MAGA world has erupted at Donald Trump, accusing the president of betraying his America First principles and warning that Republicans are heading towards another potential election disaster.
Ten months into his second term presidency, Trump is facing an astonishing backlash from traditional supporters angered by his recent policy positions, with some accusing him of being “delusional”, “out of touch,” and even suggesting that JD Vance should invoke the 25th Amendment, “and get MAGA and America First back on track.”
The latest furore was sparked overnight, in response to Trump’s at-times combative interview with Fox News ally Laura Ingraham, in which the president suggested he knew what his base wanted more than they did.
The comment came after Ingraham asked Trump about an issue near and dear to MAGA’s heart: China and its growing presence in the U.S.
“Folks are not thrilled about this idea of hundreds of thousands of foreign students in the United States,” she told him.
“You’ve said as many as 600,000 Chinese students could come to the United States. Why, sir, is that a pro-MAGA position when so many American kids want to go to school, and these places are not for them and these universities are getting rich off Chinese money?”
Trump replied by saying he wants to “get along with the world” and pointed out that the U.S. has “a massive system of colleges and universities.”
“If we were to cut that in half—which perhaps makes some people happy—you would have half the colleges in the United States go out of business,” he said.
Ingraham pushed back. “So what? Are they fans of the United States?” she replied.
“So we’re dependent on China to keep our university? They’re not the French, they’re the Chinese—they spy on us, they steal our intellectual property…”
“What, you think the French are better?” Trump replied, before reminding the audience: “And don’t forget: MAGA was my idea. MAGA was no one else’s idea. I know what MAGA wants better than anyone else, and MAGA wants to see our country thrive.”
The exchange came after tensions escalated last week, when Democrats won a clean sweep of elections across the country, thanks in large part to anger over cost-of-living pressures, an issue that Trump vowed to fix “on day one” of his presidency.
Some MAGA acolytes were unimpressed on Monday, too, when Trump hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House, welcoming the once-pariah state into a U.S.-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State.
But the president’s interview on The Ingraham Angle on Monday sparked an even bigger social media furore with Trump’s base and other right-leaning voters.
“JD should invoke the 25th Amendment, take over, and get MAGA and America First back on track,” wrote X user @dundreary.
“He says the right things, and maybe he even believes them. He’s obviously smarter than DJT, better educated, and is a better communicator too. Not scattered and incoherent. Worth a try.”
“I don’t think it matters at this point what we do. Susie Wiles shields Trump from reality so badly that he’s been saying garbage like this for months,” said X user @aidenpryde, referencing Trump’s chief of staff.
“He’s completely out of touch and walking us into disaster in the midterms.”
“Why doesn’t he just know what his voters want?” asked frustrated MAGA supporter Philly Patriotz, whose account features a photo of Trump’s iconic “Fight! Fight! Fight!” image from Pennsylvania last year.
“He’s off this week like I’ve never seen him before,” said Doreen Mayo Ferris, who describes herself as a MAGA and MAHA former combat medic.
And another X user, @bbuckley88, observed: “Trump lost a chunk of his supporters with this interview & with today’s embrace of a Syrian terrorist. Seems like we lost the War on Terror & the War with China, all in one day.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. But this week is not the first time Trump has been accused of neglecting his America First principles—or of angering his base.
Earlier this year, a MAGA civil war erupted when the Trump administration attempted to shut down debate over the Epstein files, with the president describing the issue as a “Democratic hoax.”
Last Friday, Trump also described affordability concerns as a “Democratic hoax” and insisted that grocery prices and other cost-of-living pressures were “way down.”
“We did a great job on affordability and groceries. The only problem is the fake news—you people don’t want to report it,” he told reporters.
However, many Americans pushed back, including MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has traditionally been one of the president’s key allies.
Greene has also called for him to spend more time on America First policies and less time on overseas meetings.
Asked for his response on Monday, Trump accused Greene of “catering to the other side” and saying she had “lost her way.”
“When somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn’t know,” he said.
