MAGA is starting to look beyond Trump

For months, every day seems to bring with it New faction of MAGAworld Get angry at President Donald Trump On something he says or does.

In recent memory, for example, podcaster Joe Rogan has made a comparison ICE raids on Gestapo operations; Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones He questioned Trump’s cognitive abilities; Former American actress Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that Trump was “He went crazyFormer Fox News host Tucker Carlson described the president as “slave“To Israel; Conservative Influencer Candace Owens Claims Trump Belongs”To the Epstein class“.

Even on Truth Social, the social media platform that Trump created as a haven to post without any backlash, there is backlash. “What!?! You’re out of line,” a Truth Social account owner named CaliMAGA69 wrote in response to Trump’s recent criticism of Owens, Jones, Carlson, and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. As losers with “low IQ”.. “Most of these people, especially Alex Jones, were on your first day!! You need to step back and take a good look at who’s whispering in your ear. Go back to America first!!”

this week, Maga Christians Anger at Trump reached a fever pitch on Monday when he posted an artificial intelligence-generated photo that appeared to depict himself as Jesus. Some MAGA members became angry, with several conservative critics and key influencers speaking out Whether this all means that Trump is the Antichrist or not.

And the accumulation only continued. White nationalist Nick Fuenteswho has long separated from Trump, was posted on X Laundry list of complaints About the failures of the second Trump era, including the “regime change war with Iran” and “attacking the Catholic Church.”

Some MAGA conspiracy theorists are even abandoning Trump. Instead of discussing how the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump was a plot by the deep state, some are now debating whether it happened at all. “Where is his scar today,” asked former professional wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura in an appearance on Piers Morgan’s show.

In what appears to be one of the biggest recent divisions in the Republican Party, it’s not entirely clear how much of the party is actually abandoning Trump, or whether the events and criticism of the past few months are just a blip. The answer seems to be a little of both.

MAGA, the most powerful political movement in the United States in recent decades, is not just a political ideology; It’s more of a personality cult as supporters have generally been willing to support Trump No matter what he says. And there are still many willing to defend him: over the weekend, former advisor Steve Bannon comparison Trump to former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, claiming that Trump would “make America great again.” Others He owns also to speak In support.

But while key allies and media outlets like Fox News remain loyal to the president, the right-wing media ecosystem has fractured in recent years. The new media landscape, where figures like Carlson, Kelly and Owens enjoy huge audiences and where their soundbites reach millions more on social media, is no longer willing to protect Trump at all costs.

As Dan Pfeiffer, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, said, Notes In his latest newsletter, this is a big problem for the Republican Party, especially when it comes to voters who may be hesitant about their support for Trump and the GOP in the midterms.

“For these voters, the fact that the criticism is coming from former Trump allies matters a lot,” Pfeiffer wrote. “When the criticism comes from someone with whom they share ideological affinity, it is likely to amount to a lot. One clip of Tucker Carlson attacking Trump is more effective than a thousand clips of Gavin Newsom, Hakeem Jeffries, or Pod Save America Make the same point.