Donald Trump’s movement has long since reached its goal: “Make America Great Again” has the US Republicans firmly in its grip. Now figures are emerging who are overtaking Maga from the right. An overview.
It’s hard to imagine, but the Republicans in the USA were once the more liberal of the two major US parties. That was a long time ago, but the people who began to move the “Grand Old Party” bit by bit to the right in the 1960s are still active: Roger Stone, for example. The political consultant knew Richard Nixon and helped with Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign 25 years ago. He now looks after the younger generation. Like Laura Loomer – a shady right-wing extremist who is appearing more and more frequently in Trump’s circle and is stirring things up from the far right.
With Donald Trump to right-wing populism
In a sense, the transformation of the Republicans is now complete. The cosmopolitan party first became an economically liberal one, then a neo-conservative one, and now the right-wing Make America Great Again movement (MAGA). It is filling Supreme Court judge positions and is also drawing former leftists and liberals into its vortex of messianic enlightenment, mass madness and pure will to power. JD Vance, the vice presidential candidate, is one of them, but so are TV celebrity Tucker Carlson and IT and business nerd Elon Musk.
The MAGA Dozen, Trump’s right-wing circle:
Laura Loomer
The 31-year-old is the new addition to the former president’s entourage – and is viewed with more than skepticism by those around him. This is hardly surprising, as Loomer is overtaking the veterans and long-serving figures on the right with nationalist slogans and even cruder conspiracy theories than are already common in the MAGA world. The tale of Haitian immigrants eating pets probably also came from her. Because of her openly Islamophobic attitude and incitement against African-Americans, for example, Loomer has now been blocked from all major social networks.
Steve Bannon
From the army to Harvard to investment banker and head of Breitbart, one of the first successful right-wing websites. The 60-year-old recognized Donald Trump’s talent for electrifying crowds early on. He later moved into the White House at Trump’s side as chief advisor, even if his stint there was only brief. Bannon continues to be an influencer and puppet master in right-wing circles – including in Europe. In October, he served a four-month prison sentence for contempt of the US Congress.
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Until Laura Loomer appeared on the scene, the 50-year-old was considered the first conspiracy theorist of the right-wing Republicans. Whether it was offbeat QAnon stories, allegedly staged school massacres or the comparison of the Corona mask requirement with the Holocaust – no rumor, no matter how bizarre, was absurd enough not to be publicly expressed. She has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 2021 and, together with her right-wing allies, is driving her colleagues in the Republican Party ahead of her.
Candace Owens
She is one of the ranks of Trump supporters who once made fun of him – for example, about the size of his penis. At that time, she was still a “Vogue” employee and anti-cyberbullying activist. At some point she switched sides and claimed that Adolf Hitler only wanted to “make Germany great”. The 35-year-old is also heard in right-wing conservative circles because, as an African-American, she calls Black Lives Matter demonstrators “screaming toddlers”. Like many right-wingers, Owens spreads the Kremlin narrative that Russia is fighting a “Nazi regime” in Ukraine.
Tucker Carlson
The 55-year-old grew up in Southern Californian villas and private schools and has been the TV face of MAGA America for years. He too has gone from being a liberal gay marriage supporter to a right-wing conspiracy theorist. At one point he was even too right-wing for his broadcaster Fox News – so they kicked him out. Since then, Carlson has found himself surrounded by enemies on X (ex-Twitter). At the beginning of the year he submissively interviewed Vladimir Putin, and most recently one of his talk show guests claimed that the biggest villain in World War II was the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Nick Fuentes
Holocaust denier, supporter of “white supremacy”, Taliban supporter, involuntarily celibate: At just 26 years old, Fuentes has made a name for himself as a die-hard right-winger. He was also involved in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. But he became really famous when he sat next to Kanye West at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to drum up support for the rapper as Trump’s vice presidential candidate. He has now been blocked by almost all major social networks.
Alex Jones
The father of all conspiracy theorists. His platform “InfoWars.com”, which he founded in 1999, deliberately spread false information and lies. Stories about “the great reset”, 9/11 as an “inside job” and alleged chemtrails were to be found there early on. The bizarre fantasies are now almost part of the mainstream of many Republicans. InfoWars had to file for bankruptcy this summer due to a lawsuit. Alex Jones now spreads his right-wing extremist ideas via other channels on the Internet. He cooperates with Nick Fuentes, among others.
Michael Whatley
In the turbulent Trump world, Whatley is more of a good worker in the MAGA garden, but one with influence. As co-leader of the Republicans, the ultra-loyal Trumpist has rallied the party behind the ex-president and largely rid it of rebels and critics. His party will be “the vanguard of the movement,” Whatley announced. From the beginning, he shared the myth of the “stolen election,” according to which Donald Trump was the real winner of the 2020 vote and not Joe Biden.
Samuel Alito
As a constitutional judge, he couldn’t really be much further away from Trump’s far-right world. But Alito has always been right-wing. In 2006, he was appointed to the highest US court as an avowed conservative: against too much government, against abortion, for the death penalty, for gun ownership – many of his judicial statements were along these lines. How far to the right the 74-year-old actually stands could be guessed at when two flags with clear references were hoisted in his gardens: the upside-down US flag – a MAGA symbol for election fraud – and the “pine flag”, a symbol of religious submission.
Clarence Thomas
The elite lawyer was already considered reactionary when he moved to the Supreme Court in 1991. There he was known for his silence during oral proceedings – but his comments and statements were even more extreme. Thomas is of the opinion that nothing that is not explicitly anchored in the US Constitution can be constitutional, such as abortion or the protection of minorities. Left-wing Democrats want to remove the 76-year-old from office on corruption charges. A Texas real estate billionaire is said to have given Thomas luxury trips, among other things.
Roger Stone
He calls himself a “crook” and “agent provocateur,” he has a huge Richard Nixon tattoo on his back and has known Donald Trump for more than 40 years. Stone, 72, has never shied away from lies and rumors in his long career as an aggressive conservative spin doctor. During the close election in 2000, he organized protests against a recount in Florida. The result: George W. Bush won the state and became US President. He is not only Trump’s forerunner, but also looks after the next generation in the MAGA world, such as Laura Loomer.
Elon Musk
The former jack-of-all-trades among tech founders has turned into an open Trumpist in recent years. His radicalization can be followed almost in real time; the second richest person in the world now openly posts fake news and conspiracy theories on his own network X. Most recently, he asked why there had not yet been an attempted attack on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The fact that the former Twitter has developed into a playground for right-wingers is also due to the 53-year-old and his ultra-liberal understanding of freedom of expression. Donald Trump has announced that if he wins the election, Musk will head a commission to review US government spending.
Sources: Munzinger, DPA, “”, AFP, , , “”, “”.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
