MAGA gets some groove back
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President Trump at the Washington Commanders game on Nov. 9. Photo: John McDonnell via Getty Images
MAGA finally feels like it's winning again after a dramatic weekend of news, easing (but not ending) one of its nastiest internal fights since the start of President Trump's second term.
Why it matters: The right was in a seemingly irreversible spiral last week over Israel and cancel culture. But MAGA was overjoyed by Trump's pardons of 77 people accused of 2020 election interference, Democrats folding on the government shutdown and a shakeup at the BBC.
- "I think this is exactly what everyone needed especially after Tuesday last week," Breitbart News' Matt Boyle told Axios, referencing the shutdown win as a palate cleanser for Republican losses in off-year elections.
- "To think of the money, resources, and man hours wasted defending against charges that never should have been brought. Thank you, President Trump," Turning Point USA's Andrew Kolvet posted of Trump's pardons.
Catch up quick: The jubilant tone was a sharp contrast from last week, when different wings of MAGA were deeply at odds.
- Debates over U.S. support for Israel sparked accusations of antisemitism and what kind of rhetoric was acceptable in a movement that itself feels marginalized by liberals. The fight escalated to some of MAGA media's biggest stars, including Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Ben Shapiro.
- Demoralizing defeats didn't help, with Republicans losing in marquee gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, along with plenty of other races nationwide.
Yes, but: MAGA's spats didn't completely disappear.
- Some hardliners like Laura Loomer were still going after Carlson for his podcast interview with Fuentes, and Trump himself said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a typically loyal ally, had "lost her way" after criticizing his handling of health care and the Epstein files.
- But by Monday and Tuesday, those were secondary stories as the spotlight focused on Democratic bickering — as well as Veterans Day and the 250th birthday for the U.S. Marine Corps.
What's next: Seizing the momentum, MAGA adherents are demanding more indictments for their enemies, and pardons for their allies, after Trump granted clemency to those who worked to reverse the 2020 election results.
- "[P]lease free Tina Peters!!" Greene posted, referencing the former Colorado clerk who was convicted of breaching her county's voting systems in 2020.
For its part, the administration is hinting that it will try to satisfy the base's appetite for victories against past alleged perpetrators of "lawfare," either in the court of law or public opinion.
- "If you do something wrong and we can prosecute you, we're going to," U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin said on the "War Room" podcast.
- "If you did it and you somehow dodged accountability … we're going to name and shame people."
