Here is an interesting article that is an answer to the question of what will happen to MAGA if Trump goes away.
--Kim
So, probably like you, I've seen a lot of people ask if the release of the Epstein Files will be the end of MAGA.
The petition to release them just passed both the House and Senate and this issue created a wedge between Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene that looked unthinkable three months ago. And I have to admit, I have no idea what Trump's 180 on releasing the files actually means. Will they release everything? Will Republicans gaslight everyone by acting like they always wanted transparency?
Trump's current stance is that the Epstein files are really full of Democrats, and that's why we shouldn't talk about them.
Wait, what?
If they're full of Democrats, wouldn't you want everyone screaming about them from the rooftops? The logic doesn't logic. But that's where we are.
Anyway, back to MAGA.
I think anyone expecting MAGA to collapse if Trump falls hasn't been paying attention.
I was watching clips of Greene on The View recently where she distanced herself from QAnon and the conspiracy theories she used to promote. She blamed the media for making her look worse than she was, claimed she stopped believing that stuff "a long time ago," and positioned herself as someone who got caught up in misinformation just like everyone else.
It was a masterclass in political repositioning without actually apologizing for anything.
I've thought about that interview a lot over the past week. Here's what I think people are overlooking while they wait for Trump's downfall.
MAGA's core believers haven't changed their minds about what they want. Lower immigration. Fewer foreign wars. An America-first economic policy. Trans bans. Abortions restrictions. Eliminating DEI. Other project 2025 priorities. Those positions don't disappear just because Trump turned out to be a pedophile and narcissistic grifter who always puts himself first.
The anger at Trump that tanked his approval ratings isn't ideological. It's personal.
His followers that are slowly peeling away feel betrayed because Trump promised to deliver on their priorities, then spent his time enriching himself, playing golf, and making decisions based on whatever would get him the most attention that day. The Epstein connections made it impossible to keep pretending he was some kind of moral crusader. But their actual policy positions? Still intact.
And that's where Greene's rebrand gets interesting.
What looked like damage control on The View might actually be something else entirely. She didn't grovel or apologize. She blamed the media for clips taken out of context. She said she moved past QAnon years ago, as if it was just a brief detour rather than something she actively promoted. She framed herself as someone who questioned things and then figured out what was real.
That's not a mea culpa. That's a pivot.
But think about what she didn't back away from.
The immigration stance. The skepticism about foreign interventions. The belief that political elites sold out working Americans. She kept those positions while surgically removing the conspiracy baggage that made her a punchline.
She's offering MAGA voters something they desperately need right now. A way to keep their identity without the embarrassment. A way to say "I was right about the problems, I just got fooled about some of the details."
MAGA spent years gripping Trump with white knuckles partly out of belief but mostly because they didn't have anywhere else to go. The Republican establishment hates them. The Democrats mock them. Trump was the only game in town even when it became obvious he was running a con.
People don't just abandon a political identity because the leader turns out to be corrupt. They look for a new leader who'll actually deliver on the promises.
Greene is positioning herself as exactly that. The true believer who learned to separate signal from noise. The person who can talk about immigration policy and healthcare, while hoping people forget about her dabbling in weird beliefs about Jewish space lasers. She's giving MAGA voters permission to evolve without feeling like they're admitting defeat.
And she's not doing it alone.
Thomas Massie has been leading the charge on the Epstein files from the start. Lauren Boebert defied a personal call from Trump and a White House Situation Room meeting to keep her name on the discharge petition. Nancy Mace stood firm too. These aren't random backbenchers - they're watching Trump's approval crater and calculating their next moves.
Watch for other Republican leaders who've been quietly waiting for Trump to self-destruct. They'll start making similar moves, rebranding MAGA's core positions as serious policy proposals instead of rally chants. They'll distance themselves from the fraud and the criminality while doubling down on the immigration hardline and the America-first economics.
This isn't the end of MAGA. It's the beginning of MAGA without Trump.
The energy, the voter base, the grievances - all of that is still there. What's changing is the leadership. Greene's View appearance wasn't a concession speech. It was an audition for taking over a political movement that's looking for someone who can deliver the policies without the chaos.
Trump gave them permission to be angry. Now they'll look for someone who'll give them something beyond anger.
Someone who'll take their positions seriously instead of using them as props for a personality cult.
The folks writing MAGA's obituary are making the same mistake they made in 2016. They're confusing the messenger with the message. Trump may skate through this new Epstein Files release unscathed or he may be all but done, but the movement he hijacked won't fade away easily - they'll just hire new management.
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