Is Trump's power crumbling? The US president's Maga movement is showing signs of erosion
For a long time, Donald Trump was able to rely blindly on the Maga movement. But now a rift seems to be opening up between the US president and his supporters: on a turbulent weekend, Trump broke with his ally, MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, and performed an about-turn on the Epstein affair.
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- The US President's public spat with Marjorie Taylor Greene shows his deteriorating relationship with the America First movement.
- Trump also went on a confrontational course with his supporters for a long time in the dispute over the publication of the Epstein files.
- In the meantime, the Maga base is also raging against his economic course in the face of dwindling purchasing power.
Maga stands for "Make America Great Again", and Greene has long followed Trump's battle cry. As recently as March, the member of the House of Representatives wore a red cap with the inscription "Trump was right about everything" while the President addressed Congress. Until recently, the ultra-right-wing Greene from Georgia was one of Trump's most loyal supporters. But now the president is raging against his former comrade-in-arms on his Truth Social network, calling her "Marjorie Traitor Greene".
Trump dropped Greene after she distanced herself from him in a series of questions. Like many in the Maga movement, she is unhappy with the rising cost of living, his stance on Israel and Trump's focus on foreign policy. Above all, however, she is bothered by his handling of the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"I know better than anyone what the Maga movement wants," the US President said defiantly in an interview with Fox News last week. After all, Maga was his idea.
Distrust of Trump
In the Epstein case, however, a large part of the Maga camp wants something different from Trump. Many are calling for all files on the Epstein scandal to be disclosed. During the election campaign, Trump himself had promised to release all investigation files and revelations, but since taking office in January, he has only released a few documents of little significance.
Critics accuse Trump of wanting to cover up his own possible involvement in the affair, as recently published documents suggest a close relationship between the current president and the sex offender. According to the investigation, Epstein abused underage girls and young women for years and placed them with celebrities. In 2019, Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York. According to the authorities, he committed suicide.
Will the Epstein files bring Trump down?
For a long time, Trump tried to prevent a bipartisan initiative in the House of Representatives to force the government to release the files. After more and more members of his Republican party joined the initiative, Trump gave up his resistance to the release on Sunday. "The Republicans in the House of Representatives should vote to release the Epstein files because we have nothing to hide," he wrote on Truth Social. The House of Representatives was due to vote on Tuesday, with broad approval expected.
However,Trump's about-turn is by no means evidence of a change of heart. Rather, it appears to be an attempt to turn the biggest political defeat of his second term in office into a victory.
Anger among the Maga base
However, the pressure from within his own ranks is unlikely to subside any time soon. The anger among the Maga base is also boiling over other issues. Dissatisfaction is particularly high in view of dwindling purchasing power. The Democratic Party triumphed in the mayoral election in New York and the gubernatorial elections in the states of New Jersey and Virginia at the beginning of November on the issue of "affordable living".
Trump responded with speeches on the economy and seemingly unrealistic proposals such as an annual dividend for all US citizens of 2,000 dollars (1,600 francs) from customs revenue. Even Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reacted skeptically.
Deep rifts among supporters
Although many of his supporters remain unconditionally loyal to Trump, the rifts in the Maga movement are likely to deepen the longer his second term lasts. Towards the end, everything will focus on the 2028 presidential election and the question of who will take over Trump's political legacy.
Vice President JD Vance seems to be the favorite to succeed him, but he has been accused of a lack of commitment to Maga. Could this be an opportunity for Greene? So far, she has denied wanting to move into the White House herself.
