Behind the Curtain: MAGA's metastasizing mess
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
No part of the new media ecosystem was more ascendant, more powerful and more influential in shaping public debate than MAGA was six short months ago.
- It helped elect President Trump to a second term, defend Trump, pressure and punish any Republican who didn't back Trump. MAGA was Trump, and Trump was full MAGA.
Why it matters: MAGA is now mired in conflict over Israel, white nationalism, purity tests and disputes among its biggest personalities.
- It's still overwhelmingly pro-Trump — but less relevant in shaping the president's agenda, and less capable of uniting to shape perception and dominate conversation on the right. These days, MAGA can spend more time eating its own than feasting on liberals or establishment Republicans.
The big picture: Many Americans are unaware of the fracturing because they don't watch Tucker Carlson videos, or listen to Ben Shapiro podcasts, or debate America First on Rumble or X. They see flickers of MAGA fires when the mainstream media picks up on feuds, notably Carlson vs. Shapiro over Israel and hate.
- But as Axios has shown in earlier deep dives, MAGA wholly dominates Republican media, much like Fox News and the National Review did at their apex.
- "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."
With power and clout come turmoil, conflict and rivalry. In this case, 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:
- Nick Fuentes and young white nationalists are rising in power, often saying racist and misogynistic things unapologetically.
Trump's open warfare with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has pushed for releasing Jeffrey Epstein files, reflects her America First purity over Trump fealty. In a long, bitter post Friday night, Trump called her "'Wacky' Marjorie" and said he's un-endorsing her. She replied: "I don't worship or serve Donald Trump. ... I remain America First and America Only!!!" On Saturday, Trump called her "Marjorie 'Traitor' Green." She said that "a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world."
- MTG's rift with Trump signals a split between MAGA and America First. The two were mostly synonymous for years. But America Firsters like her now think MAGA indulges Trump too much on foreign engagement, especially Israel.
- "America First America Only!!" Greene posted on X Saturday. "AFAO!!!" She told NBC News this past week: "I'm America First, America Only. Hardcore."
Carlson and others are increasingly critical of Trump for supporting Israel so lavishly. They argue this is a massive distraction and total violation of America First principles.
- Steve Bannon and other MAGA personalities see working-class voters — the foot soldiers of their movement — getting slammed by the rich and powerful who spend a lot of time with Trump.
- Bannon told us Trump "knows his movement's base better than anyone — but a lot of his base feel [he's spending] too much time on Palestine and not enough on East Palestine," Ohio. Bannon pointed to a Charlie Kirk post from a month before his assassination, calling for "urgency" on six issues — all domestic and appealing to Gen Z.
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.
- "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," Tucker 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."
- And there are accusations that people around Trump use the MAGA banner for personal profit. "During [a] recent visit in DC, the talk of everyone was how overt the corruption was," Mike Cernovich, a longtime online MAGA voice, posted on X. "It's at levels you read about in history books. In nearly every department. Lots of, 'Do people just think Democrats will never win and they'll all get away with this?' "
Behind the scenes: Even some MAGA loyalists are lamenting the access tech CEOs and Wall Street executives have to the Oval Office, and Trump's focus on crypto, the White House ballroom and foreign jet-setting, sources tell Axios' Tal Axelrod, our MAGA media expert.
- Raheem Kassam, one of the top online MAGA voices, wrote in The National Pulse, which he founded: "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."
Trump won as a champion of the working class but governs, and pals around with, the upper of the upper class. Trump's support of unfettered AI and H-1B visas — two of the top issues for his billionaire tech and investment friends — irritates MAGA purists. Bannon dismisses these friends as the "tech bros" and "corporatists." But those are the people often dining with Trump and bending his ear, shaping his mind.
- White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said: "President Trump's one and only focus is doing what's best for the American people, and the only special interest guiding his decision-making is the best interest of the American people."
What we're watching: The MAGA mess isn't a huge problem yet for Trump because he commands extraordinary loyalty from its biggest personalities with the largest followings. He sits out the messiest fights and ignores the anti-Israel backlash.
- In some ways, it's a bigger problem for Vice President Vance, as he positions himself as the heir apparent. Vance, unlike Trump, is more chronically online and fluent in true MAGA. Fuentes, who criticized Trump in 2024, and Vance have gone at each other. And no successor can count on the fervency Trump engenders.
- Alex Pfeiffer, former White House deputy communications director for Trump, told us when asked about Vance: "Noise online is just that: noise. There will always be disagreements within the conservative movement. That's nothing new. Vice President Vance's job isn't to weigh in on the various feuds within the podcast circuit, but instead to help execute the President's agenda, which he has been deftly doing."
What's next: Expect the MAGA conflict to widen this week.
- Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday.
- 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.
The bottom line: MAGA remains powerful. But it's not the united force it was six months ago.
- Axios' Tal Axelrod and Marc Caputo contributed reporting ... Go deeper: "The resistance revitalized."
