The MAGA Civil War

MAGAland is extremely fractured these days, with different MAGA personalities fighting with each other and splits emerging within the movement. The fissures result from two vacuums within the MAGA coalition, one that is frequently exaggerated and one that is generally underestimated. The exaggerated vacuum is that caused by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. While Kirk was popular on the right and had a high profile, he simply did not have the importance with which he has been attributed in the lionization that has occurred since his murder. Nevertheless, he did lead a credible and well-funded organization, and there is now strong competition to seize, if not his actual mantle, at least the glorified version of it. The underestimated vacuum is one caused by cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump’s transition from a populist grassroots leader to a corporatist autocrat who has abandoned much of MAGA orthodoxy.

I wrote yesterday about Trump's abandonment of grassroots MAGA causes and preoccupation with cutting deals — many of which benefit him personally — with corporate and international leaders. Rather than addressing populist issues such as lowering prices, addressing healthcare costs, or creating jobs and economic opportunity, Trump is focused on a White House ballroom, the Nobel Peace Prize, and a potential war with Venezuela. Trump's tariffs have increased prices and severely harmed U.S. farmers. In short, Trump is now out of touch with the MAGA base, creating a void that others are attempting to fill. While Trump has lost a considerable amount of his popularity, even among MAGA grassroots, most observers have failed to recognize his current weakness and, therefore, tend to overlook the vacuum that has resulted.

I've also previously written about the fight over Charlie Kirk's legacy. At that time, the primary division was between all-around crazy person Laura Loomer and podcaster Candice Owens. Since then, things have become even more complicated and, if you can believe it, even more bizarre. A number of additional personalities have entered the fray. Combined, the efforts to fill the vacuums left by Kirk and Trump have led to a state of affairs worthy of "Game of Thrones." I will try to describe the turmoil currently roiling the MAGA movement, but I will probably miss quite a bit. Consider this simply a cursory overview.

This post might easily be titled "Laura Loomer Against Everyone" because Loomer is at the center of most of the intra-MAGA battles. Loomer holds an inexplicably high level of importance within the MAGA movement and especially the White House. She has successfully provoked the firing of a number of government officials, including staff of the National Security Council, the head of the National Security Agency, and the government’s top vaccine regulator (note, this official later returned to his position). She uses her X feed to attack just about anyone she views as having been even minimally disloyal to Trump.

A large number of Loomer's grudges against other MAGA personalities grow out of her failure to receive a White House appointment after Trump's election. She primarily blames Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who Loomer says spread rumors about her. In addition, Loomer has sued HBO late-night host Bill Maher over remarks he made suggesting that Loomer was sleeping with Trump, something Loomer believes contributed to her not being hired. A deposition of Loomer in the case was made public and provides a firsthand view of Loomer's opinions of other MAGAs. In the deposition, Loomer was asked about tweets she had written suggesting that Senator Lindsey Graham is gay. In one example, she wrote, "We all know you’re Gay, Lindsey." Loomer made the baffling accusation that Greene has "Arby’s in [her] pants."

I have written about Greene previously. She went from being one of Trump's most fervent supporters to becoming a critic and announcing her resignation from Congress. As I said in the earlier post, Greene appears to understand that Trump has largely abandoned the MAGA grassroots movement. She has sought to fill that void, primarily by emphasizing that she is the authentic representative of "America First". Increasingly, "MAGA" has come to indicate blind loyalty to Trump, whereas "America First" signals adherence to the original principles of the MAGA movement. Loomer is perhaps the best example of MAGA in this context, whereas Greene represents America First.

A third major player is Candice Owens. The split between Loomer and Owens grew after Kirk's death. Loomer had previously criticized Kirk, but after he was killed, she became a leading purveyor of the myth of Kirk's greatness. She has positioned herself as the protector of Kirk's legacy. Owens, on the other hand, has gone down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Her first claim, which was later substantiated to a degree, was that Kirk's relationship with pro-Israel figures had become strained prior to his murder. This led to suggestions that Owens was accusing either Jews or Israelis of being involved in the assassination. Owens didn't exactly deny that she was making such an argument, but she also didn't confirm that was what she was saying. Owens is also involved in a lawsuit with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte over Owens' claims that Brigitte is transgender. The French and Israeli angles recently merged when Owens claimed on her podcast that a French-Israeli hit team had been dispatched to assassinate her. Later, Owens added Ukrainians to the group that has, so far, been notably unsuccessful in its mission.

Owens has been extremely critical of the current Turning Point USA leadership, which she has argued is not doing enough to reveal the full conspiracy to murder Kirk. In particular, Owens has faulted Kirk's widow, Erica. Owens was especially upset that Erica was quickly announced as TPUSA's CEO in place of Charlie. Owens’ criticism of Kirk and TPUSA led to podcaster Tim Pool taking swipes at her. Owens, like Loomer, rarely takes criticism graciously and is prone to hit back. When Owens acted as expected, Pool went ballistic with a profanity-filled attack on Owens and other Republicans.

Meanwhile, Owens has moved on from Pool and is now convinced that the U.S. government was behind Kirk's murder. This conspiracy involves a mysterious man named Harry, U.S. military officers, Egyptian aircraft, and Mexican drug cartels. Owens has gone into the plot in great detail, all the while confusing U.S. military ranks, something for which she has now repeatedly apologized. I find it amusing that Owens' fans apparently sit straight-faced when she talks about hit teams and drug cartels, but immediately fire off emails to her when she misstates the rank of an officer.

More or less siding with Owens is Tucker Carlson. He has become another prominent member of the "America First" coalition and, as such, is also aligned with Greene. Carlson is at the root of the alleged conflict between Charlie Kirk and Jewish TPUSA contributors because Carlson is an outspoken critic of Israel. Kirk is said to have been pressured by supporters of Israel to drop Carlson from an upcoming TPUSA event. When Kirk refused, a critic of Carlson allegedly withdrew a $2 million contribution. Carlson is also an arch-enemy of Laura Loomer. Loomer accuses Carlson of supporting Muslims and has recently predicted that Carlson will convert to Islam. Loomer is a self-described Islamophobe who has devoted her X feed exclusively to anti-Muslim posts for days at a time. Loomer is particularly critical of Carlson's relationship with Qatar. Carlson recently attended the Doha Forum held in Qatar, causing Loomer to spend multiple days attacking him. Carlson recently created a tremendous amount of MAGA infighting when he hosted White Nationalist Nick Fuentes on his podcast.

Also in Carlson's orbit is Megyn Kelly, who is close with Owens as well. More intriguing is Carlson's relationship with Vice President and reply guy JD Vance. Vance employs Carlson's son in the VP's office. This has put Vance in hot water with Loomer.

Also being roped into the Greene-Loomer dispute is podcaster Benny Johnson. Johnson, who is said to have pretensions of replacing Kirk, was not long ago found to have been on Russia's payroll (as was Tim Pool). Johnson presents himself as the perfect family man and representative of wholesome family values. This image, however, was potentially damaged by recent allegations by provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos that Johnson is either bisexual or gay. Loomer claims that Yiannopoulos works as an intern for Greene and lives in her home. Johnson and his wife are now threatening legal action against Yiannopoulos.

The MAGA split has also become apparent in the House of Representatives. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is widely seen as little more than a puppet of Trump, exclusively doing Trump's bidding. As such, Johnson has become a convenient proxy for Trump. Members can launch attacks against Johnson that are really aimed at Trump but don't risk Trump's anger. Greene was one of the earliest critics of Johnson, who she blames for not bringing her bills to the floor for a vote. Representative Elise Stefanik also harshly criticized Johnson recently. Representative Nancy Mace just wrote an op-ed for the New York Times questioning whether the House had any value at all under Johnson’s leadership. All three have various degrees of unhappiness with Trump and are likely positioning themselves for the post-Trump era.

The MAGA landscape is currently wrought with fissures. Some prominent MAGAs are campaigning to replace Trump. Others are fighting over the legacy of Charlie Kirk and the future of TPUSA. There are shifting alliances, eternal hatreds, and plots within plots. All the ingredients of a great novel. At the root of the turmoil is Trump, who now spends his days pouring over ballroom blueprints and hiring and firing architects, no longer interested in improving the lives of those who devoted themselves to him.