MAGA is on the verge of civil war
Isuppose none of us should be surprised that it came down to a conspiracy theory to truly divide MAGA.
Anyone who’s been following Donald Trump for a long time will remember that after decades in the public eye, his first sustained foray into politics was his promulgating the idea that Barack Obama wasn’t born in America and was thus ineligible to be president. With this “birther” conspiracy theory, Trump didn’t just fashion a durable political weapon he could wield against those in power but also drew throngs of followers to whom he dished out more red meat.
He utilized some conspiracy theories against his Republican political opponents, such as when he floated the idea that Ted Cruz’s father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the JFK assassination. Others he employed for foreign policy purposes, such as when he repeated the rumor that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau could be the son of Fidel Castro. He likely brought up many of his theories, including claims about celebrities, business leaders, and ethnic groups, simply to keep his base entertained and motivated. Honestly, the list is far too long for this column.
During the Obama and Biden presidencies, Trump was able to control the narratives around these theories because he was in the opposition. During his own first term, his cabinet members were not doling out conspiracy theories. In fact, he was surrounded mainly by mainstream Republican figures who generally abstained from such behavior, including individuals he ultimately broke with, such as Mike Pence and Jeff Sessions.
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