MAGA's media meltdown
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Conservative media is facing a rare moment of introspection, rocked by a series of scandals that have drawn new scrutiny to the right's favorite influencers.
Why it matters: The battle for MAGA's future is unfolding not just at the ballot box, but online — where traditionally pro-Trump forces are suddenly feuding over antisemitism, revisionist history and Russian disinformation.
Driving the news: At the center of the firestorm is Tucker Carlson, who has drawn sustained backlash for hosting a guest on his podcast who called Winston Churchill "the chief villain" of World War II.
- Elon Musk promoted the interview with Darryl Cooper, who Carlson suggested was "the best and most honest popular historian" in the U.S. — then backtracked after X users accused Cooper of Nazi apologia.
- Even hardcore conservatives were gobsmacked by Carlson giving voice to Cooper, the latest in a string of controversial guests — Vladimir Putin among them — whom Carlson has interviewed since leaving Fox News.
Zoom in: Carlson's mainstream relevance may have waned since he was stripped of the top-rated show in cable news, but his influence on the "America First" movement remains unrivaled.
- Carlson, who some MAGA die-hards pushed to be Trump's running mate, received a thunderous reception when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in July.
- Later this month, he's scheduled to be joined onstage in Pennsylvania by Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as part of the "Tucker Carlson Live Tour," which also will feature Donald Trump Jr., Alex Jones and other special guests.
Zoom out: In the midst of the Carlson outrage, the Justice Department revealed an indictment Wednesday accusing Russia of a scheme to pay right-wing influencers to unwittingly spread propaganda ahead of the election.
- Pro-Trump content creators Tim Pool, Benny Johnson and Dave Rubin were among those who DOJ says were deceived by Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based company covertly funded by Moscow.
- All three — who described themselves as "victims" of the bombshell allegations — have millions of followers on X and are staples of the platform's daily right-wing discourse.
- Canadian activist Lauren Chen, who founded Tenet along with her husband and has frequently attacked Trump from the right, was fired by Blaze Media on Thursday.
Between the lines: The fissures in MAGA's media machine aren't simply a product of Russian disinformation — and they didn't appear overnight.
- The Israel-Hamas war, for example, has spurred some elements of Trump's "America First" base to embrace the type of antisemitism that Republicans often condemn on the left.
- Candace Owens, a longtime darling of the pro-Trump movement, left The Daily Wire in March after clashing with founder Ben Shapiro over her antisemitic conspiracy theories, which she continues to promote.
- Some far-right commentators — such as prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes — have even vowed to campaign against Trump over his support for Israel.
The bottom line: Trump won't have issues turning out his base in November, regardless of the state of conservative media. The bigger question is which voices will fill the vacuum when Trump is eventually gone.
