Analyst shatters myth of MAGA fracture: Trump's followers will believe anything

Clashes within the far-right MAGA movement are receiving a lot of attention from major media outlets.

While Infowars' Alex Jones, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and ex-U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) are expressing vehement opposition to Trump's war against Iran, MAGA conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer is vigorously defending the war and bashing those who oppose it. Meanwhile, in another MAGA clash, podcaster Candace Owens is claiming, without evidence, that Turning Point USA's Erika Kirk was somehow involved in the fatal shooting of her late husband Charlie Kirk. And while some MAGA Republicans are defending Erika Kirk, others are defending Owens.

But Salon's Chauncey DeVega, in an article published on April 16, argues that the "MAGA civil war narrative" is glossing over the amount of power that President Donald Trump still enjoys in the Republican Party.

"Ultimately, what a given influencer feels and believes about Trump and Iran or some other issue tells us only what they believe, and not necessarily what their followers and audience do," DeVega explains. "Many have gravitated to the MAGA civil war narrative because it has compelling characters, drama and clear conflict, and for Americans looking for hope in a dark time, it makes them feel good. But that is fundamentally different from a rigorous, empirically-grounded conclusion about mass political behavior. As NPR's (National Public Radio) senior political editor, Domenico Montanaro, recently explained: 'We've seen some influencers in the MAGA sphere speak out against the war, but that's not the majority of rank-and-file Republicans — never has been and probably never will be."

DeVega emphasizes that some Trump opponents are overlooking some important facts about how "fascism" operates.

"Then there is a repeated argument that has hardened into something of a mantra among some prominent voices — such as James Carville — who have taken to saying things like: 'Donald Trump promised no more foreign wars!' 'The attacks on Iran and Venezuela show that he is a hypocrite!' 'His MAGA followers must be ashamed!' 'The GOP is going to lose big because of this!,'" DeVega observes. "This reasoning assumes a healthy, functioning democracy where politicians earn trust and legitimacy, and then are held accountable for betraying it. But Trumpism is an authoritarian personality cult."

DeVega continues, "The president has total contempt for democracy and accountability, but his MAGA people and other supporters are psychologically adhered to him and the movement. He is a core part of their identity, which means they will change their beliefs and twist reality to justify his behavior and resolve the cognitive dissonance…. What many centrists, institutionalists and other such voices still struggle to understand is that in fascism and other antidemocratic political projects, power justifies itself. MAGA — and the larger conservative movement — is a form of religious politics driven by faith and will as opposed to reason or principle."

DeVega laments that regardless of what Jones, Carlson and Owens are saying about the Iran war, "tens of millions of Americans will believe" Trump when he claims the war is going well and "cast their votes accordingly."

"Yes, Trump is historically unpopular with the American people — but polls also show that the Democratic Party is also very unpopular," the Salon journalist observes. "Among right-leaning independents and other parts of Trump's wavering coalition, anger at the president does not necessarily translate into support for Democrats….. Pro-democracy Americans cannot and should not assume that the MAGA movement will self-destruct or succumb to political fratricide. That is wish-casting."

DeVega adds, "Trump is a political survivor who has demonstrated a remarkable ability to confound conventional wisdom. His MAGA followers are devoted to him."

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