The Great Unraveling
Here’s what you need to know about MAGA’s war with itself
The Trump Regime’s attacks on Iran might just be the most staggering reminder yet of how little Donald Trump cares about the lives of Americans, even his own MAGA base. Six service members were killed, and at least 18 others were injured. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are currently stranded in the Middle East. The State Department gave them no warning to evacuate before the strikes and has told them to leave, while also offering no extraction plan or assistance and knowing the strikes mean that Americans are more likely to be targeted for retaliation. Trump has gotten America into a Middle East proxy war that endangers all of us, and has no clear plan for what to do next.
Or as Trump himself said, “I guess,” about the possibility of retaliation on American soil when asked. He added, “like I said, some people will die.”
The MAGA Right, already in disarray because of Trump’s handling of Epstein, has spent the week fighting amongst themselves over Trump’s new war. It’s been interesting to observe. It’s one of those weeks where I’m so grateful to everyone at Media Matters for tracking MAGA media and how the various personalities are fighting with one another, starting with this detailed research explainer of who comes down on what side and what they’re saying. Per Media Matters, a “wide variety of streamers and podcasters have broken with the administration.”
Media Matters has also clipped these gems:
Laura Loomer lashing out at Megyn Kelly as not MAGA (with some sexist language)
Kelly calling her former Fox News Colleague Sean Hannity a “supplicant to Donald Trump” who exists to “puff” Trump up
Ben Shapiro calling Kelly an “unbelievable coward”
And (completely unrelated to Megyn Kelly), Groyper Nick Fuentes calling Donald Trump “demonic” and “diabolical.”
It’s objectively good when MAGA fights amongst themselves. It weakens their movement and their hold on the base. It’s energy they’re spending on one another rather than harming the rest of us.
MAGA is a coalition with differing ideologies brought together under Trump’s umbrella. The Epstein files already weakened them, and Iran has the potential to do so even further. Especially as Donald Trump is a lame duck president, and given what Americans can see of his declining physical health, it seems unlikely that Trump would be able to hang on for a third term even if that’s what he very much wants to do.
For his part, Trump is banking that the most extreme parts of his coalition will ultimately come home because who else would have them? How else could they hold power? Since we’re talking about Megyn Kelly so much, I think Trump’s remarks on her are especially telling. In an interview with Rachel Bade, he said, “Megyn was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time, and nothing stopped me. And so, you know, some people are against — and they always come back. She came all the way back.” He was similarly dismissive of Tucker Carlson.
Trump has a point. His Regime is the path for MAGA’s more extreme influencers to have actual power, and those like Kelly who screwed up their chance for a more mainstream audience and now rely on MAGA to make a living. A fractured MAGA coalition shrinks MAGA’s political capital and the available profit from the grift instantly. These folks might all be upset at Trump over Epstein and/or Iran and hate one another, but you can argue that they still need him and one another to have influence.
But Trump is also weak, and his coalition won’t hold forever. As I mentioned earlier, we can all see his declining health in plain sight. He’s historically unpopular, and the Iran war will only further decrease his approval ratings. And that’s without even getting into all things Epstein, which I don’t think he’ll ever fully recover from. Some in the MAGA movement, say Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, have seen the writing on the wall and have made an early exit. Some, like JD Vance and Marco Rubio, are vying to be Trump’s natural successor. Still others, like Nick Fuentes, are going scorched-earth, calling on his followers not to vote in the midterms, or to vote Democratic (!) if they do.
I wish I could laugh about this. Because MAGA’s internal fights are generally pretty entertaining, and all of us who have to follow them deserve a treat now and then. But given the war in Iran and the potential ramifications, it doesn’t feel right, even at MAGA’s expense. We’re living in dangerous times, and Trump clearly doesn’t care about any of our lives. Plus, we’ve seen what Trump is like when he’s cornered, and it’s not a pretty picture.
But a fractured MAGA coalition also gives me hope. Especially as the opposition to Trump’s Regime expands. There are more of us than them, and our resistance grows as MAGA starts to unravel. I’ve given up on trying to predict America’s future, but I’m steadfast in my belief that the only way forward is to remove Trump from office. The current conditions make that outcome more likely with each passing day. Our job right now is to keep up the pressure on every front.
ICYMI
A Blueprint for Resistance: How Residents and Local Governments Are Shutting Down ICE Detention in Warehouses (The Vera Institute) How to fight ICE in your own backyard, starting with your local elected officials at the municipal and state level.
Media Capture: Who Controls the Story Controls the Future (MediaJustice) “MediaJustice is excited to launch Media Capture: Who Controls the Story Controls the Future, our new report that maps how Tech Oligarchs have captured the media system through ownership, financial influence and platform control. This report is for organizers, activists, and communities of color who are fighting Big Tech across many fronts, from data centers, surveillance, AI and labor.”
America After Trump: How Democracies Fall — and How They Can Come Back. (Vox) An important series of articles from Vox and Protect Democracy. Some are behind a paywall, but all are worth reading.
A Warning About Media Consolidation as We Face Another Senseless War (Free Press) No not that Free Press, the good one. From co-president Jessica J. González.
The Quintessential Epstein Files Email (The American Prospect) The Epstein files touch so many aspects of our government and culture that I’m not sure there is one data point that encapsulates everything, but David Dayen makes a good case for this particular email.
At Least Europe Cares About the Epstein Files (Jezebel) If you’re curious about what other countries are doing about Epstein and the cabal that enabled him, Jezebel has a rundown for you.
Kash Patel Gutted FBI Counterintelligence Team Tasked With Tracking Iranian Threats Days Before US Strikes, Sources Say (CNN) Because of course he did.
Polymarket Pulls Bet on Nuclear Detonation in 2026 (404 Media) “Pulling a bet like this is unusual and the company did not respond to 404 Media’s request for an explanation as to why. Word of the nuke bet drew wide attention online from critics already upset about Polymarket for its place in the depravity economy.”
She Got Fired for Reposting Charlie Kirk Criticism. Months Later, She’s Still Suffering (Vanity Fair) I’m glad to learn that she’s taking legal action. And I’m glad that she’s telling her story.
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Coda
To celebrate the end of Kristi Noem’s tenure as DHS Secretary, please enjoy this video of John Oliver dissecting her career. Talk to you again next Sunday!
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As a friend of mine has pointed out - probably correctly - regime change is definitely coming, although it won't be in Iran.