Divisions along the political spectrum have always existed. For instance, I’m hardly a loonie leftie (I consider myself “liberal” in the old-fashioned sense, not the horrid cancel-culture “authoritarian” sense), but I think its nuts not to have state funded healthcare. However, if a right wing American friend feels differently, of course we can still be friends, even though I completely disagree.

However, when those same right wing friends decide to swallow outright lies, defend incitement to violence, and all the other nonsense you've touched on here, I lose patience. So yes, even as a UK resident, I lost touch with some of my American aquaintances over the last couple of years, because I simply grew tired of listening to their delusions. It just got plain exhausting.