'Dems in Disarray' has been a perennial headline for the Democratic Party to log its many struggles within and without. But what happens when the Republican Party rips open, despite Donald Trump's Krazy Glue of grievance, nativism and total dominance?
A mess on both sides of the aisle requires an industrial-scale clean-up. But more spills are expected. Not confidence-inspiring in a time of deep geopolitical flux, but an entirely new era in US politics may be upon us. Battle for the soul of both parties is getting dangerously real, as fringe fights move centre stage. The future direction of the US hangs in the balance.
Younger lefty Dems are challenging older centrists, trying to edge them out of reckoning before the 2026 midterm elections. Even though centrists won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, it was Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York mayoral election that got the most buzz. Socialists are 'in' with the big city, college-educated liberals. But can they sustain in other 'less developed' parts of the country?
Will Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a.k.a. AOC, and their godfather Bernie Sanders define the Dems going forward? Will centrists get cancelled? Too early to say. But optimists insist that Dems are playing the 'game of addition, not subtraction'. Every district, every fight is unique and will be decided on local issues. More the merrier, and the tent is large.
Barely had the blue victories registered and celebrations begun when civil war intensified. A big chunk of the party exploded in fury at the shutdown 'betrayal' - 7 Dem senators voted with Republicans to end it. Their vote to reopen the government got them no guarantees on healthcare subsidies, the main reason Dems had taken a stand. Thus anger and recriminations.
Dems roiling and boiling is one thing. But trouble in Trump paradise? GOP, which until yesterday seemed united under Trump's cult-like sway, is showing signs of rebellion. A few members of Congress have dared to question the imperium. It's actually about bread and sex - grocery and gas prices remain high, and Jeffrey Epstein's shadow refuses to vanish. Trump figures in the latest email dump.
Trump's evasions are not working, despite massive help from the media. With approval ratings down to 33%, he's going through his phase of Biden's 'the-border- is-under-control' delusion. He seems more occupied with building ballrooms and bathrooms in the White House, Great Gatsby-themed parties, and jet-setting around the world - to say nothing of his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.
He knows the ground beneath him - MAGA - is shifting, even if he claims no such thing is happening. Prominent voices are challenging Trump over H-1B visas, aid to Israel, White House invitation to former terrorist-turned-Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, and his penchant for foreign policy over domestic issues.
Interestingly, those prominent voices themselves are in various fights with each other. Laura Loomer, MAGA queen whose pleasure determines who gets to sit in the darbar, is in a survivor-type contest with Tucker Carlson, a man who wants to own MAGA's future, no less. Carlson has been accused of antisemitism - he asked whether the people of Israel were really the 'chosen people', or was it 'the oldest of the Christian heresies'.
MAGAworld is experiencing low-intensity earthquakes and splintering over questions many find hard to raise in the open. Why should the US support Israel? What is immigration doing to society? How much 'browning' can 'heritage Americans' (White citizens) bear? Associated explorations include whether Hitler was 'cool', jokes about gas chambers and misogynistic tirades.
Welcome to the world of 'groypers', a term for followers of Nick Fuentes, a far-right, White nationalist podcaster, whose utterances have jolted not just polite conservatives but many within hardline MAGA. Part publicity-seeking, part driven by the constant need to prove anti-establishment creds, and part just dipping into the yuckiest muck he can find, Fuentes is an online guru to many looking to understand a complicated world. He denies the Holocaust ever happened, and thinks of Jews as disloyal. Yes, antisemitism is the word you are looking for.
It is a world where sympathies can drift away from Israel (not necessarily toward Palestinians), once you raise questions about US support and supply of weapons for continued slaughter in Gaza. The questions are especially important for many Christians struggling to interpret the teachings of Jesus in an online world of anything goes.
Carlson's decision to interview Fuentes, and not question his toxic claims, has lit up MAGAworld. Last heard, 6 mn people had watched the video. The broad message: the door is open for any and every kind of theory, no matter how incendiary.
Can Trump put a lid on it? He may find it difficult to contain the beast he unleashed.
A mess on both sides of the aisle requires an industrial-scale clean-up. But more spills are expected. Not confidence-inspiring in a time of deep geopolitical flux, but an entirely new era in US politics may be upon us. Battle for the soul of both parties is getting dangerously real, as fringe fights move centre stage. The future direction of the US hangs in the balance.
Younger lefty Dems are challenging older centrists, trying to edge them out of reckoning before the 2026 midterm elections. Even though centrists won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, it was Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York mayoral election that got the most buzz. Socialists are 'in' with the big city, college-educated liberals. But can they sustain in other 'less developed' parts of the country?
Will Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a.k.a. AOC, and their godfather Bernie Sanders define the Dems going forward? Will centrists get cancelled? Too early to say. But optimists insist that Dems are playing the 'game of addition, not subtraction'. Every district, every fight is unique and will be decided on local issues. More the merrier, and the tent is large.
Barely had the blue victories registered and celebrations begun when civil war intensified. A big chunk of the party exploded in fury at the shutdown 'betrayal' - 7 Dem senators voted with Republicans to end it. Their vote to reopen the government got them no guarantees on healthcare subsidies, the main reason Dems had taken a stand. Thus anger and recriminations.
Dems roiling and boiling is one thing. But trouble in Trump paradise? GOP, which until yesterday seemed united under Trump's cult-like sway, is showing signs of rebellion. A few members of Congress have dared to question the imperium. It's actually about bread and sex - grocery and gas prices remain high, and Jeffrey Epstein's shadow refuses to vanish. Trump figures in the latest email dump.
Trump's evasions are not working, despite massive help from the media. With approval ratings down to 33%, he's going through his phase of Biden's 'the-border- is-under-control' delusion. He seems more occupied with building ballrooms and bathrooms in the White House, Great Gatsby-themed parties, and jet-setting around the world - to say nothing of his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.
He knows the ground beneath him - MAGA - is shifting, even if he claims no such thing is happening. Prominent voices are challenging Trump over H-1B visas, aid to Israel, White House invitation to former terrorist-turned-Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, and his penchant for foreign policy over domestic issues.
Interestingly, those prominent voices themselves are in various fights with each other. Laura Loomer, MAGA queen whose pleasure determines who gets to sit in the darbar, is in a survivor-type contest with Tucker Carlson, a man who wants to own MAGA's future, no less. Carlson has been accused of antisemitism - he asked whether the people of Israel were really the 'chosen people', or was it 'the oldest of the Christian heresies'.
MAGAworld is experiencing low-intensity earthquakes and splintering over questions many find hard to raise in the open. Why should the US support Israel? What is immigration doing to society? How much 'browning' can 'heritage Americans' (White citizens) bear? Associated explorations include whether Hitler was 'cool', jokes about gas chambers and misogynistic tirades.
Welcome to the world of 'groypers', a term for followers of Nick Fuentes, a far-right, White nationalist podcaster, whose utterances have jolted not just polite conservatives but many within hardline MAGA. Part publicity-seeking, part driven by the constant need to prove anti-establishment creds, and part just dipping into the yuckiest muck he can find, Fuentes is an online guru to many looking to understand a complicated world. He denies the Holocaust ever happened, and thinks of Jews as disloyal. Yes, antisemitism is the word you are looking for.
It is a world where sympathies can drift away from Israel (not necessarily toward Palestinians), once you raise questions about US support and supply of weapons for continued slaughter in Gaza. The questions are especially important for many Christians struggling to interpret the teachings of Jesus in an online world of anything goes.
Carlson's decision to interview Fuentes, and not question his toxic claims, has lit up MAGAworld. Last heard, 6 mn people had watched the video. The broad message: the door is open for any and every kind of theory, no matter how incendiary.
Can Trump put a lid on it? He may find it difficult to contain the beast he unleashed.
Seema Sirohi
Senior journalist who writes on foreign policy and India's place in the world.