Former President Donald Trump has created a civil war within his own MAGA movement amid a crucial election year that could decide whether he ends up in the White House or the big house, the New York Times reported Monday.
His controversial endorsement snub of Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) has divided his loyal MAGA backers — known for their allegiance to the Trump party line — in a critical swing state in the upcoming election.
“It shows the weakness of MAGA and the Trump coalition,” political scientist David Richards told the Times. “There are a lot of egos trying to leverage Trump to their advantage. If that’s all you have going and you don’t have a big policy difference, that’s going to lead to some really weird splits.”
Want more breaking political news? Click for the latest headlines at Raw Story.
The egos in question belong to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Trump's former campaign strategist Steve Bannon.
While Greene, a staunch supporter of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who was ousted with a helping vote from Good, is delivering stump speeches for his Trump-endorsed opponent John J. McGuire, Bannon remains resolutely in Good's corner, the Times reports.
Tensions mounted last week when these two MAGA celebrities hosted competing events delivering their characteristic vitriol on for two opposing Republicans battling for one congressional seat.
ALSO READ: Republicans weaponizing ignorance is a dangerous game
“We need loyalists,” Greene reportedly barked at a crowd of a dozen voters in a Virginia parking lot. "[Good] kicked Trump when he was down."
Down the road, Bannon appeared next to Good at a much larger event outside a local court house where he told the crowd, "They think you’re a bunch of morons who don’t count."
The Times argues this rift between two major MAGA bigwigs could spell trouble for Trump as he tries to reclaim the White House in 2024.
ALSO READ: Republican dodo birds have a death wish for us all
"The back-to-back events last week pitting some of the most famous MAGA figures against each other have highlighted how strange this civil war of a primary has become," writes reporter Annie Karni.
"It has splintered the MAGA movement and the G.O.P. itself and highlighted the shifting alliances, personal feuds and chaotic maneuvering that have come to define the party as much as any ideological or policy position."
And the stakes are high for Trump, who faces two federal court case he could theoretically kill should he regain authority over the Justice Department in 2025.
