Trump’s latest outbursts expose what he really thinks of MAGA voters

Supporters watch as U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at a MAGA Inc. event in Sterling Heights, Michigan, US., August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Jeff Kowalsky

Writer Amanda Marcotte can't help but notice that President Donald Trump's latest rants are showing an increasing contempt with his own supporters who have dedicated a decade to his movement.

On The New Republic’s "Daily Blast" podcast with host Greg Sargent, the two noted that Trump's increasingly provocative social media posts with AI "slop" is certainly a unique political strategy 55 days before the Nov. 3 election.

The two argue that Trump has been issuing grand threats, like annexing Canada, renaming geographic landmarks and promising dramatic economic results, but he has no real ability or intention to follow through.

Marcotte remarked that the MAGA movement relies not on strength but on the appearance of strength. According to her, Trump treats the illusion of power as more important than reality. His online posts may get loyalists excited, but they also expose his inability to force other countries, including Canada and Iran, to accept his demands.

It's what former Republican Party chair Michael Steele has called the "mythification" of Trump and his image. It's why the president puts his image sitting next to George Washington and Jesus Christ.

"I suspect this is how Trump has worked his whole life, right?" Marcotte said. "Which is, he is both a bully and a coward. So he’ll only pick on somebody smaller, and only if it’s an easy fight."

Marcotte argues that many MAGA influencers promote Trump’s claims because his brand of outrage garners attention, which then generates website or social media traffic. That then drives money and influence. Meanwhile, some supporters, she suggested, may also be defending Trump to avoid admitting that they made a political mistake.

Another example is the right's "own the libs" ideology, which aims to humiliate American liberals and progressives. Trump cooks up distractions, liberal critics react with anger, his supporters get the emotional gratification they desire.

However, Sargent and Marcotte argue that this strategy may be losing its luster as people become less shocked by Trump’s behavior and more likely to laugh at him rather than at the "libs" they intended to "own."

Over the weekend, Trump posted all of these wild AI photos of himself, including as a soldier with fake medals as part of his tough-guy image.

"But we noticed a pattern in all these outbursts. He keeps threatening to do things that he’s never, ever going to actually carry through, or things that backfire on him right away. In one sense, all this reveals fresh levels of contempt for MAGA voters. In another sense, all it does is make Trump look weaker," said Sargent.

The two agree that authoritarian leaders depend on an aura of inevitability and strength, so exposing their failures can undermine that power.

Sargent and Marcotte close by agreeing that mockery from the left could be influential enough to make an impact, all while voters witness the contrast between Trump's "big man" image to increasingly childish and ultimately ineffective behavior.

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