On Friday, a chat between two top MAGA influencers became “VERY uncomfortable” when it erupted into a full-blown argument over a discussion of Israel’s relationship with the United States. The incident spoke to a rising trend within conservative politics as MAGA and the wider GOP fracture over disagreements regarding America’s controversial ally.
“MAGA vs. MAGA just got VERY uncomfortable,” posted journalist Alice Williams over a clip featuring a pair of President Donald Trump’s key allies. “Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer went head-to-head on air — and this stopped feeling like a debate real fast.”
Loomer – a staunch advocate for Israel – was appearing on Bannon’s War Room podcast when she attempted to argue that the Republican Party is afflicted with “Israel Derangement Syndrome.” Bannon cut her off, however, asserting, “No, no, no, no, no, no. Hang on, hang on a second. If the Israeli government had dealt straight with us, you wouldn't have had this problem. They're liars. They've been stone-cold liars. They gave bad information. So I'm not going to let that go unchallenged.” Bannon was referring to reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had used bad information to persuade Trump to launch war with Iran. “Netanyahu's government has been atrocious, and we should have regime change in Jerusalem and we should have it immediately. They've lied to the American government. They've lied to the American people consistently. You say Israeli Derangement Syndrome. I certainly don't have it.”
Trump’s relationship to Israel has been a matter of growing division among his allies and the wider Republican Party. Earlier this year, longtime MAGA loyalists Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene broke with the movement for a number of reasons, among which was its willingness to extend favor to Israel. As Politico recently explained, “Self-identified 'MAGA' Trump voters are more supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its relationship with the U.S. than those who don’t identify as MAGA but still voted for the president. Nearly half of MAGA Trump voters say they back Israel and approve of the actions of its current government, while just 29 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters say the same, according to the survey. A plurality of MAGA voters (41 percent) say Israel is justified in its military campaign in Gaza — compared with 31 percent of non-MAGA voters. And 24 percent of MAGA voters say the country was initially justified but has gone too far, compared with 31 percent of non-MAGA voters.”
While Republican support for Israel was strong immediately after Hamas’ October 7th attacks, according to Politico, “Amid the war with Iran and a growing unease about Trump’s foreign interventions, the country’s standing appears shaky among the non-MAGA wing of the GOP and among young conservatives. Non-MAGA voters are 10 points more likely than MAGA Trump voters to believe the Israeli government has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy.”