after winning his seat at just 23 years old. He’s a staunch Democrat who served as a delegate for Kamala Harris in both 2020 and 2024 and was a surrogate for her presidential campaign. His twin brother, Nathan Roberts, is a grassroots activist and co-founder of Save Heritage Indiana, an anti-immigration nonprofit that aligns closely with the Trump administration’s immigration restrictionism. Nathan describes himself, without apology, as a “MAGA Republican.”

The twins discussed their political journeys, family dynamics, and their approach to bridging divides during an appearance on The 1600 Podcast with Newsweek’s Politics and Culture Director, Carlo Versano.

Watch Here: The 1600 Podcast Full Episode

The twins’ unlikely pairing became a minor internet phenomenon late last year when Nick posted a viral PSA warning his followers that if they spotted someone who looked exactly like him at a Trump event or wearing a MAGA hat, it was not actually him—it was his brother. The post, meant half in jest but rooted in genuine concern about confusion, struck a nerve in a nation fractured along partisan lines.

Growing Apart, Growing Closer

The Roberts’ political split began around the same time, in 2015. When Trump came down the escalator to announce his longshot bid for the presidency based around a restrictionist immigration policy, Nathan was immediately captivated. Meanwhile, Nick found himself falling in love with Bernie Sanders and his campaign rooted in democratic socialism.

“When Trump announced, when he came down the golden escalator, I fell in love,” Nathan said. “I thought he was awesome. Everything he stood for. I was totally all about it. That was in the age of like ISIS attacks in Europe and Brexit and all that. So I was really engaged by that.”

Nick admitted to being all-in on Sanders, though he’s moved toward the political center since then. “Admittedly, I was so cringe,” Nick said. “I was like a Bernie Bro to the death. I was the biggest Bernie guy. And then like by summer, I came around to Hillary.”
The divide ran deep even earlier. Looking back at a project from eighth grade, Nick called himself “the Democratic twin” and Nathan claimed the Republican identity—before Trump was even a serious political force.

But the family dynamic prevented the split from becoming toxic. Their grandparents and extended family represented a full spectrum of politics. Some were progressive, some were traditional conservatives, some were MAGA supporters. Nick’s mother is not particularly political but has shifted Democratic due to Nick’s influence. Their father is firmly Trump-aligned.

“We had a pretty interesting upbringing,” Nick explained. “Our parents were in high school when they had us, so they were not like very political or anything. We were mainly raised by our grandparents. What I would see was nice is our grandparents that we had were a very good blend of all politics.”

He continued: “I think what made things honestly preferred is because we had a very healthy dialog in the family. People were respectful of each other overall. And I think we got to see firsthand different people’s life experiences and how that affected their politics.”

The Limits of Persuasion

When asked what advice they’d offer to families torn apart by political differences, both twins emphasized the futility of cutting off loved ones. Nick, who works in local government and negotiates across the aisle daily, said: “I don’t feel like cutting people out of your family actually does anything to further the cause. When you cut people out of your family, people hope that six months from now, they’ll get their uncle saying, ‘Oh, you know what, I voted for Trump. You’re so right. I see the light now.’ That doesn’t happen.”

Even on the Minnesota ICE raids and the killings of two American citizens—arguably the most emotionally charged political issue of the second Trump term—the brothers didn’t devolve into screaming matches or ultimatums. They disagreed sharply, but they still listened to each other.

Nathan argued that public opinion shifts inevitably follow presidential action and that Trump’s position remains his strongest asset. “I’m not worried about that,” he said, dismissing concerns about backlash. “It’s still Trump’s most popular issue, even if he’s like slightly underwater.”

Nick countered that the videos of the killings have “broken through” in a way few issues manage to in the modern media landscape. “I think people are waking up,” he said. “I saw more people that are apolitical posting about those two killings than anything during the Trump administration so far.”

But neither brother tries to convince the other he’s wrong, which is why they rarely debate politics outside of structured settings, like their appearance on The 1600.

“He’s a smart liberal,” Nathan said of his brother. “I know his views are coming from a good place, even though I disagree with almost all of them.” Nick reciprocates the sentiment, noting that as someone immersed in local politics, he deals with partisan conflict all day and the last thing he wants to do with his brother is spar over ideology.

Watch the full conversation between Nick and Nathan Roberts with Carlo Versano in the video player above or on YouTube.

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