In Reply to: It's a cult, the MAGAts don't care posted by CoastalBruin on December 20, 2025 at 14:33:07
The fact that a handful of Republicans broke with Trump to push for the release of the files—when doing so was unpopular—and that the issue persisted within the MAGA ecosystem shows that it genuinely matters to a segment of their base.
It likely doesn’t matter to all Republicans, but it has become a wedge issue between traditional MAGA voters and so-called “America First” Republicans.
Democrats need to be strategic about what actually resonates with Republicans and independents. Cultural flashpoints like trans issues don’t move them. Accusations of authoritarianism don’t either—at least not for most Republicans or independents.
What has broken through are issues like Epstein, the destruction of the farming economy, inflation, political corruption, U.S. military intervention in South America, destruction of the White House, and billionaire access/favoritism.