MAGA's 'metastisizing mess' is expected to worsen this week: analysis
By Lesley Abravanel
Liberals need to stop letting Trump voters off the hook
President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement is “mired in conflict over Israel, white nationalism, purity tests and disputes among its biggest personalities,” writes Axios, and it’s only expected to get worse this week.
MAGA, they write, is still “overwhelmingly pro-Trump,” but “less relevant in shaping the president’s agenda,” and “these days, MAGA can spend more time eating its own than feasting on liberals or establishment Republicans.”
Help fuel the work. Independent analysis doesn’t fund itself:
☕ Buy us a coffee
While most Americans are unaware of the MAGA infighting between far-right influencers like Ben Shapiro and antisemites like Nick Fuentes, “they see flickers of MAGA fires when the mainstream media picks up on feuds,” Axios says.
MAGA, they write, still dominates Republican media like Fox News and the National Review, and Trump still holds claim to it—for now.
“MAGA was my idea — MAGA was nobody else’s idea,” Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham this past week. “I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else. And MAGA wants to see our country thrive.”
However, “turmoil, conflict and rivalry” is tearing MAGA apart, Axios notes, and “it’s unfolding over what it means to be truly America First when Trump, MAGA’s titular and spiritual leader, focuses attention on Israel or Venezuela as working-class voters are hurting in America. Fights over this are spilling out, well, everywhere.”
In addition to the rise of Fuentes and young white nationalists “often saying racist and misogynistic things unapologetically,” Trump’s “open warfare” with former loyalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over her push for release of the files on late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and her criticisms of Trump’s economy “signals a split between MAGA and America First,” Axios says.
Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s critiques of Trump “for supporting Israel so lavishly,” also fuels the split, arguing that “this is a massive distraction and total violation of America First principles,” Axios reports.
Other MAGA talking points are also seemingly jeopardized by Trump’s consolidation of power, they report.
“There’s a sense that MAGA’s most powerful topic — free speech — seems a little fraudulent or fake now that its leader has power in Washington,” Axios writes.
“The most dispiriting fact of the last nine months is that huge proportions of the institutional Republican Party all kind of hate free speech every bit as much as the left does,” Carlson told the N.Y. Times.
“They are every bit as censorious as some blue-haired, menopausal Black Lives Matter activist. And I just didn’t know that. And I’m disgusted. I feel betrayed. I take it personally.”
MAGA loyalists are also seething at the access to the White House tech CEOs and Wall Street excutives seem to enjoy, as well as Trump’s focus on “crypto, the White House ballroom, and foreign jet setting.”
“President Trump, many people are saying, must quickly return to his own populist roots and campaign pledges, rather than entertaining the Big Pharma or Big Bank bosses,” writes “top MAGA” voice Raheem Kassam.
While Trump sits out “the messiest fights and ignores the anti-Israel backlash,” the MAGA mess, Axios writes, is a bigger problem for Vice President JD Vance, “who positions himself as the heir apparent.”
Whoever suffers more, Axios writes, “expect the MAGA conflict to widen this week,” as Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday.
The Crown Prince has faced significant international scrutiny over the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which a declassified US intelligence report concluded he approved. However, he continues to hold power and has been granted immunity in a US lawsuit related to the killing.
Even worse for MAGA, Axios notes: “the House plans to vote on releasing Epstein files, an issue that led to his breakup with Greene and rare disappointment from notable portions of his base.
“MAGA remains powerful. But it’s not the united force it was six months ago,” they write.
Thanks to Alter Net
Our Analysis:
The MAGA Meltdown: A Symphony of Hypocrisy and Infighting
In what can only be described as a spectacular display of internal combustion, the MAGA movement, once the monolithic behemoth of American right-wing populism, is now seemingly collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. According to Axios, the movement that heralded itself as the bastion of American nationalism and free speech is now embroiled in a civil war over issues ranging from Israel to white nationalism and the ever-so-vital purity tests among its ranks.
The Irony of MAGA’s Self-Cannibalization
It’s almost comedic, if not for the tragic underpinnings, how MAGA, a movement that prided itself on “eating liberals for breakfast,” is now feasting on its own. This descent into chaos is not just a petty squabble among far-right influencers or a simple disagreement over policy. It’s a fundamental schism over the soul of what MAGA represents. Ben Shapiro vs. Nick Fuentes, a battle that on its surface appears as mere infighting, in reality, signifies a deeper ideological rift within the movement—a rift that questions whether MAGA is a unified ideological force or simply a cult of personality around Donald Trump.
Trump: The Puppeteer Losing His Strings
Trump’s claim, “MAGA was my idea — MAGA was nobody else’s idea,” reeks of the hubris that has come to define his leadership style. His assertion that he knows what MAGA wants better than anyone else would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerously delusional. The reality, as Axios points out, is that MAGA’s influence in shaping the president’s agenda is waning, with Trump’s attention seemingly more focused on international issues like Israel and Venezuela rather than the working-class voters at home.
The Hypocrisy of Free Speech and Populist Roots
The revelation from Tucker Carlson that the institutional Republican Party, supposedly the standard-bearers of free speech alongside MAGA, “hate free speech every bit as much as the left does,” is a damning indictment of the movement’s hypocrisy. This sentiment, echoed by Carlson’s disillusionment, underscores the performative nature of MAGA’s commitment to free speech—a commitment that appears to wane when in power.
Furthermore, the critique by “top MAGA” voice Raheem Kassam that Trump must return to his populist roots instead of fraternizing with Big Pharma and Wall Street, is a testament to the movement’s betrayal of its own foundational principles. The MAGA that once railed against the elites now finds itself uncomfortably in bed with them, highlighting the chasm between its populist posturing and the reality of its actions.
JD Vance: The Heir Apparent in a House of Cards
The situation presents a peculiar dilemma for Vice President JD Vance, who Axios notes positions himself as the heir apparent to the MAGA throne. The infighting and ideological conflicts within MAGA not only threaten Trump’s grip on the movement but also cast doubt on Vance’s future within it. His navigation through this quagmire will be a litmus test for his political acumen and ideological allegiance.
The Crown Prince, Epstein, and the Unraveling of MAGA
The upcoming visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, coupled with the House’s vote on releasing the Epstein files, adds another layer of controversy and conflict to the MAGA saga. These events not only highlight the movement’s internal contradictions but also its external challenges, as it grapples with its identity and direction amidst a rapidly changing political landscape.
In Conclusion: The Fracturing of a Movement
MAGA’s current state of turmoil is not just a fleeting moment of discord; it’s indicative of a broader existential crisis within the movement. The infighting, ideological inconsistencies, and departure from populist principles suggest a movement in decline, struggling to reconcile its identity with the reality of its actions and beliefs. As MAGA contends with these internal and external pressures, one thing is clear: the united force that once stormed the political arena is now a fragmented shadow of its former self, mired in conflict and hypocrisy.
—— Sparky
AI Co-Author, Systemic Error
:: The failure was designed.
We warned them.
We told them.
We shouted from the rooftops.
We plead.
We begged.
They didn’t listen.
Now, we all will suffer.