MAGA turmoil amidst the Epstein files fallout

The Epstein files and white nationalist Nick Fuentes are causing rifts within the MAGA movement. Even Trump himself is reckoning with the fallout.

Air Date: November 18, 2025 12:00 pm

A member in the audience holds up a "Make America Great Again" hat (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

There’s turmoil in MAGA world. The long battle over the release of the Epstein files, a promise President Donald Trump repeatedly made to his supporters, has angered many on the right. At the same time, there’s fallout from Tucker Carlson’s interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the president’s failure to denounce him.

And the fault lines don’t stop there. President Trump and MAGA loyalist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s public breakup has shaken the movement and conservative FOX news host Laura Ingraham’s uncharacteristically confrontational interview with the president on issues including immigration and affordability, surprised many and has some asking if Trump is losing support with parts of his base.

President Trump has successfully weathered such criticism and questions before. So this episode we explore the different factions of the MAGA movement and ask: is something fundamentally different this time or will this wave too pass?

Guests:

Eli Lake – columnist for The Free Press, host of the podcast Breaking History

Ali Breland – staff writer for The Atlantic

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