The Reports of MAGA’s Death Were Greatly Exaggerated

Primary voters are sending a blunt message to Republicans who obstruct the America First agenda: get on the team or get replaced.

Brian C. Joondeph | May 26, 2026

For years, the political class has been confidently predicting the end of MAGA.

Donald Trump was supposedly finished after Jan. 6. Finished after the indictments. Finished after Stormy Daniels and E. Jean Carroll.

Finished after the “experts” declared Republican voters were ready to “move on.” Finished after every cable-news monologue insisting the GOP base was finally tiring of Trump’s combative style and America First agenda.

As Mark Twain famously observed, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

So too are the reports of MAGA’s demise.

This week’s primary elections delivered another unmistakable message: the Republican base remains firmly aligned with Trump, his agenda, and his vision for the country. The anti-Trump Republican faction—whether branded as “principled conservatives,” “moderates,” or the latest euphemism preferred by Beltway consultants — continues shrinking politically.

The most symbolic race of the night was Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where longtime Trump antagonist Rep. Thomas Massie lost his seat to Trump-endorsed challenger Ed Gallrein.

Massie had become a hero to anti-Trump Republicans precisely because he opposed Trump so consistently. The establishment media predictably portrayed him as a courageous “independent thinker,” bravely “standing up to Trump.”

Republican primary voters saw something different: a congressman who seemed more interested in frustrating Trump than advancing the agenda Republican voters elected him to implement. Massie’s district overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2024.

And given that incumbent members of Congress are reelected about 95 percent of the time, Massie’s loss should be a wake-up call to other Republicans bucking their party. 

There is a major distinction between occasional disagreement and perpetual obstruction.

No serious political movement can function if members of its own party routinely undermine its leadership at every critical moment. Trump was elected to secure the border, reform trade, revive American manufacturing, restrain........

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