The Fight for MAGA
After years of a personality cult, the focus is now on what MAGA means beyond Trump. The conflicts will intensify with the next election.
The recent controversy within Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement has a certain entertainment value. The conspiracy narratives that Trump has spread for years are now turning against him. At least in the form of MAGA figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who only got into politics in the first place through the QAnon conspiracy narrative.
They resent Trump because he has always promised full disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein case, but has since kept the final report classified.
The release of an allegedly decades-old letter from Trump to Epstein and Trump’s subsequent lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, is restoring unity within MAGA for the time being. Hostility to the media always works — but maybe just for the moment.
Because, after years of a personality cult, it’s quite obvious that the focus is gradually shifting to what MAGA might mean beyond Trump. During the controversy over the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities a few weeks ago, people like Greene and Tucker Carlson were on the verge of accusing Trump of treason in the name of MAGA. Trump eventually intervened: He created MAGA, he decides what it is.
A few years ago, MAGA people would have fought with traditional Republicans over who defines Republican policy and identity. That battle has long been won: MAGA rules. But what that really means is not academic. It’s about the future and leadership of the movement after Trump’s second term. Conflicts around this will intensify as the 2028 election approaches.
But anyone who thinks these skirmishes are the direct path to the unraveling of the Trump administration after just six months is probably mistaken. If there’s one thing Trump is good at, it’s exploiting controversy for his own position of power. It’s always the fault of others — go get ‘em!
The recent controversy within Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement has a certain entertainment value. The conspiracy narratives that Trump has spread for years are now turning against him. At least in the form of MAGA figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who only got into politics in the first place through the QAnon conspiracy narrative.
They resent Trump because he has always promised full disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein case, but has since kept the final report classified.
The release of an allegedly decades-old letter from Trump to Epstein and Trump’s subsequent lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, is restoring unity within MAGA for the time being. Hostility to the media always works — but maybe just for the moment.
Because, after years of a personality cult, it’s quite obvious that the focus is gradually shifting to what MAGA might mean beyond Trump. During the controversy over the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities a few weeks ago, people like Greene and Tucker Carlson were on the verge of accusing Trump of treason in the name of MAGA. Trump eventually intervened: He created MAGA, he decides what it is.
A few years ago, MAGA people would have fought with traditional Republicans over who defines Republican policy and identity. That battle has long been won: MAGA rules. But what that really means is not academic. It’s about the future and leadership of the movement after Trump’s second term. Conflicts around this will intensify as the 2028 election approaches.
But anyone who thinks these skirmishes are the direct path to the unraveling of the Trump administration after just six months is probably mistaken. If there’s one thing Trump is good at, it’s exploiting controversy for his own position of power. It’s always the fault of others — go get ‘em!
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