Just a Stumble or The Beginning of a Tumble?

26 Marcheshvan 5786 

When Eisav falls, Yisrael rises.

In the ten days since the 2025 elections, Donald Trump has faced a series of political blows that left his allies rattled, his base divided, and his once-durable administration suddenly strained. A humbling Election Day rout of GOP candidates up and down the ballots quickly gave way to finger-pointing, infighting, and the return of a scandal Trump had long tried to bury.

The warning signs came immediately. On November 5, Democrats romped, from New York City to Georgia. 

...“We got our asses handed to us,” Vivek Ramaswamy, a close Trump ally running for governor in Ohio, wrote on X, acknowledging the drubbing.

Trump moved quickly to deflect blame. “TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT,” he wrote on Truth Social, pointing to the month-long government shutdown, poor Republican candidates and even worse campaign messaging. 

...Exit polls in Virginia and New Jersey showed that nearly two thirds felt “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the country’s direction. ...Pundits across the political spectrum called the results a rejection of the status quo, especially on pocketbook issues like affordability and inflation.

“Trump is now in a position where he’s defending high prices while trying to convince people things are getting better,” said Lawrence J. White, a professor of economics at NYU Stern. “That’s a hard place to be politically.”

...In the week after Election Day, Trump’s typically steady approval ratings fell sharply. A University of Michigan survey found that consumer sentiment had dropped to near-recession levels, ....

Inside the White House, anxiety grew. Trump aides had spent months trying to pin economic troubles on Biden-era policies, but that argument was falling flat.

...By November 6, frustration inside Trump’s base was spilling into public view. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called the midterm results “a major wake-up call,” criticizing Republicans for failing to address affordability and the pressures of the shutdown.

Trump pushed back. “I don’t know what happened to Marjorie,” he told reporters. “She’s a nice woman, but I don’t know what happened. She’s lost her way, I think.”

...Trump’s attempt to reset the narrative with a Fox News primetime sitdown on November 10 quickly backfired. During the interview with Laura Ingraham, he was pressed on whether the U.S. should continue issuing H-1B visas for foreign tech workers—a long-standing point of contention within his base.

Trump surprised some by defending the program. “You do need to bring in talent,” he said, adding that the U.S. lacks certain skills for high-tech industries. When Ingraham pushed back, saying, “We have plenty of talented people here,” Trump responded flatly: “No, you don’t.”

...MAGA influencers accused Trump of betraying his “America First” stance. On-again, off-again allies like Ann Coulter and other far-right figures lashed out, calling the comment a slap in the face to American workers. By the next day, aides insisted Trump was talking about the failures of the U.S. education system, not American talent itself.

Then Jeffrey Epstein reemerged from the grave.

...Next week, the House is scheduled to hold a floor vote requiring the Justice Department to release the full Epstein dossier, including thousands of unclassified documents, memos,and internal communications. The vote was forced after Massie’s discharge petition secured the 218 signatures needed to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson.

“We might as well just do it,” Johnson told reporters.  (Source)

No part of the new media ecosystem was more ascendant, more powerful and more influential in shaping public debate than MAGA was six short months ago.

It helped elect President Trump to a second term, defend Trump, pressure and punish any Republican who didn't back Trump. MAGA was Trump, and Trump was full MAGA. Why it matters: MAGA is now mired in conflict over Israel, white nationalism, purity tests and disputes among its biggest personalities.

It's still overwhelmingly pro-Trump — but less relevant in shaping the president's agenda, and less capable of uniting to shape perception and dominate conversation on the right. These days, MAGA can spend more time eating its own than feasting on liberals or establishment Republicans.

The big picture: Many Americans are unaware of the fracturing because they don't watch Tucker Carlson videos, or listen to Ben Shapiro podcasts, or debate America First on Rumble or X. They see flickers of MAGA fires when the mainstream media picks up on feuds, notably Carlson vs. Shapiro over Israel and hate.

But as Axios has shown in earlier deep dives, MAGA wholly dominates Republican media, much like Fox News and the National Review did at their apex.

"MAGA was my idea — MAGA was nobody else's idea," Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham this past week. "I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else. And MAGA wants to see our country thrive."

With power and clout come turmoil, conflict and rivalry. In this case, it's unfolding over what it means to be truly America First when Trump, MAGA's titular and spiritual leader, focuses attention on Israel or Venezuela as working-class voters are hurting in America. Fights over this are spilling out, well, everywhere:...   (continues here.)

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — US President Donald Trump on Sunday brushed aside concerns about conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views, which has caused a schism within the Republican Party.

Trump defended Carlson, saying the former Fox News host has “said good things about me over the years.” He said if Carlson wants to interview Nick Fuentes, whose followers see themselves as working to preserve America’s white, Christian identity, then “people have to decide.” Trump did not criticize Carlson or Fuentes.

Fuentes appeared to appreciate Trump’s sentiment, posting “Thank you Mr. President!” along with a video of his interaction with reporters.  (Source)