Political tremors are shaking the foundations of Donald Trump’s MAGA machine. The uproar over the “Epstein files” has crystallised a deeper unease: economic frustration, policy backfires, and widening cracks with his loyalists. As Trump’s authority falters, the movement he once commanded stands at a crossroads. Will it rupture and push America toward a more radical conservatism, or will its growing weakness open the door for a renewed commitment to a rules-based order?
Donald Trump’s hold over the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement that has sustained his political fortunes may now be headed for its end. The most public sign of this is the bruising fight over the so-called “Epstein files.” But there are deeper troubles.