The Neo-MAGA Revolution Has Arrived ｜ 7⧸17⧸25
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
149.52565
Summary
Trump has come to define the Republican Party, and the establishment is desperate to co-opt the movement that has defined it since the early days of Donald Trump s presidency. In this episode, Alex Blumberg explains how the establishment has co-opted the movement, and how they rebranded themselves as Never Trump.
Transcript
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From the very minute that Donald Trump came down the golden escalator,
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the Republican establishment has hated his guts.
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In the 2016 primary, the brash New York billionaire was treated by mainstream GOP leaders
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and commentators as a joke responsible for degrading the political process.
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As the real estate tycoon gained momentum, establishment figures had two choices.
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Declare yourself never Trump or pretend to have seen the light.
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Many fled to organizations like the Bulwark or the Lincoln Project, but others stayed around
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waiting for their moment to recapture the Republican Party from the MAGA populists.
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Now that Trump has come to define the GOP, the establishment figures who loathed him from
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The first Trump term looked more like an awkward arranged marriage than a real political administration.
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The billionaire had clearly won the heart of the base and created a movement that was
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largely separate from the GOP machine, but that movement wasn't ready to govern.
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Wielding power in the modern United States requires an army of bureaucrats, lobbyists,
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staffers, and organizations which MAGA simply did not have.
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To pass legislation and operate the executive branch, Trump relied on a number of individuals
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drawn from the GOP establishment, many of whom hated the president and his populist agenda.
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Administration officials often worked to undermine the president.
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Military leaders lied to his face, and despite some impressive achievements, Trump's presidency
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was defined by a war with the hostile establishment.
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With the question of electability hovering over Trump's head due to outrageous persecution by
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the Biden administration, Ron DeSantis was encouraged to challenge the former president in the primaries.
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He's my governor and has done an amazing job, especially when it comes to defending the state
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against COVID madness or recovering from hurricane disasters.
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But DeSantis was just never a gifted campaigner.
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I mean, he barely squeezed out a win against a man who was later found doing meth in a hotel
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Trump, whatever his faults, is a master of the campaign trail.
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And it was clear to anyone who had eyeballs that DeSantis was being walked into a meat grinder.
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Many of the establishment politicians and commentators in the GOP who had decided to
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bide their time instead of declaring themselves as never Trump, saw DeSantis as their opportunity
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He had a way of knocking down the media and press conferences and a track record of success
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DeSantis was also more disciplined and less likely to veer into the unapproved rhetoric
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Most importantly, the Florida governor was not under indictment.
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The elements of the Republican Party that had always hated Trump flocked to DeSantis.
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The consultants and campaign flacks got a paycheck.
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After the governor's inevitable loss, the anti-Trump Republicans staggered away, tending to their
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wounded pride and trying to decide what in the world to do next.
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After surviving an assassination attempt and defeating Kamala Harris, it became clear that
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Trump now defined the GOP, and the idea that he could just be simply swapped out for another
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establishment Republican was, well, clearly absurd.
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MAGA couldn't be defeated by the same old Republican pablum about small government and lower
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taxes, so the only option left for the establishment was to redefine MAGA itself.
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One of Trump's greatest strengths has always been his ability to break from the same tired
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ideological boilerplate and offer a vision that considers the well-being of the average American.
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Despite being largely driven by Trump's own charisma, the MAGA movement has had a few
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critical pillars including economic populism, immigration, and more restrained foreign policy.
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The first few months of the billionaire's second term presented a flurry of victories as the
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administration shut down government agencies, challenged birthright citizenship, and began
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deporting the worst illegal aliens. The blitz of executive orders and decisive actions left
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progressives reeling and MAGA supporters elated. It also left the establishment GOP confused about
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how to worm their way back into power. As impressive as Trump's opening salvo was,
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political realities will always create tension between a leader and his supporters.
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The president carried out a strike on Iran at the request of Israel, which Prime Minister
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Benjamin Netanyahu then rapidly repaid by ignoring Trump's calls on social media for Israel not to
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violate their ceasefire agreements. Trump began floating the possibility of amnesty for illegals,
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working in the farming and hospitality industries. The DOJ and FBI claimed that Jeffrey Epstein had
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never blackmailed anyone, had not been murdered, and that there was no list of his clients.
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This was particularly disturbing because Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of the FBI,
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Kash Patel, had built their reputations with the MAGA base specifically by promising that the evidence
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condemning Epstein did exist and would be exposed. The last few weeks have naturally put a strain on the
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president's relationship with some of his most ardent supporters, and that turned out to be the opening
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that establishment Republicans needed. A new form of Trump supporters suddenly appeared on the scene
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to redefine what MAGA means. This neo-MAGA contingent is made up almost entirely of people who never liked
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Trump and were dedicated DeSantis supporters. Many worked directly for the governor. Despite their
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previous defection, these pundits and political operators now characterize themselves as the
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president's most loyal supporters. The neo-MAGA contingent spent all of their time lecturing Trump
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supporters about their lack of faith in a politician that they despised just a few months ago.
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MAGA never meant stepping back from an unnecessary foreign conflict. It meant regime change in Iran.
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MAGA never meant deporting all the illegal aliens. It was only about removing a few gang members and
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drug dealers. MAGA never cared about the Epstein files that probably never existed anyway.
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Just trust the people who built careers on promising to reveal corruption that they now claim
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never existed. And the whole just trust the staff the president appointed line is particularly hilarious
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as most of the neo-MAGA influencers and politicians were viciously attacking the president's appointment
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of Steve Whitcoff as one of his chief negotiators because he was not seen as sufficiently pro-Israel.
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Despite what many detractors, both Republican and Democrat, have claimed, MAGA is not a cult.
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They are loyal to Trump as a leader, but do not hesitate to speak out if they believe that one
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of the core pillars of the movement is being threatened. Those who despised Trump from the
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outset and dropped him for DeSantis now see a way to insinuate themselves back into the administration.
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By using the current friction between the administration and Trump's loyal base,
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the neo-MAGA crowd is looking to redefine the movement back to the centrist GOP slop that they've
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been selling for years while painting themselves as the true believers. Whatever disagreements
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existed between Trump and MAGA, both parties should be wary of those looking to use the current friction
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to undermine what gained the president such a loyal following in the first place.
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