Trump threatens to make retribution 'lists' of MAGA influencers as defections accelerate
In recent months, there has been a noticeable uptick in MAGA defections, with President Donald Trump facing criticisms for his actions regarding Iran, the economy, the Epstein files, and the Pope not only from casual supporters, but from many of his highest-profile backers. Some have even suggested that his behavior has become so deranged that he should be removed from office via the 25th Amendment. Trump responded by lashing out against Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, claiming they are “NUT JOBS,” “TROUBLEMAKERS,” and “stupid people” with “Low IQs” who “think it is wonderful for Iran… to have a Nuclear Weapon.”Then on Friday, amidst a flurry of Truth Social posts about the war with Iran, Joe Biden, and his hatred for the media, Trump took another stab at Carlson, Kelly, Owens, and Jones, disparaging their intelligence and mental health, and musing that he should make a “list” of MAGA supporters who are “good, bad, and somewhere in the middle.”These attacks on longtime MAGA loyalists, says far-right journalist Scott Morefield, are a mistake that will cost the GOP big time in upcoming elections. “What Trump doesn't seem to understand,” posted Morefield over a screenshot of the president’s latest screed, “is that he has lost a significant chunk, not necessarily of the MAGA base (though that is shrinking), but of the independent minded voters who swung the election in his favor in 2024.”Morefield goes on to note that those voters — among whom he counts himself — “aren't in a cult of personality” but voted for Trump because they believed in the policies he promised. And those voters, “being independent minded and…not in a cult of personality, also tend to listen to some combination of media figures like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, Tim Dillon, Theo Von, and other podcasters who have solidly turned against Trump” for breaking his promises. “He could have never won in '24 without us,” reminds Morefield, noting that just a shift of a couple of percentage points would have resulted in a loss for Trump. “And Republicans will never win in '26 or '28 unless this voter segment and our issues… are addressed in a major way by Trump and especially the next GOP nominee.”Morefield is far from the only conservative to express concerns about Trump’s actions and how they will impact Republican electoral chances. As three-time Trump voter Thomas Paine noted, Trump is taking credit for opening “the same strait that was open before this whole conflict started… now we’re celebrating that it’s open again like we won some huge victory.” Paine says he supported Trump because he was “expecting America First — lower costs for working families, focus on our own borders and economy, not another Middle East mess that drives up gas prices and drains our resources.” But now “the coalition is cracking. The anti-war independents, libertarians, and working-class voters who showed up big are walking away.”For Paine, this poses a pressing question: “Is it too late for the Republicans to win the midterms?”