"Trump was their champion-a comedian, a performer, but, most importantly, a fighter. If MAGA was anything, it was a coalition bound less by shared policy goals than by a shared sense of grievance and a love for the game."
"Trump has abandoned the America First, antiwar message that catapulted him from outsider to president. The great promises of MAGA have not been met."
"Polling data reflects that shift. A CNN poll conducted in July 2025 found that 40 percent approval of Trump's handling of the economy. By March of this year, that number had dropped to 31 percent, a decline exacerbated by the Iran War."
"More than one in four respondents said prices are too expensive. The one bright spot in the poll, which was conducted before the war began, has been completely obliterated by this administration's war of choice, which has sent oil prices skyrocketing."
The coalition that supported Trump in 2016 and 2024 included evangelicals, libertarians, nationalists, and traditional Republicans, united by grievance rather than policy. Trump's initial America First message has faded, with rising gas prices and stalled home sales. Polling shows a significant decline in approval for Trump's economic handling, exacerbated by the Iran War. Many Americans find groceries and new cars unaffordable, while Trump claims the affordability crisis has been resolved, despite evidence to the contrary.
Read at The American Conservative
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